'Beneath Clouds Of Green'
A story of the Forests of Mirkwood.
By Arianlee
"Sellsílatheryn!" Chota called out, searching the forest floor around him. "Woman, I know you are here somewhere. I can sense you. Just give me a sign. Síla…"
His eyes caught sight of her. His heart tightened in his chest.
"No! Not again!" Running to kneel beside her unconscious body, he could see that this time she had received a grave injury. This time there would be no hiding her gift. This time the truth would come out. He placed his hand on her head and brushed his fingers through her white hair.
"Love? Síla? Wake up…"
Twenty-one years before, the Gods had granted Chota and Sellsílatheryn to be born on the same day. In this, the Wise One of their tribe had declared the two were meant to be together. "Children are now so rare among us," she had declared, "that their appearance on the same day is indeed a sign from the Valar. Therefore, this Choosing is by divine edict. Let none rise up to deny this godly claim."
This much was certain. With Sellsílatheryn being the first-born child of the current ruling monarch to bear the telltale white hair and piercing blue eyes she shared with her father, there was no question that she was fated to eventually assume his throne once he had passed over the sea to Eldamar. Male or female, the sex of the heir mattered not. Such had it ever been, and such would it ever be. Chota, on the other hand, bore the same blond hair and gray eyes as all others of their tribe.
Their naming, as it normally would have, did not come from their parents, but through visions and pronouncement received from the Gods by the Wise One. Sellsílatheryn, or Síla as she was known to her friends, meant 'white child of the Eagles' in Sindarin.
On the other hand, none could fathom where Chota's name had come from, since they had never been able to equate any sort of meaning to it. Although his parents were not happy with the naming, such had the Gods decreed and such would it remain. Being born under the same sun and moon as Sellsílatheryn, he was fated to become her Prince Consort.
Since the age of five, they had lived together, played together, and even taken their lessons together. As time went on, and they found the maturity of their bodies and minds blossoming toward adulthood, each soon discovered they possessed great feelings for the other. They were happy in each other's company and content to accept what fate had thrown their way.
But, that was only until their twelfth year, and shortly after Sellsílatheryn's first moontime had begun. Although its coming was joyfully met, and those of their tribe officially pronounced them both full adults, with it, also came a gift of power long unknown to their people. It was a gift quite out of the ordinary, and in being so, the two youngsters feared the consequences – death or banishment - should the elders one day find out.
All Eldar held within them the usage of the gifts of Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Some, mostly those chosen to become Healers, held even that of Spirit. Some, like Chota, were additionally blessed with that of teleportation, making them a vital part of the Warrior fighting force constantly being sent against the orc and goblin hoards that harried them. These gifts were acceptable and much looked up to by their tribe.
However, such was the additional gift given to Sellsílatheryn that, during times of high stress and emotion, her body would automatically change into the form of an elkhawk. This mighty bird of prey was the largest of all the hawks and avians, save for the Great Eagles themselves, and to whom they were but a smaller kin-cousin. In addition, just like those mighty avians, they also mated for life. Sellsílatheryn and Chota had long ago discussed and accepted this dark twist of fate and had, until now, been able to keep her dangerous secret by only a great deal of sheer luck and a lot of imagination. Through time and much perseverance, Síla came to control when she would transmute, but she had still much to learn to keep control of holding it, as well as any subsequent untimely returns to her Eldarin form.
That was, until now.
Now their luck had finally run out.
Seeing the injury to her arm so blatantly displayed before him, Chota knew the whole tribe would learn of her secret. This time the Healers would know and report their findings to the elders. He took in a deep breath, fully aware of what this would mean for the dream of their once happy future.
In particular, the Healer Míriel would know it had not resulted from just a simple fall from a talan or a rock she had been climbing. No, he would know she would have fallen from a far greater distance than that. He would ask, no demand, an explanation. He would know, through his gift of Spirit, if they spoke the truth of it or not, and then report his findings to the king and the elders. At that point, their happiness would truly be shattered.
With only two days remaining until their official Handfasting, the elders would quickly demand a stop be put to the event, and also name their relationship at an end. No blood containing tainted gifts had ever been allowed to intermingle with the pure Wood-elf blood of their tribe. In the past, those found to hold such gifts had been banished for possessing even less than what Síla held now. Although the tribe prayed to, revered and asked guidance and favors of the High Ones, such had ever been the fanaticism of the elders, that none with any errant gifts should remain within their midst and taint the trueness of their heritage. They believed that, only by retaining the pureness of their blood, would their wards, bolstered by their original Gods given gifts, continue to withstand the constant barrage of the evil ones.
This form of discrimination was one both Síla and Chota had discussed in private many times. It was something they had hoped to one-day change, once they came to rule. They staunchly agreed that new gifts could only help, not harm, their people.
Sellsílatheryn began to stir. She could feel the damp coolness of soft moss beneath her bruised cheek. The Gods be praised she had landed in such a place. Shifting to rise from where she lay on her stomach, she found herself unable to move as an intense pain tore through her right arm.
Turning her head to look at her injury, the moment she looked upon it, she knew her position in the tribe was forfeit. Her shoulder had been dislocated and the bone of her upper arm was broken, its sharp point protruding through her skin. She gave out a combined whimper of pain and anguish for her impending loss.
"Síla. Quiet, my love. I am here. Tell me what happened?"Recognizing the voice addressing her as Chota's, she relaxed and sniffed back her tears. "I could not stop it. I returned to my Eldarin form too early. I was still too high and fell to the ground."
"How high?"
"Nearly two talans."
"By the Gods, be glad you did not break your back or skull from that kind of height! Can you stand or sit up?"
Síla tried, but with the incapacitation of her right arm, she failed to get any kind of leverage. Each time she tried a wave of pain descended over her.
Answering his own question, Chota replied, "I guess not. Let me roll you over onto your back then. I can not lift you as you are right now.'
Shouldering the bow he held in one hand, he pushed her over as gently he could, only to have his actions cause her even more pain. She cried out with it. His heart responded in kind, although he knew none of it could be avoided.
Gathering her up into his arms, he said, "Remember my vow to you. No matter what happens this day, I will forever remain by your side."
"No Chota, I can not go back there now. You know what will happen. Take me anywhere, but do not take me home."
"Yes I do understand what will happen, and we will deal with whatever comes our way - together. Do not concern yourself. You need help now, not when I can find another. You would bleed to death before that. Míriel is the best one I know to fix the damage you have sustained." Laying a kiss upon her forehead, he then used his gift to teleport the two of them to the Healers talan in their village.
Sensing their arrival Míriel turned. Shocked at seeing the damage to her arm, he exclaimed, "By the Gods, what happened?"
"She fell," answered Chota.
"She did more than fall, Chota. Tell me the truth."
"She fell," he insisted.
"Do not try my patience, young one. You know I can get the truth through other means, so do not try to hide it."
"She fell," repeated the voice of The Wise One from behind them. Lissësúl was a wizened old female, long known to be favored by the Gods with insight and foreknowledge. In her mind's eye, she had seen the events as they had unfolded and now entered the infirmary to play her part in their young lives.
"We know that Lissësúl, Míriel rebuked in irritation, "but how?"
"That is for me to learn. Yours is to tend to Síla while I speak with Chota."
As her Chosen placed her onto one of the beds, Síla cried out, "Chota, no!"
"We both knew this day would come, my love. Rest now. I will handle this."
"Sleep now, Sellsílatheryn," Míriel softly whispered into her ear.
"Chota…" Síla continued to protest, but her mind soon became wrapped in an ever-shifting mist and drifted off to sleep.
While the unconscious Síla was being attended to, Chota told The Wise One everything. Lissësúl chose not to say a word until he had finished and in return made only a couple of inquires. Seeing her reaction to his words, Chota had a feeling she knew a lot more about this whole matter than she was letting on to.
No sooner had he finished relating his tale, than did Sellsílatheryn's parents enter. Chota looked at them warily, knowing Míriel had most likely mind-sent for them earlier to come quickly. The young elf cringed, but refused to give in, resolved to make them see that Síla was indeed no monster, nor posed any threat to the tribe.
Without hesitation, Lissësúl then related everything Chota had just told her. Chota stood back, waiting for the inevitable to occur.
Totally aghast at never having been told any of this, the young woman's parents first glared and then confronted Chota. "You knew of this and said nothing? How dare you?" Síla's father spat.
"I dared because we are each other's Chosen. Together we agreed to keep it a secret, fearing the tribe would see it as a curse and not a gift from the Valar. We feared you would renounce her claim as heir and cast her out. And, I shall tell you now, whether the tribe likes it or not, I love her too much not to follow her into whatever fate she shall endure."
"Damned right they would not agree to your foolishness. You know how the elders feel about such things. Your attempts of hiding it for so long will now only exacerbate it. You fools. You young and stupid fools."
"If the elders will not be convinced, then we shall leave just as soon as Síla is able to ride. We are of an age now that we can tend to ourselves and seek out those who will agree to take us as we are."
"Chota, do not try my temper or patience. You shall remain here and be given another Chosen. Your seed is needed to sustain our people."
"I will not stay where Sellsílatheryn is not. My heart is hers alone. As it is, her gift of taking on the form of an elkhawk disallows our permanent separation, even should I ever wish to consider it."
"What!"
"Yes, think about it. Elkhawks are kin to the greater and lesser eagles, and therefore they also mate for life."
"You are not yet wed."
"Yet, we have mated many times since Síla's first moon times began. No offspring have come about only because we did not wish it."
"You obstinate fool. Get out of my sight. Get out of this village."
"I go only when Síla does."
Having stood there silently, listening to their heated exchange, Lissësúl interrupted, "Cántascil, you will be making a big mistake if you allow their expulsion."
"Yet it is the law and I am king. How can I allow her to remain, especially since she is my heir and daughter? It would show favoritism and a total disdain of our laws and traditions."
"Then I will explain things to them. Too long have they failed to listen to my pleas. Too long have they refused to accept the gifts the Gods themselves have tried to give our people. Do you think I gave her the name she bears just for my own enjoyment? Ilûvatar himself came and entrusted me with their names in a dream the night before they were born. Think Cántascil, think."
"She is the offspring of those who honor the Great Eagles, and was named such. Since we look to them to keep us safe from those of evil who come to do us harm, I had thought her name only an honorary seeking their continued vigilance," Cántascil argued.
"No, it is not. It is only the beginning of what she will have to offer this tribe as its heir and someday queen."
Cántascil looked to his wife. There he found the reflection of his own conflicting emotions. Although not a word passed between them, either mentally or verbally, he knew he would have to at least give the council of elders the chance to change their minds. He did not wish to loose his daughter, but he could not selfishly go against the ancient laws either in order to save her.
"Lissësúl, I will call the council together and give you the chance to change their minds, but whatever they eventually come to agree upon, shall be final."
"Then I will do my best to convince them, your majesty."
Two days later, Síla and Chota remained outside the doors of the main meeting chamber. Through the gift of healing bestowed on Míriel, Síla's right arm needed only to remain in a sling for a couple of days. Although its full strength would yet take some time to return, the bone and joint muscles had healed nicely. Now they sat close, Chota with his arm around Síla's waist, awaiting the next obstacle fate would throw into their path. Each remained silent, lost in their own thoughts and fears, neither wanting to upset the other any further.
No longer wishing to endure such silence and knowing they needed something to distract them, Chota asked, "What is it like to be up there above the trees?"
Síla sighed and thought for a moment. "At first it was very frightening, but as I began to relax, I found myself lost in a world with green clouds below me and white ones above."
"Green clouds? I've never heard of such a thing before."
Síla laughed. "I speak of the treetops, silly goose. From above they look like a mass of dark green clouds. Up there I feel as though I am in another world, another plane of existence. As if, should I fall, the Elementals of Air would cradle me in their arms, guiding me safely to the ground. It is only when I return to my Eldarin form that this feeling of weightlessness disappears and the Elementals abandon me."
"Oh…"
"One day, I will take you up there with me and show you this wonder. I so much want to share the exhilaration of flight with you."
"Take me up there? How?"
"On my back."
"You can do this?"
"I think so. You have seen my elkhawk form, my love. Although I am not quite half as large as the Great Eagles, I believe I can manage it. When I get a bit stronger, we will try."
Chota sighed. "If things do not go well for us this day, and they expel us, we may have to use your gift to quickly escape their wrath."
"This is why I made sure we packed everything last night. Although it will break my adar and naneth's hearts, I will not have us remain where we are not wanted any longer than necessary. I fear, since they have taken a great deal of time to discuss our situation this morning, things may not be as favorable as we would like them to be."
The door to the main meeting chamber opened and Lissësúl alone exited. The two young Quendi stood and bowed their respects, but neither dared utter a word in question. They would learn their fate soon enough. Chota moved to stand behind Síla, wrapping his arms protectively around her. She would not be taken from him without a fight.
Seeing their apprehension, The Wise One shook her head. "Child, I could do no more than get the elders to agree to allow you to ascend to the aviary of the Great Eagles in the mountains above us and seek their counsel on the matter. As they are our guardians and you say your form is that of an elkhawk, one of their kin-cousins, they have agreed that you should seek their council directly."
Chota blanched. "That is just another way of getting her to leave. Once she is gone, they will never allow her to return. The journey is long and dangerous. Too many patrols of the evil ones walk the area through which she must travel. Passing through there is catamount to suicide. No, I will not allow her to go!"
Síla looked at her feet. She knew the dangers and length of time it would take her to walk that distance.
'No, that is not how I shall go,' she resolved. 'I will take to the air.' Yes, it would be a long journey, fighting the strong thermals that blew over the Misty Mountains from the west, causing her to fly against the wind, not with it. With her injury, she was not completely sure if she was strong enough to use it and fight those winds properly.
"I will do as they ask," she answered quietly.
Both Chota and Lissësúl turned to look at her simultaneously; Chota, in horror, and Lissësúl, with concern, at how quickly she had accepted the elders' orders.
"Síla, no. It would be too dangerous," her chosen rebuked sternly.
"It is my fate and I must accept it."
"Then I will go with you."
"No Chota, you must remain here. She goes alone," Lissësúl interrupted.
"No, I will not stay here while Síla braves the outside world alone!"
"The elders have spoken. You are to remain here. You are a part of this community and they will not lose your seed."
"But I have told King Cántascil I will take no other to wife, but Síla."
"Did I say you would be made to take another just yet?"
"But…"
"Listen boy, the elders have agreed to send Sellsílatheryn to the Great Eagles for counsel, but as my visions also foretold, she must undergo their training. She will be gone for a full turn of the seasons. In the aviaries, there will be no room for you; nothing to keep you busy. You will only get in the way of her training. When she returns, the council will listen to what she has been taught; what the Eagles have to say, and then consider once again whether she shall remain or receive banishment. This was all I was able to do for her, and for you, for the moment."
"Yet, it is still not enough. I will not let her go alone. We are each other's Chosen and are not to be parted."
"It will have to be enough, otherwise they will expel both of you permanently. If you go, you will never be allowed back. The elders will allow none to go against their wishes, for they say Síla's journey is for the good of the tribe. And, if either of you should both go against their wishes, where would you go? How would you survive?"
"We shall be well enough. I am a hunter and scout. We have both been taught the ways of wood-lore and survival. We will go to our cousins in the north. King Thranduil will receive us most willingly. If he does not, then we will go south, to the lands of Lórien. The Lord and Lady there will accept us. And if not there, then we will continue on to Imladris or even Lindon if we have to, but I will never allow her to go alone. It is bad enough that she flies alone and that I can never be where she comes back to herself in order to keep her from the kind of harm she has sustained just recently, but I will not abandon her completely!"
Síla had silently remained there, wrapped in the protectiveness of his arms, listening to their argument. While she had lain in the Healer's talan, she had had much time to think about her prospects. Now, with Lissësúl's revelations that she must go and seek out the Great Eagles for counsel and training, she found a new purpose blossoming. An infusion of light entered into that place of darkness where she had been residing since after her fall.
Resolved that Chota would not be able to survive for a year in the cold, bleak upper reaches of the Eagles homes, she stated, "No, Chota, I must go alone."
"But…"
"Love, right now I can not carry you myself while I fly, for I am not strong enough to do so; especially with my arm so weakened. I will have all I can do to carry myself that great of a distance. Therefore, my only other means of travel would be to walk and that would take months. From above, I can see where their aviaries are and arrive there all the swifter. In doing so, I may complete this task the Gods have asked of me sooner. Worry not that I will fail to return, for I will. I love you too much not to. Let us enjoy this one last day and night together, for at dawn tomorrow I leave to seek my destiny."
"But what if you fall? Who will be there to help you?"
"Since I shall be going to seek out the Great Eagles, I can only hope Ilûvatar has already forewarned them of my coming and that they will watch over me as I go."
"I do not like this."
"Neither do I, but we have no other choice. The Gods and the elders have spoken. They must be obeyed."
The ensuing months passed slowly for Chota. In returning to their quarters that first night after her departure, he could not bring himself to lie upon the bed they had always shared. Instead, every night thereafter, he slept on the meditation cushions in the other room.
He busied himself with hunting and his responsibilities as a warrior, sharing in the patrols along the boundaries of his people's lands. Internally he channeled his anger into this work; an anger built on both his distain for the elders decision to send his Chosen away, alone and unprotected, and from the daily concerns he endured for Síla's welfare. During attacks from the enemy, he would become like that of a cornered mountain cat protecting his mate and young. All but his enemies knew to stay well away from him during those times, when none, but the famed twin sons of the Lord of Imladris could have bested him. His onyx-handled blades sang as they sliced and flew through the air, cutting down anything in their paths. His arrows always flew true to their mark, causing as much injury as was physically possible. The once gentle, patient and even-tempered hunter had been transformed into something out of a nightmare; something none who served with him ever wished to become themselves.
Things were not made any easier when he came to realize he and Síla could not speak mind to mind during her absence. Day after day, he sent his mind out to the mountains, yet never could he sense her, nor ever did there come any answer to his call. If she had been injured or died on the journey, his soul would instantly have known. He was sure of it. They were each other's Chosen and linked for all eternity. Therefore, he waited.
Yet, even though Chota executed his work with skill and cunning, still there were times when his companions found it necessary to guard his back. It was not the ground and trees surrounding him that he watched during those times, but the skies above. His body would relax. His eyes would glaze over. A sudden longing would wash over his face. None spoke about this with him, but privately many admitted that, if they were in his position, they too would worry themselves sick until their own Chosen's return. None envied him his plight. It mattered not whether they agreed with the edict laid down by the elders or not, only that the torment they would suffer at the loss of the other half of their souls would indeed be utterly intolerable.
The night before Síla's scheduled return, Chota found his anticipation growing so badly he could not lie down to rest. He paced… sat down… and then rose to pace some more.
Would she return to him as promised? Had she even made it as far as their aviary at all? No reports had reached his ears of her having been found in the forest, but still this absence of information failed to cool the blazing flames of his anxiety.
He must rest, he finally admitted to himself. Rest would pass the time much more swiftly. If he remained awake, the moon's passing would only seem to stand still before his eyes. Instead of retreating to the same cushions where he had spent the last year-of-nights, he went out onto their balcony and sat on a bench next to the railing. Leaning forward, he folded his arms and laid them on top of the baluster. Resting his head on his forearms, he then closed his eyes.
His mind drifted. He dreamt of hearing Síla's voice calling him. She said she was home and that he should come to bed and rest not within his own arms, but hers. He lay there savoring this gift of hearing her, wishing and hoping with all his might that it would never end.
Then his ears also began to hear her words. His skin felt the warmth of her lips upon his forehead. The sensation of his hair being lightly combed through by her long, thin fingers sent his senses reeling…
He awoke with a start and jumped backwards in his seat.
"Chota? It's only me, love. I did not mean to startle you so."
He turned and looked up, blinking away the fog of sleep. "Síla?"
"Yes, my love, it is I. I have come home."
She needed say nothing further for him believe she was indeed real. She was home. She was alive. He sprang to his feet and enveloped her tightly within his arms.
When the initial shock of seeing her standing there, and the feeling of her physical body within his embrace wore off, he realized she did not wear the usual soft doeskin leathers she always had. Something hard and metallic, but pliable, stood between the two of them. Not wishing to break physical contact with her as of yet, he slid his hands down her arms and backed away. Shocked at seeing the being he saw standing before him, he quickly examined her from head to foot.
Covering her breast, she wore a shield of body armor. Its design appeared to suggest it was composed of hundreds of feathers, but that they had somehow been turned into pure, gleaming gold. Some of these feathers even cascaded slightly down her shoulders, but left her muscular arms exposed.
'Could all the flying she had most likely done in the past year with the Eagles have strengthened her so much as this?' Chota asked himself.
Upon her forearms, she bore golden vambraces of the same design and material. Although rigid, their design would allow each piece to move fluidly, no matter the weaponry she would bear while wearing it, whether it be dagger, sword, staff or bow. The tops of the vambraces were edged as though the pinion feathers of a bird's wing in flight. At her wrists, they extended down over the tops of her hands, each ending in three splayed feathers. He thought these must represent a bird's claw, for they looked extremely sharp and very deadly.
The soft leather pants and undervest she wore beneath the breastplate were but an extension of her skin, allowing him to see that her body had become nothing but muscle and sinew. Her feet and calves were covered in knee-high boots the same color as her clothing.
Although her hair remained hanging long and free, a part of her tresses had been woven into a single thin braid, that cascaded down her left breast. This, a warrior's braid, a rare thing among the females of his tribe, held a single feather and many colored gemstone beads woven into it. Some were rare and costly. Her features, once soft, smooth and youthful, were now angular, strong and knowledgeable. It was as though the woman who stood before him had aged dramatically in only one year, becoming half bird, half fully-matured female. Her transformation was extraordinary.
"What is all this?" he asked with surprise. "You have changed."
"I have been given gifts from the Gods to bear with me. And, during the months I have been away, they have taught me many things. Am I so very changed? Do these changes repel or distress you that much?"
"No, never. I… well… they will just take time to get use to, that is all. These you bear are really gifts from the Valar themselves?"
Síla laughed and reached up to cup his cheek with one of her hands. "Yes, they are gifts from the Valar. This I will explain tomorrow before our tribe, not here. Not now. You have changed also, my love. You look so tired and worn. I can see you have not slept well, nor have you taken care of yourself as you should have done. You have not borne up well since my leaving, have you? I am sorry for that."
"That matters not. All I care about now is that you are back in my arms and in one piece."
"Yes, it does matter. Chota, please believe that am still the same person inside that you have always known. I have only gleaned the knowledge of the ancient Eagles. It is not my change, but what I see in you that matters so very greatly to me though. You are not as I left you. Your soul as hardened significantly. This I must undo. Had I been given the permission to do so, I would have sent my mind to you daily. But, as it was, the Great Ones would not allow it. They said I must concentrate on what I had been sent there to learn and would brook no outside influences to hamper me."
Chota reached up with his free hand and laid it over her hand lying on his cheek. With his other he still held tightly to her arm. "After I could not reach your mind, I kept watch on the skies when I could, wishing and hoping to see you there, but I never did. For me, it has been as though you no longer existed."
"But I am back now and never again will I allow us to be separated as we have been. The Great Ones have trained me well and spoken their lessons and wishes to me. Tomorrow I shall go before the whole of our tribe and speak those words; that I may pass on their concerns and requirements."
"Requirements? The Eagles have sent you with demands? That could be precarious. Moreover, you wish to address the whole of our tribe, not just the elders? Is this wise?"
"Yes, requirements. However, I shall not speak of them here, for they are for all of our people to hear as one. Tomorrow will be soon enough for you to know them also. Tonight, I wish to know that only you and I exist in this world. Tonight, I am yours and you are mine. Tonight, I wish only to lie in your arms and come to know your body and mind as I once did. It has been much too long since I have known the softness of another's skin and the suppleness of their body. Come…"
Upon waking that morning, Síla dispatched a letter to her father stating she had returned. It also compelled him, per order of the Great Eagles, that not only the elders, but all those of the tribe be called together to hear her out.
Within a quarter of an hour of its receipt, both her father and mother arrived unexpectedly at her and Chota's door. As they entered, Síla sensed their need to know she was all right. Her father hesitantly took her into his arms, but her mother practically ran to her side in her relief and joy. Their conversation consisted of only generalities. Their words were tense with concern and wariness in their asking of how she had fared. Her mother remarked that she looked thin and malnourished. To these inquires, Síla answered only esoterically of what her experiences had entailed, wishing to leave the rest for later at the gathering. Her armor was hidden from their sight for now, lying in a trunk in the corner.
Shortly after they left, Chota commented, "Well, that went better than I thought it would." Taking Síla into his arms, he felt the tenseness the exchange had caused in her body. Indeed, he had to admit it had been a difficult reunion for all of them.
"Adar is concerned and confused. He sees the great changes that have come upon me and is hesitant about what I shall reveal this day. He knows I did not speak of all I know and is caught between his love for me and the traditions and welfare of our people," Sniffing back the tears of regret that their reunion had caused, she moved back from him, wiping them away. "Tears have no place in today's events. As I was taught, I must hide them away, for my emotions in this matter could get the better of me and cause things to go awry."
"Then go and soak for a while in the hot spring. It will relax you and give you some time to collect your thoughts. I will retrieve some breakfast and join you back here in three-quarters of an hour."
The bath did indeed allow her to calm and center herself. Later, as they broke their fast, Síla explained one thing that would occur during the meeting and asked for Chota's assistance in doing it. He gave it unconditionally.
After she had dressed, Síla walked over to where Chota sat waiting for her and then sat down beside him. In her hand, she held two feathers – one from a large eagle and another from smaller hawk. "My love, my Chosen, I have brought with me a gift from Gwaihir himself. He has watched over you during my absence and sends his regrets for the necessity of your sorrows. In recompense for this, he wished you to have this."
She handed him the larger of the two feathers. Chota rubbed his thumb against its softness and then looked back to Síla.
"I also wish for you to have one of my own feathers. Both his and mine carry protective and communicative properties. Should you ever find yourself unable to contact me via mind-speech, concentrate on the feather and both the Lord of Eagles and I will sense your distress and location. We would deem it the greatest of honors if you would wear it in your warrior braid."
At first Chota sat there in shock, but then reached over and gently took her offering into his hands. Without looking up, he sat there stroking the soft downy fluff of each, and replied, "I would deem it the greatest of honors to openly bear these most magnificent of gifts." Then, looking up into her eyes, he vowed, "Let none gainsay where my heart lies, for it has and will forever be with you and those who would help our people to grow and prosper. May the Gods themselves strike me down if ever I go against this pledge."
Síla leaned over, cupped his face within her hands and then kissed him. "I had not thought you would vow such a thing as this, but in your words I find the echo of my own. Come. Allow me to weave them into your warrior's braid myself. Your hands are shaking too much right now for you to properly do it yourself."
Being currently labeled a temporary outcast within the tribe, Síla was banned from sitting in her accustomed place at her father's side as his heir. Instead, the young Chosen couple sat off in a corner, side by side, watching their clan assemble, waiting for the meeting to begin.
Chota held firmly to one of Síla's hands as it lay in her lap. He could feel her apprehensions begin to fill her soul. "Calm down, love," he whispered. "You have told me yourself the Eagles have given you the words they wish to be revealed this day. Their counsel has ever been wise. Therefore, let their teachings guide you."
Síla sighed. "I just hope those words do not tear this tribe asunder. I have said as much to Gwaihir myself. I must warn you though, those words will be harsh. By the end of this, I may be in great need your strength and comfort."
"Do not worry. I will be here, just as I always have been. You just go and do what you have to."
The main meeting chamber being too small to hold the entire community within it, they had gathered instead around the central fire pit normally used for storytelling and large meetings such as this one. This clearing was one of the rare areas within their lands where the treetops opened up, revealing the blue sky above.
Assured that all were now assembled, Lissësúl came into the center of the circle. "As you all know by now, Sellsílatheryn has returned after living apart from us for a full turn of the seasons, as ordered by the elder's council. Although she would normally address only the council in this matter, she has asked for, and been granted, permission by King Cántascil to speak with the whole of the tribe regarding why she should not be banished from us permanently. Listen well to her words and judge for yourselves whether she should stay or go."
Chota squeezed Síla's hand in support. Shrouded in a cape, and carefully trying not to reveal what she wore beneath its folds, she stood and moved to the spot Lissësúl had just vacated. After clearing her throat, she began, "As you know, I have been marked as rhachi, one of the accursed, by order of the elder's council. In making their edict public, you learned the great secret I had hoped to hide from you, for I knew its exposure would most certainly make me an outcast among you. However, by the divine visions the Valar sent down to our Wise One, the decision regarding my potential banishment was postponed until after the time I should return from the high aviaries. I have spent the last full passage of seasons in the presence of the Great Eagles. With my time there having ended only yesterday, I have returned to stand and plead my case before you."
She stopped and swallowed hard, knowing this next part would be most difficult for her to speak of.
"The Great Eagles taught me to be strong and to stand up for what I believe is right and just. This I am compelled to do now. The gifts our people are given are endowed directly by the Gods, and in banishing those of us they have deemed worthy of receiving those gifts - those gifts not normally given to our kind - you have turned away from the Great Ones, scorning their wisdom by your rejection. As Ilûvatar's messenger, Lord Mandos himself visited the high aviaries and spoke as much to me. He told me to remind those who have forgotten what once brought on this edict of banishment, for in its telling, all those who have never known it, shall be enlightened by it, and therefore begin to reconsider its reasoning."
"Sellsílatheryn, you are not here to lecture us about tradition or the past," demanded one of the more stalwart of the older elders, "only to answer why we should not make permanent your banishment." In this statement, Síla knew the elders feared what would happen after she had revealed the history she was about to relate. They alone knew the truth of it.
"And that is exactly what I am trying to do, Elder Calaelen. I understand your trepidations, but am compelled by Lord Mandos to speak of it anyway."
Chastised at the mention of the Doomsman of Ilûvatar and Master of Spirits' name, the elder did not wish to anger him by uttering any further words. Although she was not in the least happy about it, she settled back, still seething.
"Long ago, our people met with, intermingled and even married into other tribes. Then, one day, a child was born with an extraordinary gift. He, like myself, held the power of transmutation. But, unlike me, he could become whomever and whatever he wished. The elders, not knowing how to teach him to use this gift for the good of the tribe, became worried when he began, quite innocently at first, to disguise and hide himself from their eyes. What had once been an innocent game of hide and seek on his part, soon became much more than that. He began to take advantage of his gift, eventually causing great harm and blame to come to others. Anger descended over our people for his actions. While the elders discussed what should be done with him, one of those he had harmed came upon him and killed him in revenge. As revenge is not our way, this man was banished. Much hardship came to the families from the loss of these two souls. It was then decided by the elders at that time, a couple of whom still reside here to this day, that never again shall we intermarry with other tribes or clans. Never again shall our blood intermingle with the Sindar, Noldor, Nandor or Falmari, for they believed from them had come that which had brought about the different gifts. Since then, our tribe has remained alone and isolated, harried only by orc and goblin."
"A very pretty story Sellsílatheryn, yet I hear nothing within it that should warrant us to change our ways. That edict has stood now for over a thousand years," rebuked another of the elders. Síla knew he had intentionally called it a story, not truth, hoping to cause doubts to blossom in the others' minds. This set her anger to smolder. They were not going to make this easy for her. So be it. The Eagles had prepared her for just such a thing.
"Yes and because of it," she added firmly, "our people have diminished. With the loss of those who have sailed across the sea, combined with the deaths within our warrior ranks, we are now less than half of what we once were. Children are a rare thing among us. This is not because of ours or our brethren's bloodlines, only a fear of those who are different. The Gods see we are fearful of any being gifted as I have been and therefore send only a few children to us every century. I say that our people have suffered greatly since the time when this edict was first enforced and it now should be done away with. Otherwise, there will soon no longer be any here to carry on. No matter what tribe or division we come from, they and we are all still Quendi, all still Eldar – the Firstborn. We are all of the same blood! It is not the blood that contains what you deem a taint, but instead, the will of the Valar in their bestowing of gifts."
Mumbling could be heard from those assembled. Over the din of the voices, Helyanwë, a Warrior of renown, spoke out, "We hear your words and know you try hard to remain with us, yet you have given us no stone-hard proof that what you say has actually come from the Great Ones. No hard proof that what you speak of as the lore of our history, is actually the truth. Yes, many of us have never known the details of how and why the edict ever came to be, but if we are to take your fancy words as the truth of it, I am afraid we will not be swayed by only their utterance. What physical proof can you give us to make us believe you?"
"Do you question my loyalty to those here, the Eagles and the Gods?"
"No Síla, only the truth of your words is in question here."
Síla reached up and stroked the eagle feather woven into her braid. Landroval had warned her that her people would never be swayed by her words alone. They would want proof; solid proof. She sighed.
"Then that proof is what I shall give you. I bear with me not only the words of the High Ones and teachings of the Great Avians, but also their gifts."
She turned to Chota and nodded. As she had requested of him earlier, he rose and came to stand behind her. As she released the clasp holding the cape upon her shoulders, he pulled back its front edges and then fully removed it. Under it was revealed the same armor she had worn the night before. It gleamed in the sunlight filtering down from above. Many gasped or whispered only a soft word or two before a great shocked silence raced through the circle.
"I wear the armor and vambraces of the Great Eagles," she continued. "Long ago it was made by the hands of Fëanor himself and has long-since been hidden in the Great Aviaries. Gwaihir has now gifted it to me as a show of his faith in my proper usage of the Valar's gift of transmutation. He asks that I use it to defend our lands and people. Also, I am instructed to tell you that, if I am sent from this village, so shall go their protection." Again, many gasps and murmurings could be heard around the circle.
"Pah!" came a voice from far back in the crowd; one she did not recognize. "You make unsubstantiated threats only so you can remain here. You could have accidentally found the armor hidden in a cave or taken it from one of those killed in the Dead Marshes who lay there still. It looks ancient enough to be of the style of that time period. You were gone long enough to have done so. Do not try to trick us with stories and discovered treasures. This is not enough. There is one thing, however, that I want to see, and that is you change as the elders claim you can do. None of us has ever seen you do this. This is the one thing in question here. Do you possess the ability to do such a thing?"
Finally, Chota could take no more and moved forward, his hands balled in anger. "I have seen this many times. She speaks the truth. Why will you not listen to her?"
"You knew of this all along? Ah, well then. By knowingly keeping this knowledge from us in the past, you should share in her fate also. As you are her Chosen, I would also be leery of anything you have to say, for who would not hesitate to keep their mate safe from harm by whatever means they could."
"The fact that I shall share in her fate I have known and ever acknowledged as a possibility. Your statement of it now makes no difference at all. Síla is my Chosen and I shall never abandon her. And you choose to doubt my words? Whether you believe it or not, never have I spoken anything but the truth," he spat back.
Turning towards him, Síla warned quietly, "Peace, Chota."
Seeing by her look that she did not wish him to get involved in this any further than he already was, he sat back down. His anger towards his brethren, however, still refused to abate.
"If transforming myself will help to convince you, then I shall." Síla dropped her head and concentrated as she had been taught. No longer did she fear its coming and had, with the help of the Eagles, long since learned to control both changes – from Eldar to elkhawk and elkhawk to Eldar - with ease. Chota need never worry again that she would fall from the sky while in her Eldarin form. With her bird-form firmly fixed in her mind, she murmured a couple of words and then slowly raised her arms out to her sides. By the time her hands were over her head, the transformation was complete, her wings splayed wide and full before them.
Although Chota had seen this many times, it still amazed him that she could do it at all. One thing did surprise him however. In her previous transformations, her eyes had never changed. They had always retained their normal blue shade, but now he noticed they were as yellow as any bird's he had ever seen. Even her pupils had elongated from their normal circles of black. Fear could be heard from some in the crowd.
Then, from above them, came the piercing cry of an eagle. Síla looked up and called back in response. Many scrambled away from where the bird made to land near the gathering. It was huge.
"Soroniell has spoken as I have wished her to," came the booming voice of Gwaihir as he settled and arranged his wings around him. "Why do you refuse to accept her words? You sent her to us to learn. Yet, once the Daughter of the Eagles has been restored to you, even with our words and teachings upon her lips and our gifts upon her body, you still refuse to believe she has done such. You call her thief and liar. You ridicule and mock her. It is you who now spin the lies to perpetuate that which has ever held this tribe back. She is strong of body and of will, and shall one day make a formidable queen to rule over this land. For this task, we were called upon by the High Ones. For this, we have honed her body, mind and skills. Even the numerous beads she wears woven within her warrior's braid are rewards for her achievements. I should know, for I gave them to her myself. Her time with us was difficult and here you only make light of it. I defy even your greatest warriors to have survived what we put her through, or for them to foolishly test themselves against her skills. I am of a great mind to withdraw our protection from you just for you having bestowed such an extreme insult against our dear one."
All in the crowd blanched. They had thought Síla's words of abandonment only a ploy to keep her within the tribe, when in truth, they were accurate. To lose the protection of the Great Eagles would mean their ultimate demise. They would no longer have the protection necessary to hold back the orc and goblin hoards from completely overrunning them. They were too few, and their warriors even less, to do it on their own. Many small discussions sprang up commenting on Gwaihir's unexpected arrival and his words of warning. What should they do? Could they actually overrule the elder council and change such a long-held tradition?
During his dissertation, Síla had transformed herself back into her Eldarin form. As a show of support, Chota rose and came to stand beside her. After wrapping her in her cape once again, he slid his arm around her waist in support.
"You have done well, my love," he whispered. "It is all up to the elders now." He then planted a loving kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer.
Síla leaned her head on his shoulder in response. She was tired. The whole thing had been a tremendous emotional drain on her. She sighed, trying to calm herself.
"Silence," came the stern voice of Lissësúl. "I believe the elders have heard all they need to in order to make their decision. What says the council?"
"We shall retiree and deliberate on it."
"Deliberate? What is there left to discuss? Dare you even think of refusing to remove this yoke from around the necks of our people, even while Lord Gwaihir stands in our presence?"
"The decision is the council's to make, not yours."
"No!" bellowed King Cántascil. Until then, he had remained silent, but after hearing and seeing all the evidence placed before his people, he could no longer remain so. Rising, he said, "I will give you the answer, not as Sellsílatheryn's father, but as your king. I serve all of my people and, with what I have just heard, there is no question that those who once ordered this edict were wrong in doing so. Because of one person's greed and another's quest for revenge, our people have suffered much. I will no longer allow this. Sellsílatheryn stays and retains her position as my heir. This is my wish and my will. Let none dare go against it or suffer not only my wrath, but also that of the Great and High Ones." Cántascil bowed his head towards Gwaihir in respect. The Eagle Lord then returned it in kind, showing his acknowledgment and meaning of his words.
"It is well and may your people now begin a new age of prosperity and growth," Gwaihir offered. Turning to Síla, he said, "Soroniell, my brethren and I plan to fly this way tomorrow. We would deem it an honor if you should join us."
"It would please me greatly to join you Great Lord. I would ask a boon, however. Would you permit me to bring my Chosen with me, if he so wishes?"
"Chota, do you wish this?" asked the Lord of the Eagles.
Chota swallowed hard. Taking in a deep breath, he awkwardly replied, "It would be a great honor milord. I just hope I shall not embarrass myself in anyway during it."
The Eagle Lord laughed heartily. "You shall not if I am any judge of character. You alone have steadfastly stood beside our Soroniell. For this, we are grateful. I shall see you both tomorrow, about three hours past sunrise. Until then, fare thee well."
Gwaihir spread his huge wings and took off with one mighty stoke.
Thus, was Síla reinstated within the ranks of her tribe. During the years that followed, and with Chota ever fighting at her side, she became a great warrior in her own right. She and Chota married and bore three children, each one being gifted with a new and different talent. The Gods and the Eagles ever watched over and were proud of them.
Periodically they would fly over the clouds of green and even took time to travel and visit the other Eldarin conclaves within Middle Earth. During their visits, Síla became an advocate for them to come, visit and once again to begin trade with her people. Her people married once again outside of their tribe. Slowly the tribe began to grow and prosper.
In the ages to come, she would rule over her people well, until the day when both she and Chota heard the calling of the sea and sailed towards Eldamar. There the Valar greeted them with love and many words of welcome.
FINIS
AUTHOR'S NOTE - the copyright of this story and those characters and places not already previously the property of the Tolkien Estate remain with the author.