Edinor
I watch my sister as I sit at her table. She is in her element on this, her conception day, much like any of the near three thousand she has celebrated. But something is different about her today. I cannot quite tell what it is.
As I've watched her grow, from a small, mischievous Elf-child (no doubt due to Elladan's influence) to a Elf-maiden, her likeness to Lúthien, our foremother and the most beautiful of all of Ilúvatar's children, is strong. There is much wisdom and kindness within her also. She reminds me a lot of our grandmother, counted among the greatest of her race. I see a lot of our own mother, now far across the Sea, in her as well. Whenever she walks in the woods, every leaf on every branch turns to her, and all manner of woodland creatures run to her feet. I remember when she was a child, she spent a long time caring for a squirrel badly injured by a wild dog. Ada told me privately that he did not hope for its recovery. But Arwen nursed it back to health and eventually released it back into the forest. I was so proud of her that day, that when she smiled at me, I had to turn away to hide the tears in my eyes.
I am proud of her still. She took the biggest wound at the parting from our mother, so big that I feared for her. She fled to the arms of our mother's kin, while Elladan and I suppressed our grief by hunting down and killing every single orc we could find. But however many tens, hundreds, we killed, it was still not enough to avenge our loss. It would never be enough until we saw her again. But Arwen gained enough strength from our grandparents to make it through, as did we all. And when she returned, she gave strength to our father, a support that we could not provide. And now, our roles are reversed – it is she that cares for me, instead of I caring for her as it always was when Elladan led her astray. She provides me with much wise counsel when I can go to no one else, and is perhaps the person who knows me best. Sometimes I cannot trust my twin with my deepest feelings. She soothes my heart when a maiden breaks it and helps me to see things clearly. She and I are perhaps as close as Elladan and I are, and I would not change it for anything. She radiates so much love and joy that she heals not only us, but everyone she sees. Her talents and skills are many, and I find myself often envying them. She is sometimes generous enough to create a thing of beauty as a gift for me when I have nothing to give her in return. Her spirit is so beautiful and selfless, and I find myself thinking that maybe I should aspire to be like that also. I missed her terribly when she was in Lorien, more than I could have guessed. But I am glad that she is back, although sometimes I do not see her as often as I'd like to.
But today is Arwen's day. She is once again radiant as she laughs at one of Elladan's jokes. Ada is looking on with consternation as he always does, but I can see his pride also. I smile at her, not bothering to hide my pride and my love. There is never a second of my life that I was not glad that she was here, and I cannot imagine her not existing. She embraces me and I kiss her. Of all the sisters, of all the Evenstars I and the world could have had, I am so thankful that it was her.
A/N: This was written for my sister, whose birthday it is on Nov 13. We are bonded not by blood but love and this was written with much love for her. Happy birthday, Arquen Sis. 'Edinor' is a word meaning anniversary, but I kinda stretched the meaning a little bit.