A Dragon Mother loses her children when they leave the nest and die. In a fit of despair, she uses her Magic to bring her Young Magical Beings who still need guidance and love. Her portal spits out two young Men who have no idea what is happening but she raises and loves them.
Nepenthe- (n) Something that can make you forget grief or suffering
Cinnylir roared her agony to the skies as she weakly flew back to her den hidden within Emyn Muil. The dragon with scales the color of the teal ocean flapped her way closer to her home. She let out another mournful cry when she staggered inside past a dead, newly caught deer by the entrance and saw the two tiny nests with the beginnings of a small hoard in each. Collapsing in front of the small nests, she laid her snout close to the gap between the two and inhaled deeply.
She could still smell the spice of young Etar with his zest of learning all there was to know and the sweet scent of "I'm only 2 days younger!" Toke and his mischief. Another mournful rumble slipped free as her eyes slid shut in an effort to remember them as they were only hours before. Inquisitive Etar whose scales were like the sky on a cloudless day as he scurried around Cinnylir's hoard and pulled out bits that caught his eye as he begged for stories about how she had found this goblet or that crown. Sly Toke with scales closer to a midnight blue, looking black until he stood under the sun and the blue in his scales shone and how he tried to practice his dragon fire, hoping to scorch his brother and make him yelp.
Cinnylir had only left to find a deer for her boys, her only hatchlings. She had told them so many times. Don't leave the den. You're barely 6 decades, your fire still needs to develop and you don't know how to fight what's out there. Cinnylir heaved another shuddering breath. They were so young. Not even a century old. She didn't know why they left but it still did not change the fact that they had left the safety of the den and been torn apart by the Orcs of Melkor for it. Not even one of the races of the Valar, but her fellow creations. She knew that they were Orcs, but surely they had sympathy for their fellow outcasts in this world ruled by the Valar.
Apparently not.
Cinnylir let out a wail that was accompanied by two tears, the tears meant for her children, likely the only tears will ever shed in her life. The only tears she ever has.
She couldn't be alone. Cinnylir knew this like she knew the wind in the sky and call of her hoard.
Cinnylir stumbled to all fours and backed away from her hatchling's nests. Without even a whisper, she pulled on the delicate magic that she could feel flowing through her veins. She'd lose something that let her call herself a dragon. She knew but she didn't care. She wanted her babies back. That would never happen, but she could pull others to her. She had two holes in her heart, so her magic would fill them with others. They would never be her Etar or Toke, but they would be hers.
Her to Love, hers to Teach, hers to Protect.
Suddenly, her magic felt like it was trying to pull her heart out of her chest and Cinnylir gasped wildly, trying to drag air into her suffocating body and convince her heart to stay where it was. Her claws dug into the stone of the den, sparks flying. A rumble began to build in her chest as the pain grew stronger. Seconds, or maybe years later, she roared. Her fire shot out of her mouth involuntarily, like it hadn't since she was in her 4th century.
She burned.
Estë and Nienna watched as a dragon of Melkor's creation grieved over the loss of her children. To think that something of Melkor's make was feeling such grief was disconcerting to the two Vala. Tears crept down Nienna's face as she watched the only tears she had ever known a dragon to shed made their way down Cinnylir's scales to land on the cold stone floor. Estë troubled countenance followed the dragon's staggering movements as she stumbled back to her paws in weary grief.
Shock rippled through the Queens as they felt Cinnylir reach for the magic in her veins. Magic that she shouldn't be aware of, let alone manipulate. True, she was in agony at touching it, but the intent in the magic that spiraled out of her and into the Void and Beyond, that was what made the tears flow ever quicker down Nienna's face as she gripped her Sister's hand.
"Estë, she want to Love. She wants children to love as she did her own. We've seen Vairë's Weavings of this dragon and her children. We know that she loved them. A creation of Melkor's can feel love, something none of his other creations can. She knows of the monstrosity of Melkor's creations and she's not raging around Arda, destroying everything in her grief. She is seeking out new beings to love. Her heart truly beats. Please, Sister, let us help her." Nienna pleaded as she watched Cinnylir gasp for breath. "We can help more than just her. We can give her children who will look past her countenance and to her heart, who will need a protector. We can help." Nienna fell silent as Estë tightened her own hand around Nienna's before she nodded slowly.
"Perhaps we can, but we will have to move swiftly. Do you have any children already in mind?" Estë murmured to her fellow Vala as she continued to watch the dragoness Cinnylir writhe in place as she refused to release the magic that she gripped so fiercely. "I have a child that I would bring here," Estë said firmly as she faced her Sister whose shoulders sagged in relief.
"I do, Sister," Nienna stated with certainty. "If I'm correct, he is the other half of the coin that is your favored child," Nienna declared as a delicate brow raised in brief skepticism. "If you indeed are thinking of who I think you are." Estë smiled grimly.
"You are indeed correct. Shall we collect them?" Estë queried as she walked forward, stepping forward through the dragon fire and into the Void as she felt Nienna follow just a step behind.
The two Queens of the Valar walked through the stars and colors of the Ether, bypassing the images that flashed through the vast entirety of everything and nothing. The colors passed, twined together and continuing in every direction, forward and back and on and on. Stars died and reformed between their footfalls as they strode on, creating bursts of pure light, pulling and pushing on the currents of colors.
Gently, they moved through the images, only slowing to gently stroke an image, blessing, encouraging and soothing the hearts of those within. A young green haired boy, blaming himself for circumstances outside his control, standing back up, his grief soothed and his courage stoked. A young boy, laying unmoving from pain in a cave, a small blue creature trying to make him drink, forcing himself to his feet, his grief for his teacher encouraging him to continue on. A young girl's friends were gently pushed in her direction as she was frozen on the ground in shock and mourning, her pink hair falling around her as a small yellow creature fluttered around her, trying to encourage her and she rose back up with the support of her friends and their shared grief. A young woman in a crowd, watching in horror as her young sister was chosen, before her courage flared as she volunteered to take her sister's place in a death game. All of these people and more were blessed by the two Vala as they moved ever closer to the images they sought.
Eventually, they found themselves in front of the images of the two they sought. Both hiding away, fearing their uncles, one in the dark, the other in the light. Sharing a glance, the two Vala separated, moving to touch their images and speak to the boys within.
*Peeks Out*
Yes, I know, I really should be working on my other stories but this had just come to me and I had to share.
Let me know if you can guess all of the characters that Nienna and Estë encouraged. I'm curious to see if anyone know all of them. Two are pretty popular and the other two aren't as well known, I don't think. 3 are anime/manga and the other is a book/movie.