Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or Tolkien Enterprises, and I am not making money off of this work.
I had the idea for this a long time ago, before 'You Don't Have To Be Alone' was ever something I'd think of writing. In fact, Captain Marvel hadn't come out yet when this was conceived. So, YDHTBA is gonna be considered less of a priority than this, due to the fact that I don't have ideas for it at the time being.
I am using the character's Quenya names for now, as they would not have even heard of the Sindarin language at this point.
Edit: distressed sobbing at 2 AM as I realize that I switched Fingolfin and Finarfin's quenya names, I'm so so so sorry! Auuuugh!
Well, I hope you enjoy it, guys!
Findekano bit his lip, and turned his back on the west, telling himself not to look back. His hands trembled from fear and exhaustion.
He could see his brother Turukano, holding his wife and daughter with an expression of terror. Findekano, though unmarried, understood perfectly - this was no place to raise a family.
The Grinding Ice loomed above, stern and unwelcoming.
"We'll have to cross it," Nolofinwë said softly. His father turned and looked Findekano in the eyes. He's just as frightened as any of us. The thought shook his resolve, and he wanted to fling himself into his father's embrace and weep, like a small child.
The blood roared in his ears. His father had turned towards the remaining Noldor, and was making a speech of some sort, but Findekano ignored it. Maitimo burned those ships. His cousin had betrayed them – betrayed him.
A flash of pinkish light off the path ahead of them drew his attention, and he wondered what it could possibly be.
Roxy's eyes fluttered open to a clear blue sky. She stared upwards for a while, then blinked twice, confused. Where am I?
Suddenly, she heard voices – a lot of them, more than one hundred, she guesstimated in her possibly inebriated state. No, I'm not drunk. I quit drinking years ago. The memory of the past hour flooded suddenly into her brain, and she sat up quickly.
"Oww," she groaned, head swimming. She must've hit it on something – damn, that hurts. Her hair was curling again, springing forth from its artificially straightened state, and she scowled. She'd never liked her curly hair, often looking enviously at her mother's silky, curl-free locks. She'd wanted her own hair to do the same thing, but could never get it to stay for any length of time. Hence, the little flip at the end of her hair, which she'd incorporated into her trademark style.
She and Rose had been messing around with magick, as two god-tiered wizard fans were bound to do, when something had gone wrong. Roxy had felt a tug on the air around them, and then she'd been blinded by a haze of pink and purple. And now she was here… wherever here was.
By now, the voices had started to get on her nerves. She blinked a few times against the light of several hundred torches, wondering where she was and what in the world was happening.
A sharp, metallic object pressed suddenly against her throat. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" An unfamiliar voice demanded. Roxy tilted her head up as much as she could, trying to get a glimpse of her attacker, and unwilling to use her Void powers before absolutely necessary.
A young man with long, braided dark hair and gray eyes stared down at her with a stern, yet haunted expression. There were golden ribbons woven into his braids, and much to Roxy's surprise, his ears were pointed. He held an elegant sword, which he jabbed closer to her throat. "Answer me!"
Roxy yelped indignantly. "Sheesh, okay okay! My name's Roxy Lalonde, and I have no freaking idea what I'm doing here! I just kinda woke up with a splitting headache, so could'ya please quiet down!?" The man's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but he sheathed his sword anyway.
"You speak strangely," he commented, "and you do not seem like a spy from the Enemy." A wry grin splits across his youthful face. "A spy would have a better cover story, for one thing."
Before Roxy had a chance to be offended by his observations, he offered her a hand. "Well met, Lady Lalonde! Findekano, son of Nolofinwë, pleased to make your acquaintance!" Roxy took his hand, and he helped her up.
"Thanks," Roxy said awkwardly. Her headache was already feeling a little better, so she decided she was able to ask some important questions. "Um, why are your ears pointed?" Yeah, maybe not important questions…
Findekano blinked at her, looking concerned. "I am one of the Quendi," he told her, "Just as you are... although, I have never seen one of us with pink eyes before…"
Quendi? Roxy had no idea what he was talking about. Her bemusement must have shown on her face, because Findekano put a hand on her shoulder and gently led her to a puddle of clear water, a yard or two away. "Look," he said softly.
Roxy peered at her own reflection, and suppressed a gasp.
For some inexplicable reason, her ears were pointed, too. What exactly is this place? She wondered, and her headache returned full force.
Maitimo tore his eyes away from the burning ships, his heart heavy.
There would be no help for Nolofinwë and his people, and Fëanaro was hellbent on retrieving the Silmarils. For the first time, Maitimo regretted swearing the oath with his father.
On the other hand, his younger brothers looked eager to follow their father through whatever madness lay ahead. With a sharp pang of dread, he realized that this oath could lead any one of them to their deaths. Maitimo squeezed his eyes shut against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.
His brothers needed him, now more than ever.
When finally he opened his eyes, a sudden blaze of purple light on the shore caught his interest. Kanafinwë grabbed his shoulder and exclaimed, "Nelyo, what was that?" Tyelko and the Ambarussa turned to look, also.
When the light faded, Maitimo blinked in astonishment at what he saw.
Standing on the shore, looking disoriented, was a pale elf-woman with violet eyes.
The first thing that Rose saw when her eyes decided to work again, was an abnormally tall man with red hair, staring at her in shock.
Her needle-wands were still in her hands – just as they had been before she was engulfed in purple magicks and whisked away from her home. The man started to come closer, so she raised her wands threateningly. "Stay back!" She commanded him, and to her relief, his forward movement stopped.
The tall man held out his hands in a calming gesture. "I will not hurt you, nor will my brothers," he said, and Rose finally noticed the six other men gathered behind him, their expressions ranging from surprised to hostile. A dark-haired figure shifted closer to the tall one, whispering, "Nelyo, I do not think she is friendly."
Rose snorted. "You don't want to see me when I'm really unfriendly. Trust me." The tall redhead waved his brother away, looking annoyed. "Kano, you're make things worse," he reprimanded, but 'Kano' just scowled.
"I apologize for my brother," the redhead told Rose, turning away from the dark-haired man with a tiny frown. "We come from over the sea, and have had no prior experience with these lands. My mother-name is Maitimo," he added, "And this is Kanafinwë. What should we call you?"
Rose wasn't sure what a 'mother-name' was supposed to be. She decided it didn't apply to her. "My name is Rose Lalonde," she told them, lowering the needle-wands. "I am not from around here, either. I suppose we could learn about this new land together?"
Behind Maitimo, Kanafinwë's eyes narrowed. Without looking at him, Maitimo said, "She's right, brother. I believe we can all help one another." He gave Rose a respectful nod, finally letting his hands drop. "Your name is strange, for one of the Quendi," he observed. Rose frowned. "Quendi?" she repeated, then suddenly noticed that their ears weren't round, like a human's. Instead, they were pointed.
Maitimo frowned, too. "I believe we're also called 'Elves.'" Rose would've laughed, had multiple visions not prodded at the back of her consciousness.
She let out a short cry of pain as the images violently invaded her mind.
She saw Roxy, facing down a lumbering bi-pedal creature covered in white fur. The massive thing roared a challenge, but Roxy didn't flinch.
A different dark-haired elf, bending down to let another elf place an intricate golden crown on his head.
Maitimo, his face pale and scarred, staring down at the stump of his right hand.
An elf-woman with silky raven hair, grieving over the body of a human man. She looked up at Rose, who was suddenly aware that she was standing in a forest clearing. "Arwen," the elf sobbed, "Please, save him!"
Finally, she saw herself, sitting with Maitimo on his bed, and holding him as he trembled with fear. "Maedhros," she heard herself say, "It's alright. They cannot hurt you now." With a jolt of surprise, she saw that her ears, which were supposed to be round, were delicately pointed instead, like an elf's.
"Rose?" Maitimo's voice brought her back to the present. He stood over her, concern in his gray eyes, and she realized that she must have fallen down.
He helped her sit up. "That looked like quite a vision," he said softly. "I've never known one with foresight to fall down when seeing the future. What did you see?"
Rose met his gaze, wondering for a moment what horrors were in store for her and her new companions. "Many things," she responded, equally quiet. "Things that I don't understand. But I do know that things won't ever be the same again."
She and Maitimo sat in silence, staring at one another with a shared sense of dread. What have I got myself into? She wondered, studying his gray eyes and wishing she could prevent his fate.
You may have noticed that Rose was referred to as 'Arwen' in her vision of what appears to be Beren and Luthien. On this topic, my lips are sealed, for now...