Chapter Three
Rated: M for future mature content
Eru who
made the world that is,
The
World that turns in joyful bliss.
Where
do your waters run?
Towards
the setting sun.
Forever
rings my song within,
Amid
the ages in tumlutous din.
So sing
the waters of Eä that is,
Forever
in the waves beneath.
Can you put the face of beauty into words? Can you hold its vibrant colors in your hands? No, those who have not seen beauty will never know what it is.
Yet I sang, as I did in the halls of the Ainur, I sang of the beauty of Arda to the immeasurable sea.
(Glorfindel)
There were no words to describe the beauty of the music, no words to speak of its haunting melody. And all around me rang the song of otherworldly quality that seems to echo in the emptiness.
Unknowingly I was slowly being drawn in, wrapped within the eerie music, and soon I was lost in its rippling current, threatening to wash me away.
Slowly but steadily, I was making my way towards the pale figure in the distance, my feet moving of its own accord towards the music of exquisite beauty. Before I knew, I was standing underneath the immense rock on which the ethereal figure stood looking out to sea. She seem as insubstantial as the air, so delicate that the rushing west wind from the sea was all that was needed to carry her away into the sky of deepest indigo above, leaving nothing but the wisps of the unearthly melody behind to tell of her presence.
Perhaps she was really a figment of my imagination, of my mind wearied from my heavy burdens and tired beyond relieve. It seems that I was walking in the paths of some fantastical elvish dream, bringing back to the shores of Valinor where I had walked in my youth. Surely this cannot be real.
Unbidden, words came to my lips and I spoke to the wan figure above.
"Lady, who are you?"
(Merlassë)
I was suddenly startled from my song by a soft voice that called to me from below on the sandy beach. Turning I found myself looking into eyes of the deepest cerulean blue, like the waves of the Belagaer on a cloudless summer's day. For some reason unbeknownst to me, they seem to draw me into them, bidding me to lose myself within its unfathomable depths. My eyes roving past the deep pools of blue, I saw a tall figure with hair of flaxen gold, looking at me searchingly for my answer. It was one of the elder children of Ilúvatar, exiled to these shores by their own admonition.
My first instinct was to flee from that inquisitive gaze to a more remote location of the beach, where I could sing my song alone. I had never spoken directly to one of the first-born before, not even in Valinor where I spent my days watching them in Tirion, their white city upon a hill. But those eyes of deepest blue shone with the clear light of one who had seen the Two Trees of Valinor, and it was to that light I was drawn, for I had never seen the greatest of all the works of Yavanna.
Instead, I lowered myself down from the high rock where I had perched, and stood facing the figure of the shining eyes.
"I am the Singer of the Water, edhel."
(Glorfindel)
At first I thought I had brought the wrath of the Maia down upon me, for she ceased her song and looked at me with narrowed eyes. But suddenly, she drew herself down from the high rock with a light, graceful leap, and stood before me. In the shadow of the immense rock where she had stood but moments before, she now seemed strangely diminished and looked to be no more than a slender woman of the Eldalië.
"I am the Singer of the Water, edhel" she said in a voice so soft that it was akin to the whisper of the wind.
"Are you of the Maiar of Ulmo then?" I questioned the small figure who was looking at me with curious eyes.
"Maiar?" she said, quirking an elegant eyebrow. "I do not know of this word you speak."
"For you do not seem to be one of the Valar, lady." I said, not knowing how to respond to her words.
"No, that I am not." She admitted. "I have not their power or might."
"Then you must be of the Maiar, my lady." I concluded. "One of the people of the Valar." She gave me a small smile, but said nothing.
"Do you serve the vala Ulmo, lady of the Maiar?" I questioned when she made no response.
"The vala whom you call Ulmo is a friend of mine," she answered with another smile, "but I serve him not."
I looked at her with interest. In my knowledge, the Maiar were mostly the servants and helpers of the Valar. It was not usual for one of them to regard the Valar as nothing more than a friend.
"Then who do you serve, milady?" I asked. She looked at me with her piercing eyes that seemed to search into my very thoughts.
"Eru, golden one." She replied, "I serve none but Eru." Her answer left me in wonder. I bowed in reverence to the servant of the Almighty One. When I rose, I found the lady looking at me with a twinkle in her eyes. And then she laughed, a sound to me like the tinkling of water on the rocks.
"Do not bow to me, golden one." She said holding a hand out to me, "For I am not mighty as you think me to be. I am the youngest of all my kin."
"And yet one of the kin of the Maiar is still far mightier than one of the first born, great lady." I said taking her hand and kneeling before her. Her hand was as small and delicate as a bird's wing. I felt her give me a small tug on my hand, bringing me up to face her once more. Her face bore a slight frown.
"Do not bow, calanwë." She whispered anxiously, "for me least of all my kin. I am not worthy of that honour." She studied my face for a moment.
"I must go." She said softly, pulling her hand out of mine. Turning away, she walked from me towards the white expanse of sandy beach, glowing softly in the light of the newly risen moon. I stood as one entranced as her light steps took her farther and farther away from me.
"Wait!" I called abruptly, when she stood halfway down the beach to me, no more than a pale figure in the distance again. "I would know your name, my lady."
The wan figure stopped and turned back to face me. A small smile passed fleetingly across her white face.
"I am Merlassë." Her voice sounded softly by my ear.
And then she was gone.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For days afterwards, I thought the encounter with the pale Maia to be no more than a dream. How could it be real? She was like a misty figure in a dream, a vision under moonlight that scattered quickly in the fierce light of the sun.
Merlassë. The name rolled over my tongue like the dark waves over the sandy shore. A name in the strange language of the Maiar, for that I assumed it must be.
Yet I could not forget the light of her eyes or the gentle smile that made her face seem all the more beautiful. I could not forget that quiet voice that sounded like the gentle sea breeze passing by my ear.
Merlassë of the waves, I secretly named her.
But I did not see her again.
Days turned into months, and months into years, but never again did I see that pale figure in the distance, nor hear her haunting song.
Every night, I stood on the white shores of Nevrast, looking out to sea – listening, listening for that otherworldly melody that drew me so inexplicably. But as I heard naught but the sound of the breaking waves, I could almost pick out a whisper of her ethereal song, swirling in the dark waters.
As the years passed me by, I looked for her no more, and turned my attentions to the immense task of the building of the secret city. It was a delicate process to be sure. The carpenters and masons and artisans all had to be handpicked one by one, sworn to the secrecy of their mission, and sent off deep into the Encircling Mountains to begin their monumental task. And slowly, in the Hidden Vale in the mountains, a beautiful white city began to take shape that mirrored the beauty of Tirion upon Túna itself.
And finally it was complete, the Hidden City deep in the mountains of the Eagles. And one night, Turgon summoned me to his council chambers again.
"It is time, my friend." He said to me after handing me a glass of wine. "We are ready to make the move into the city." I nodded reluctantly, taking a small sip of the fragrant wine.
"We shall do it in small groups of course," He continued, "Our move must take place in complete secrecy." I nodded in agreement but said nothing. Turgon, noticing my unusual silence, looked at me with concerned. Gesturing me to pick a seat among the many comfortable chairs in his chamber, he chose a large chair of blue silk himself as I did the same.
"Something troubles you, my friend." He said, setting his glass of wine down on a nearby table.
"It is nothing." I said, waving away his concerns impatiently. Truth to be told, I did not want to burden my friend with my personal worries, but Turgon persisted.
"You have been acting strangely ever since I have told you my plans of the city, years ago." He said, "Do not seek to deny this," He continued, cutting me off as I started to protest, "I know you too well."
Unable to object, I sighed and took another sip of my wine.
"I would know what troubles you so deeply, my friend." He said gently, pouring us more wine from a silver flagon sitting on the table in front of us.
"It is a trivial thing really." I said reluctantly, taking the full glass of wine from his hand as he held it out to me. I gave him a wry smile, but said no more.
Seeing as I did not go on, Turgon encouraged me once more. "Tell me."
Taking a deep breath, I gave a nervous laugh and said, "I am rather partial to the seashore, my lord."
At this, Turgon chuckled quietly. "And I was worried something much worse was amiss." He said as I gave a feeble smile.
"I am sorry to take you away from your beloved shores, my friend." He said, "But it may be that these lands will soon be no longer safe." Turgon rose and walked towards the roaring fireplace with a frown on his noble face.
"Though there is a peace now in Beleriand, Morgoth plots ever within his stronghold in Angband. I fear he will strike soon." He said, as I rose to stand behind him. "Within the protection of the Encircling Mountains, our people will be safe." He continued, "Guarded from the wrath of Morgoth by Ulmo himself, and the great eagles that dwell in the high peaks of the mountains." He turned to face me, "We will be as safe as we could possibly be."
I studied my friend and lord closely. His face was drawn and pale, and for the first time in all these years, I saw for the heaviness of his cares upon him. He sighed.
"I am tired, Glorfindel." He said to me, "I am tired of all these wars, the constant threat of treachery overshadowing all triumph. I wish that I had never folly to leave Valinor." He looked wistfully out towards the open window and the moonlit waters beyond us. His words stirred the longing of home within me but I brushed them aside. I placed my hand on my friend's shoulder comfortingly.
"Come now, my lord." I said, "Do not let my brooding get you down as well. We have much work to do." Turgon gave me a grateful smile.
"Indeed, my friend, we have quite the task cut out for us."
In the following months, small parties of Turgon's people moved north one by one into the hidden valley of the city. Gradually, Nevrast emptied of its people, until at last, the halls of Vinyamar stood empty and bare. Then Turgon gathered his household and prepared the last move to the Hidden City within the mountains.
The time had come at last.
The last night of our stay within the halls of Vinyamar, I wandered the white beaches of Nevrast, one last time.
It was a cool autumn's night, the chill of winter hanging ominously in the air. A cold breeze whipped past me through the empty beaches, raising small tufts of sand as it blew.
I breathed in the salty smell of the sea, cold air filling my lungs of that comforting smell.
How dearly I would miss these endless beaches and my nightly strolls upon its vast expanse. How I would miss the sight of the great sea glittering in the light of the setting sun, the call of the seabird soaring majestically like a white sail against the violet skies streaked with a violent crimson. But most of all, I would miss the sound of the surf as it broke upon the shore, and the sound of waves in the silence of the night, the slow ebb and flow of the tide.
For in the water, I heard the echoes of the song of Merlassë.
I had not thought about the mysterious lady of the shore in a long count of years. Always she had been in the back of my mind, a nagging memory, every time I listened to the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, but always I pushed the memory away again, determined to forget it.
But now, I was to leave the shores of Middle Earth, perhaps forever. Regardless, I most likely will not return for an innumerable count of years. And I would leave all chance of seeing her again behind.
Beautiful Merlassë of the Waves. Will I ever see her again?
(Merlassë)
The years of Arda passed me by like the current of the rivers of Beleriand. Ever on they flowed without a backward glance, and then they were gone and never to return. They can never to be recalled again.
I wandered Beleriand, learning of its every bend and curve, of the songs of the birds deep within its forest, of the cold of its mountain peaks climbing dauntingly into the reaches of the blue heavens above. I learnt of its secret paths and hidden valleys and its remote places where all there dwelt were the rarest creatures of exotic beauty.
I came to love the lands of Middle Earth most of all the places in the circles of Arda, even more than the blissful haven of Aman itself. For in Middle Earth I found the wilds of untamed beauty, free and feral, unordered by any hand. And ever I marvelled at its pristine waters, the domain of my friend the Lord of the Waters.
It came to pass then that I sought his company one day, by the banks of the great Sirion, near the spring of its utter source far in the north of Beleriand. And he came to meet me, arising out of the depths of the great river.
"How now, Singer of the Water?" he greeted me, resplendent in his majestic form as the King of the Sea. I greeted my honoured friend with a bow.
"I am well, my friend." I replied, "Though I despair for company after my long years wandering the beauty that is the wilds of Middle Earth."
Ulmo smiled. "While I have been hard at work, little Merlassë as always spends her time frolicking about with naught a care." He said teasingly. I raised my chin indignantly.
"I do not – frolic." I replied tersely, "I merely… step rather lightly."
Ulmo gave a great laugh, a sound as deep as the depths of the sea. I looked meekly up at him.
"So tell me, my friend," I said tentatively when his laugher subsided, "what great works have you been up to while I have been frolicking - as you call it - about Middle Earth."
Ulmo's face grew solemn and he gravely replied, "I have been giving aid to the peoples of Turgon, son of Fingolfin of the Noldor. The evil of Melkor is spreading again, and they have need of a safe haven away from his reaches."
I was intrigued by Ulmo's revelation. "Do go on please." I said patiently.
"I led the lord of the Noldor up the flow of Sirion into the hidden vale within the arms of the Encircling Mountains, and there they began the construction of a great city." He continued, "Presently I have been giving them my protection as they removed to the city. Their move must be in absolute secrecy, for all would be in vain if the servants of the enemy discovered the purpose of their progress."
I nodded, waiting for him continue further.
"Their last party will leave from the shores of Nevrast in three turns of the moon, before the chill of winter sets its hold upon the land making for a difficult journey." He finished.
The shores of Nevrast. The name brought a shadow of a pleasant memory across my mind, though I could not recall what it was.
"I do not envy them then." I said to Ulmo. When he looked questioningly at me, I continued, "I could never bear to leave the shores of your magnificent seas for long." I smiled at him, and he smiled in return.
"Yet nonetheless, they must leave." He said, "It is for their better." At this he turned to leave. "I must take your leave, little singer." He said kindly, nodding at me, "I still have much to do. May the grace of Eru smile upon you until we meet again."
I bowed low before the King of the Sea. "May the grace of Eru guide and protect you."
Then Ulmo disappeared again beneath the powerful currents of Sirion and I was left alone.
But Ulmo's words had set a great longing within me to see the white shores of Middle Earth again, and so I followed the walls of the Mountains of Shadow, past the crystalline pools of Ivrin and came finally to Mount Taras by the sea on a cool autumn's night, when the chill of winter hung in the air like a feeling of sorrow and regret that summer should pass away so soon.
The cold wind blew as sharp as a knife, skimming away the white sand of the beach. In the distance I saw the great stone halls of the Noldor of the Eldalië, standing dark and forlorn, emptied of all its people.
With a sigh, I knelt down upon the cool sand of the beach, grasping a handful of its fine, white grains and feeling its coarseness against my palm. Standing again, I cast my hand out, releasing my newfound treasure and watched as it was carried on the wind out to sea, falling in a cascade of fine mist upon the darkness of the water.
Can anything in all of Arda compare to this? The feeling of the sand between my fingers and the great sea unfolding before my eyes?
I waded into the shadowy waters, feeling its chill about my skin. On the horizon, great clouds gathered foretelling of a storm, while the sea tossed about with huge swells of white crested waves. The wind raged all around me hinting of the oncoming tempest.
Ossë was restless.
Of all the Ainur of Ilúvatar, Ossë was closest in thought and mind to me than any other, though I was more like in temperament to my brother Tulkas. He gave all his mind to the waters of Arda and served Ulmo in his purposes. But though he was like to me, there was always a dark quality to him I could not comprehend, and from the beginning we were adversaries and distrusted the other. His lady wife Uinen I loved and often I sought her company and we were like sisters. But Uinen loved not the land, and she would not leave the sea or the house of Ossë her husband.
It may be that Ossë sensed my intrusion in his domain but suddenly a great wave came from the deeps and rolled over me so that I was drawn under into the embrace of the freezing waters. I was overcome, for I was still being restricted in the body of my earthly form, and I grasped blindly in the powerful current of the undertow. It was then I heard a mocking voice speaking to me in my ear, taunting me.
"Well, well, if it isn't little Merlassë, sister of the vala Tulkas." Ossë said with a sneer. "You are as meddlesome as your older brother, putting your nose in places you don't belong."
"Release me." I gasped, feeling the painful bite of the salt water filling my lungs.
"Now why would I want to do that, my pretty little Singer of the Water?" he said scornfully, "For this is my domain that you have intruded upon, I have every right to keep you captive if I wished so."
I struggled in the powerful wash of the water, but I could not free myself to its surface. It was then that I truly rued the smallness of my powers so that I could not even fight off my adversary who kept me so tightly in his grasp. I floundered helplessly in the turbulent waters and Ossë laughed at my futile efforts.
"It is no use, little Merlassë." He mockingly, when I tired of my fruitless labours, "You are not strong enough to fight me. Perhaps if you beg me then I might consider letting you go."
"I would not beg one with the likes of you." I hissed at him. I felt his rage at me as the waters swirled dangerously around me in turmoil.
"Then you will stay." He said disdainfully, "Until you learn who your betters are."
"You cannot keep me here forever." I said through clenched teeth, when I felt his grasp tighten around me.
"We shall see." He said menacingly.
At this, I felt his powerful currents dragging me down, down to the very beds of the sea, pinning me under with no hope of escape. I gave a feeble cry, but it was stopped in my throat from the rushing waters that threaten to drown my vulnerable body. But I could not shed it, for I had bound myself to it and it was me, until the forces of nature took its life away and I would return to the form of the spirit that I was. It seemed as if I was to endure the heavy batter of the merciless waters until all life in this fragile body was beaten out of me, and I would be trapped nonetheless under the thumb of Ossë as a spirit broken.
Then suddenly a great calm came over the waters, and I heard a firm but gentle voice speak.
"Stop this atrocity at once."
And I knew that Uinen had come to my aid. I felt myself lifted up in the gentle arms of Uinen as she rose with me from the deeps of the sea, bringing me up towards the breath of life in the surface above. But the assault on my weak elven body was too much for me, even for the strength of the Ainur that I gave to it in my embodiment. I was drifting away, falling into black oblivion. My powers were completely drained.
As I slowly slipped into unconsciousness, I thought I heard the voice of my friend speaking to me as if from a great distance away.
"All will be well, little Merlassë. I will not leave you…."
And then there was nothing but the blackness.
Notes:
For the purposes of this story I have made Merlassë a Maia of the Water. She is closest in mind and thought to Ossë and Uinen the Lady of the Sea. However Merlassë is not restricted to the regions of the sea and her love is also given to the lakes and streams and other fair regions of Middle Earth. Like her brother, Tulkas, she is ever care-free and steadfast in friendship. Her area of expertise is in singing and music of the water. And though Tulkas delights in contests of strength and matters of warfare, Merlassë is her brother's counterpart in that she is the peacemaker and avoids confrontations at all costs. For this reason Ossë is her rival as he delights in violence. Think of it this way: Ossë and Merlassë are different faces of nature of the element of water. Water can be the most gentle of substances on earth, but is also treacherous and destructive in its wake.
IMPORTANT
NOTICE: THIS STORY WILL BE MOVED UNDER THE CATEGORY OF THE
SILMARILLION.
After careful consideration, I have decided that it will be best for my readers if this story is under the category of the Silmarillion. It is generally understood that anyone who has read the Silmarillion has read LOTR also, but I know that many people who has read LOTR may not have read the former. So, to avoid the risk of thoroughly confusing my readers, this will be moved out of the LOTR category.
So, all of my readers who wish to continue following this story can look for it under: Books-the Silmarillion-M. Thank you for all your input! It is greatly appreciated.
/hands out giant chocolate chip cookies/
