4. family - 146

The names matched her plodding feet as they crossed the land. Aegnor, Angrod, Finrod, Orodreth – gone. Finduilas, her shy niece – gone. Her cousins: valiant Fingon, wise Turgon, proud Aredhel – gone. The cursed Fëanorians – gone, and good riddance.

Only Gil-galad would be left to tell her story, and she hoped Finarfin would not stoop to regicide. She hated the way it looked, the spoilt daughter fleeing from her father's admonitions, but there was no other way.

In fact, it was not that at all.

Her father, whose kindness carried more weight than his anger – he would want her to return to Valinor, and she did not know if she was strong enough to refuse him.

Behind her, her followers' feet kicked up the dust, leaving a trail that stretched across all Beleriand. Their leader turned her face to the east, and swore she would not regret this.


AN: There is no date for when Galadriel passed into the east of Middle-earth, or rather, there are several options. In FOTR she says that she came over the mountains before Nargothrond fell, but 'The History of Galadriel and Celeborn' has several other dates listed. I think you could make an argument for all of them, and I chose this one for dramatic convention.