I do not own Middle Earth, Valinor, The Green elves, or the Noldo. Tolkien first wrote of them, and I am eternally grateful to him for doing so. :)

I did first write of Celuant, Sarnin, and her niece and nephews.

I do not mean to make money from this story. I merely desire to share my writings with fellow fans. I hope, somewhere in Heaven, Tolkien approves. :)

"We heard it first from far away. My sister, her husband, and I were so ill with grief, we were not allowed by the others to live in east Ossiriand. Our people considered it the most dangerous part of our land then. Also, Melarbeth was rather young at the time. He was about the same age as his sister had been when she was taken from us. So, we kept him near the center of Ossiriand, where we ourselves dwelt. He did not seem anxious to leave his mother's side long anyway. The song began on the north-eastern outskirts of our land. Then the lyrics and melody rippled from there to us through our people. As soon as it reached us, we understood. Lathwinn and her brothers had returned to us!"

Celuant noted the glow coming from the skin of Sarnin's upraised face. Her wide eyes also shone as they stared into the past. He let himself picture all she said in his own mind when she finally went on.

"For a moment, my sister, her husband, and I stayed where we were frozen in joy. Then we raced toward where the song had begun. On the way, we found them! Lastannan and Ranthalion were much as we'd seen them last. Their garments were more threadbare. Their faces were further hardened, but also shining with joy and tears, and Lathwinn was with them!"

Sarnin bowed her head. Her eyes became fountains. Her lips trembled as she went on. "She was all grown up, a little taller, though as slim, but strong too, like a sapling! She grinned and cried all over our people. She laughed and sobbed. When she spied us, she flew to my sister! My sister flew to her. I stood by and just marveled. I studied my niece. Lathwinn seemed barely touched by her time away from us. Yet ..."

For the first time during this part of the tale, Sarnin seemed to grow serious and contemplative. She cocked her head. Her eyes dried as their stare became even more distant. "She did seem different from all of us especially then and there."

Sarnin fell silent and walked with a more meandering gait for a time as if her steps were mimicking her mind that was looking for something to say. "Our loves are very narrow, those of we folk of Ossiriand. I love stones, my kin, my land. and its song. I love all I find in Ossriand along with a few other things I find outside it. Lathwinn's eyes and her love in them seemed not only deeper, but wider. She had come to love many things and many people in many places. She had been a restless leaf in the wind, though glad to not have landed until she reached home. We didn't grieve or worry about this. We had doubted we would ever see her again. She lived. She was home, with us, at last. She was as glad to be with us as we were to have her with us again."

"And did she continue to be so?"

Sarnin seemed not surprised to be interrupted then. She looked up at the sky and studied the clouds as if they could give her the right response. "She has never loved us or her homeland less, I think, but she continues to love not only it and us, but other folks and places more and more."

Celuant looked off into the distance and asked in a dry tone. "What else happened on this happy occasion?"

Sarnin smiled as if she didn't notice his tone. "Lathwinn gave her mother a long embrace. When they parted, my sister moved on to embrace Lastannan, and thank him with words and tears. Lathwinn moved on to embrace her father, who in turn moved on to Lastannan also. My sister then embraced Ranthalion and thanked him in the same manner. Lathwinn embraced me. Then she spied Melarbeth over my shoulder."

Sarnin gave an amused smile. "He'd stood wide-eyed and apart from us all after being dragged along by his mother into the presence of siblings he didn't know. When his mother finally caught sight of her daughter, she'd let go of his hand. Melarbeth had remained standing there where she left him watching while wide-eyed and silent. He met Lathwinn's gaze when she spied him, though. Lathwinn then let go of and moved around her father. She walked over to and knelt on one knee before her brother. Then she asked, 'Who is this?' 'Your little brother,' my sister replied. Then their mother turned to her eldest sons, and, gesturing to her youngest, proclaimed 'Here is your new brother too.' Her eldest sons copied their sister's actions, kneeling upon one knee on either side of her while also staring at their new brother. Melarbeth's gaze flitted from one strange sibling to the next, but his eyes flicked back to Lathwinn as she spoke. Her eyes glittered and mouth grinned as she greeted him, 'Hello, Melarbeth, would you like to learn of what your sister did when she was away, and learn to do as she did then as well? I'd like to teach you, for I'd hate to lose you as others lost me for a time.' Melarbaeth nodded. And that was the beginning."

"So, she did teach Melarbeth how to defend himself?" Celuant stared hard at Sarnin as he waited for her answer.

Sarnin nodded. Her bright face smoothed out into a countenance of seriousness as she did. "She taught us all."

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes