I think I created all the characters that appear, but not all the ones talked about. And the places are definitely Tolkien's. I am so grateful to him and the God who I believe inspired him for the stories that inspired me.

The judges spoke low together in their own language. Celuant found he had so much passion raging within him, he did not hear what they said. He did hear what the speaker declared to the crowd in a loud voice. "We find we have no knowledge of these crimes beyond what we have heard from others, nor were these crimes down upon any Silvan. Those kneeling before us now have already been judged by others whose place and authority is was to judge them for these things, which we have also heard from those who told us of these things. However …"

Celuant had been shaking with all the passionate heat inside him fighting to get out as he fought back to keep still until he had heard all. Now the fire receded almost died like flames when dirt is thrown over them. The words that came next, he heard clear … at first …

"It is our place to learn … we now know that elves have killed elves even on the western shore the place we were all to go for safety when we decided instead to stay here. This does not excuse us, but shows the evil here now had influence even there to corrupt, and the enemy of all also has power here to corrupt as well. Thus, we need to be careful and alert. We must not let evil enter our heats, nor rebel further against the Valar or even The One who created all that has been created. Such lets the enemy sway things even when he is not right here to destroy us and what we hold dear and try to protect. So, what are we to do with those before us now, who have already been so used by evil?"

There was a pause. Celuant felt all eyes upon him. Yet, he felt peace. The speaker continued. "Those with no experience with danger are not the only ones we want among us now in these darkening times."

Celuant froze. A flame sprang up high in his heart. The speaker's words grew less clear to him as he continued on, yet the meaning of the words was clear enough. "It might be asked of us, 'Are they not a danger to us, who slew their own their and our kin?' Yet, they bear no anger toward us, it seems, nor do they seem in the habit of murdering their fellow elves but grieved they ever did so. They say they have done so once, but not that they have done so since. They are not innocent, but they have perhaps grown wise, wiser in these matters perhaps than us. It is not good to cast wisdom aside, when the need for it grows greater and greater. As for their guilt, another must and has judged them for that. We cannot …"

At these words, Celuant rose to his feet and screamed. Then he turned and ran. He heard his fellow Noldo, also likely, it seemed, to be safe among these elves, call after him. He did not answer. He did not even slow down.

He ran through the trees and out from the trees. He ran into the fields beyond them. He did not know where he was going at first, except, it seemed he had avoided the mountains.

He went away from those who would not judge him or punish him and toward those who … would? Yes, he was headed north. He must have slowed down, because he picked up a little speed again upon realizing this. Then, something wrapped around his legs.

He fell forward. His face met the earth. He rolled over and lifted his head turning to see what now impeded him. A flush-faced elleth glared back, arms wrapped around his legs. Lathwinn.

"Let me go!"

"I have spent all this time running to catch you, Noldo only to see my quarry pause momentarily, and thus my one chance to grab him. Why would I let you go now? He looked up and saw her two eldest brothers also there standing over and glaring down at him. Behind them her two younger including, Melarbeth, his once young apprentice ran up and then stopped and stared. His second apprentice, pale hair, pail face almost like a Nodo, but not quite, like pale wood in moonlight perhaps looking sadly upon him. Lathwinn barked at him from where she'd wrapped herself around his legs calling his attention back to her. "Explain yourself, Green Elf!"

"I am not a Green Elf!"

The others' brows rose. Her eldest brother spoke next. "Have we not declared you one?"

"I am a Noldo!" He yelled back. Some of the tension in the other elves faces melted away into sadness,s but tension in their forms remained as if ready to spring forward and catch him if he should somehow manage to break Lathwinn's grip strong as the roots of an ancient, but still thriving oak wrapped around a boulder.

He tried again "I am a murderer!"

Lathwinn sighed, though nothing in her grip lessened. "You are a warrior. You protected your family."

"If I had them before me now, I would murder them!"

Now all eyes did widen, and their faces went a bit grey. Yet, Lathwinn the Great still did not let go. If anything, her grip tightened. Maybe it was a sign though … "I hate them! They made a murderer of me! I told them … I told them not to … that the family of Feonor were liars … That they were fools! They were insane! They wouldn't listen. My brothers didn't listen to me, their brother, but them! Did I not know him longest, did I not train under him, did I not see him change? They chose to believe him, Feonor, over me, and I still followed then. I lost everything."

"You have not lost us."

He saw Lathwinn's face, hard, not like stone, like wood, hard, hard, but living wood under sunlight. Her skin was not pale and smooth like pearl, or shining mithril, but wood with life running through it still, growing, thriving, but hard. Put a little fire to it though ...

He slumped into the grass and began to weep. "They'll follow me, the orcs, him … even the Noldo will not be friends with you, once they know I live among you. Why protect me? I endanger you all …"

"Well that 'is' the thing," Lathwinn answered laying her head down gently on his ensnared legs though he felt her hair more than he felt any weight, "We protect everything made good that is not yet a slave to the Enemy of All Things, and despite your anger and past misdeeds, which should certainly have pleased him, you have no animosity to anything we protect now and seem no servant of his due to it. I and my aunt have a feeling the One who woke us here in Arda and gave us our abilities to protect and nurture it, gave us you as well ..."

"He did not! He had nothing to do with my being here!"

"He did!"

Lathwinn spoke sharply. He looked up and met her gaze. She continued. "His desire is to protect and heal, not destroy, as is ours, and if he wants you, or the Valar do, in his name, we shall not fail them but turn you over to them. However, until this happens, we will not cast you aside, but protect and nurture you as we do all we find."

He rose slowly and let his raspy from dryness, from tears, from what he endured in the mines far form the sun, he answered, "They will destroy you. My enemies, my people's enemies, will destroy you."

She gazed back at him a long moment before speaking. "I … believe they were our enemies first."

He sighed and collapsed back into the grass. Her eldest brother came and stood above him now looking down with a grim face. Lastanann held out his hand to him. "If you truly love us and hate him, then allow us to fight back better with your aid, smith of weapons, that are better than our own against his hordes."

He looked up and his face went hard again. He placed his hand in his and gripped it. When it was gripped back, Lathwinn released his legs. He stood up and looked back into her brother's face, hard, though not as hard as his own.

Yes, he would help them fight back and fight beside them until it was too late. His enemy, also there's, would have to find and slay him here.

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes