I own almost all of the characters here, but none of the settings.
"Now, my beloved Aunt Sarnin!"
"Yes?" The older elleth leaned out from behind her niece to try to peer into her face.
Lathwinn sat straight atop the horse they rode. She had brought the beast back down to a walk on the flat ground after letting it run and then gallop for some time. How she communicated with the beast was a mystery even to the other Laegrim elleth sitting behind her.
There were no reins and no saddle on their mount. Lathwinn's feet were only covered by the same shoes of hart-antler-skin (rubbed off every year by those beasts) and then sewn together with abandoned spider-silk threads into said shoes. Yet, the horse continued to move ever northward. The fact doing so put green plains farther behind it and brought arid land closer spoke of it following Lathwinn's desire not its own. The mare's raised head and forward pointed ears showed no anger on its part over being so directed.
Its rider and mistress spoke with a like lack of anger. "I have traveled these lands many a time, dear aunt, and I have been with our kin, who came back across the sea, whom we go to see now, several times. Have I not?"
"Yes?"
"I know them both better than any of our other folk, even my brothers and some of our friends, who have seen them too, for though they often accompany me, they never go without me. Is not all this true?"
"Yes, my love! All this is true. Why do you bring it up now?"
"And this is your first time, being this far away from The Land Between The Rivers since you settled there, is it not?"
"Yes, Lathwinn! Come to your point."
Lathwinn turned her face. Her aunt could see her profile against the bright sky before them. Her niece's words pleased her far less than the sight. "Let me do the talking, the choosing of which direction to take, and what to do on this trip, for both of us then."
Her aunt frowned to herself. It sat bitterly on her tongue to let her niece, whom she'd held in her arms after swaddling, guide her about like she guided this horse. But Lathwinn had not stopped her, only aided her, on this quest, as no other would have. Also, as determined as she was, and gentle and well-liked by other elves usually, Sarnin admitted to herself she "had" never seen an elf born beyond the sea before she saw Celuant. She had also not been in the lands beyond her forest home, outside the canyons she gathered stones from, since finding it either. Her niece was right.
The older elleth sighed and nodded, "Alright, my niece. I agree to these demanding terms of yours. You are right. I shall be as foolish as a fledgling fresh from its nest, where we go now. So, I shall try to do as you tell me in all things at least until we are home."
Lathwinn nodded and said in a firm voice, "Then, my dear aunt, even if it seems strange, do all I ask without questioning, and I shall try not to take advantage of it. I will try to only guide and direct you for a reason at all times. For, in truth, we go now into a land ruled by a dangerous master."
. . .
Manpalan, Lathwinn's youngest brother, ran just a few lengths behind his older brothers and Celuant. The once-noldo kept only about a half-length ahead of Lastannan and Ranthalion. Melarbeth kept just behind his elder brothers and just before his youngest as they all raced north.
It was Manpalan who asked first, "Do you mind telling us Celuant 'why' simply talking about you among your kin puts 'our' sister and aunt in danger among them all!"
Celuant replied without pausing or turning his eyes away from the north. "I was led into their enemy's presence and placed, so I could look up into his eyes. That is enough!"
Manpalan called out from behind him again. "Why?!"
"Because his gaze has enchanted others! By looking into his eyes, others wills' have been lost, so they do his bidding without even knowing they do so later!"
Lastannan asked from his right, "But you looked into the Silmarils, not his eyes, did you not?"
"I did."
Ranthalion turned his scowl upon Sarnhael. "And this saved you from becoming enchanted by his gaze?"
"Yes."
Lastannan dared turned his gaze from the north and watch the ellon running beside and a little ahead of him, "Even had it not, why does simply speaking of you mean death among your people?"
"Because I was loved! There were some who wanted to welcome me back into their fortress, among my kin. They begged for me. This angered the one who ruled over them and would not risk it. He said the next to mention my name or speak of me would be slain. And such would be the law for all who returned from Morgoth's presence to them!"
"And for this reason," Ranthalion yelled from Celuant's left, "Our kin might die?!"
"If they speak of me before the wrong person, and they realize it is me they speak of, then yes!"
Ranthalion clenched his jaw for a moment. Then he added, "You are right, Celuant! Noldo are next to orcs!"
Lastannan turned a scowl upon his brother, opened his mouth to chastise him, and was silenced by Celuants next words. "I thank thee for noticing!"
. . .
Lathwinn rode her horse out of the canyon and across a wide, flat plain of sand and dust toward a fortress. It was close to the center of a rare flat area among mountains. The land rose a little in the center, but the walls and towers still emerged only slightly above the canyon tops themselves. This might take away any advantage archers on the plateaus surrounding the fortress might otherwise have to shoot into it without sacrificing the way said rises hid the fortress from all but a directly overhead view. It was a difficult balance to master. As in about any endeavor of building, though, the Noldo had mastered it well. Perhaps only the Valar themselves and Father of All Things could do better.
As the elven ladies from The Land Between the Rivers rode toward the fortress of stone and steel, the elves on the wall stared down at, but did not draw weapons upon them. One bent over and squinted at the elleth riding in front of the other before calling to his fellows. "It is Lathwinn the Great!"
Another shouted, "Open the gate!"
The gate of black, metal bars rose out of the sand. Its pointed ends had been stuck firmly in it beforehand. Lathwinn let the horse walk under them and thus within the walls of the fortress. As she dismounted, her mount shied a bit at the grinding of the gates as they closed again cutting them off from the outside.
Sarnin slid off after her niece and stepped away from the animal before turning to place a hand on its hide to calm it. Lathwinn walked up to the nearest elf approaching her. She smiled at him. "Greetings, guardian of this fortress. I am Lathwinn the Great, as you have seen, and this is my aunt Sarnin." She gestured to her close kin with a hand.
The ellon raised his eyebrows at them both. Then he folded his arms across his chest as he looked back to Lathwinn. "Has she ever accompanied you on any journey before, Lathwinn? And where are your brothers or other warriors we have met before in your company? Tis it not dangerous to wander orc-traveled lands with only a horse and an obvious non-warrior elleth like your aunt?"
Sarnin raised her eyebrows at his words. It was true she only had a blade made by Celuant and a pouch of stones hanging from her belt for weapons on her now. She wore not even a quiver of arrows nor carried a bow like Lathwinn. Her niece had only she knew how many knives strapped to her side, her thigh, and her shins, though.
Lathwinn folded her own arms before her and grinned a bit more sharply at the Noldo after his questions. "Indeed, it is. But we come upon a special quest."
The other elf raised his eyebrows at her. He remained silent as she continued. "First, it would be wise for us to speak to the ruler of these lands before we do anything else would it not? Can you care for our mount in a place she will be as well cared for as yours as we see to our task here good hosts?"
The ellon tilted his head. Then he looked over Lathwinn's shoulder to other elves gathered in curiosity, and perhaps to perform this task, already behind her. They all smelled slightly of horse, as elves often smell only slightly of anything, and they all nodded beneath his questioning gaze.
The ellon before her, then looked down into Lathwinn's face again and smiled. "Indeed, and I can help you gain and audience with Caranthir if you wish it."
What do you think?
God Bless
ScribeofHeroes
I would like to thank my newest reviewer, for inspiring me to add the next chapter so soon. :)
