Did the stars truly shine so brightly tonight? Was the humid air of the forest really so heavy with the scent of pine and moss? Did the breeze coming from the endless fields of grass down below truly flow so gently against his face, as if to caress and embrace him?
Who knew.
Perhaps to all the others, all the creatures living and growing on the face of Arda this was just another night before another morning, with nothing exceptional to be said about it.
Perhaps.
However, this was true – none of them was aware. None of them felt quite the same as one particular elf. He was all by himself, sitting here at the beginning of the night that had just covered the slopes of Dorthonion. He had not been born in this land, but he considered it his home, now more than ever.
His name was Aegnor and to him, this day and night were exceptional. Mesmerising.
Among his kin, he had never been known for a lovely voice or mastery of words. And yet a melody streamed from his lips, quiet and loving, as loving as his heart, whispering words of amazement and gratitude towards the stars. If only someone could listen and keep it for a greater audience…
But Aegnor was content. After all, the forest, the grass, and the starry sky were audience enough.
Or were they?
A rustle came from between the trees, and the nearby bushes seemed to move for a moment. Then everything halted.
A swift movement, terribly fast and soundless, and a bow was in Aegnor's hands, the string taut and an arrow ready to be released.
With the bowstring against his suddenly silent lips, the elf waited, holding his breath.
The rustle started again.
"Show yourself."
A low, soft growl came in reply as a delicate glow found its way between the leaves of the bush.
Aegnor breathed out and smiled, and the moment he lowered his bow, a familiar face rushed towards him.
The creature's fur was thick and rough when he ran his fingers through it.
"Huan, what brings you here, lad?" Aegnor laughed softly as the great hound sniffed at his hair and neck. In the end, the elf had no choice but to close his eyes firmly. He grasped the hounds ears and tried not to grin too widely as his entire face was subject to a sweeping lick.
And when Aegnor was allowed to open his eyes again, he saw another figure emerge from between the branches, pushing aside Huan's wagging tail. Of course, he would be here, too.
It was too late to avert his eyes now; in fact, the meeting of the other elf's gaze was unavoidable. And thus Aegnor did not even try. Instead, he stared, bold and defiant, into Celegorm's eyes.
"Well met, cousin." Aegnor greeted, his tone mild but cautious.
But the silver-haired elf kept observing him in silence for another moment, his head inclined, before he finally spoke: "I'd love to say the same, and yet I can't figure why I should."
Aegnor snorted to himself. He was aware of what Celegorm must be seeing in his face, searching his changed eyes with suspicion and disbelief.
"And why you shouldn't?" Aegnor countered calmly. "You are always welcome in this land."
"Truly?" Celegorm remained unmoved. "Your deeds speak louder than your words, cousin." he almost seethed the last word. "I ask you this – do you still consider us kin if such a thing as a wedding of yours isn't reason enough to invite me, or even send a word?"
Despite the harsh tone of Celegorm's speech, Aegnor could not feel a trace of anger rise inside him. But only after another long moment of defiant stare he turned away, to look at the grassy, starlit field below.
"And I tell you this, cousin," he said, putting stress on the last word. "You are the first to know."
After that, Aegnor could almost feel Celegorm's questioning look on his back.
"I am the first to know?" the silver-haired hunter repeated the statement, sounding quite confused. "But wait!" He most certainly frowned here. "Your song, a while ago… I believe I'm beginning to understand." He finished with an unusually soft voice.
Aegnor merely smiled, looking over his shoulder, but not at his cousin. Instead, he met the fond eyes of Huan. The hound closed his mouth and carefully reached out with his wet nose to sniff Aegnor's hair and brow again. Could he possibly smell Andreth? Well, of course he could. And unlike his master, Huan did not need any further explanations.
As if to confirm Aegnor's thoughts, the hound turned to Celegorm and grumbled. A question and some impatience could be heard in that sound. If Huan chose to speak now, surely he would say that there was nothing awful about an elf being married to this nicely smelling woman. Let them be and let's go run through the forests again!
But his master was of a different opinion. He came finally closer, and patted Huan on the huge, furry head. When the hound stepped back reluctantly, Celegorm eased himself beside Aegnor; on the same moss-covered rock.
"I did not expect to be wedded today either. Not here, not like this." Aegnor began as he watched Huan descend the slope.
At the edge of the forest, where the trees gave way to the grass, the hound met Aegnor's creamy-colored horse, Angamahtar, and the two greeted each other as old friends. No wonder, the steed once belonged to Celegorm as well.
Watching the two creatures interact as if they had a conversation, Aegnor himself struggled to find suitable words for what he wished to share.
"But if I ever dreamed of my wedding day in my youth," he finally continued, "I must have imagined something like that. You see, I never wished for thousands of guests, and to be sure, me and my bride had none. Our vows were heard just by the forest, and the creatures who live in it. Our rings we made of our hair strands…" Here he paused and smiled lightly, his voice almost a whisper: "Our marriage bed was of grass and moss, with a canopy of pines." he said and trailed off.
To the pine treetops and to the stars above Celegorm raised his eyes. "The old way," he murmured, referring to how the couples used to get married in the ancient times of the great journey to Aman. Perhaps he himself wished for something like that?
"You said you heard my song." Aegnor recalled after a long silence, inspecting the carvings on his bow that now rested peacefully in his lap.
"Huan heard you first. In fact, your voice was what lured him here." the hunter explained. "But if I remember the words you sang correctly, there's something… intriguing about your lady wife." he added, clearly prompting Aegnor to pick up this thread and disclose further details. And the latter could not deny the truth, for he knew that sooner or later, he would have to proclaim and defend his choice – in front of his family and well, everyone else.
Still, this particular revelation was difficult for Aegnor to make, as he had hoped that at least tonight, he would be spared this kind of discussion. "Andreth is of the House of Bëor." he said at last.
"A mortal?" Celegorm leaned back in surprise.
"Yes." Aegnor confirmed, his voice still calm.
"Ha!" The hunter snorted. "Finally the true reason behind this secrecy and haste!" he spoke in a derisive, but quite satisfied tone. "But won't that be interesting, to hear what your siblings have to say about this? I'm sure Finrod must have warned you about-"
"The choice is still mine only." Aegnor opposed quickly, closing his mind again to any reasoning. "His words were well-meant, yet to me nothing but a counsel."
"Oh, truly?" Celegorm smirked at that. "I used to know a person who never asked for anyone's approval. And when I speak his name, you won't like it."
"There's no need." Aegnor said firmly, still staring at his hands, his jaw set.
He never loved being compared to Fëanor and yet… sometimes he had to admit these comparisons were not wrong at all.
"Tell me, Sharp Flame," Celegorm spoke again, the scorn behind his words loud and clear. „Have you considered your choice well? Do you even realize what burden you've chosen for yourself and the rest of us?"
"The rest of you?" Aegnor glared back, and indeed, the fire inside him was awake by now. "How does my marriage concern you, or any of our kin, cousin? Are you ashamed of me?"
Celegorm let out a short laugh. "No, not yet." He said then, his voice bearing some wicked amusement, and stared right into Aegnor's eyes. At first, his gaze was relentless. But in the end, it was the hunter who looked away. „But hear me out, Ambaráto." he began in a calmer voice again, glancing into the darkness of the forest. „It was during the last summer as I rode past a few villages of the Atani. I stopped at a funeral."
"Yes, their lifespans are short." Aegnor agreed impatiently, being confronted with things he was well aware of.
"A man stood there, with an infant in his arms." the hunter continued nonetheless. "It appeared the mother had died of fever shortly after childbirth."
"Why are you telling me this? I'm in no need of such lectures."
"Then you're surely aware that your wife may leave you sooner than you'd expect, to a place unknown." Celegorm noted very aptly, his eyes turning to Aegnor once again. "And my question is – what then? Will you choose the path of our grandfather? Will you seek your solace with another, offending your family, even your children, perhaps?"
So this is where this argument has been heading to, Aegnor realized for himself. And he had to reject these notions. "Your assumption cannot be more wrong, cousin." he said. "After my lady wife leaves Arda, the fate of Miriel awaits me."
Cold silence followed, before Celegorm seethed: "Do not expect praise or sympathy from me."
"I need neither."
"Sure." another derisive laugh form the hunter. "But I wonder now, what a woman this must be, to be able to steal one of our fiercest warriors from us? What a waste." he uttered in a disgusted tone.
This was the last bit. The fire inside Aegnor's heart was now burning bright and hot. "What are you complaining about, Fëanorian? You have no right to speak like that. Not after having sacrificed an entire army to the ice of Helcaraxë!" Somehow, he could hear the last word echoed several times by the surrounding rocks and trees.
But Celegorm remained calm. "Careful, Arafinwion." he said slowly, leaning forward to put weight on his words. "I believe this matter was settled long ago. You stood with Findekáno and spoke of forgiveness with him."
Aegnor did not flinch a fraction, even if their foreheads almost touched. "Fear not, cousin." he replied, holding his flame under delicate control. "My forgiveness lasts. But so does my memory. All the more when I'm listening to such twisted logic as yours."
Angamahtar's snort could be heard from below, and then silence settled around once more, tout as a bowstring. The two elves did not speak nor move, their anger and discord reflected in their eyes only.
Huan's low growl interrupted the stillness as the creature loped up the hill.
One blink of one pair of eyes.
"Fair enough." said Celegorm, and slowly moved back. He kept observing his cousin's face though, cautious about the flame that now burned with a different light than before. And rightly so, as now there was something more to protect.
Huan stopped before them, and after some time of observing and catching the scents, he simply reached out with his nose and lightly poked his master's shoulder. Nothing happened at first, but when he did that again, Celegorm's lips finally quirked. "Don't be afraid, lad, the quarrel is over." he said, finally looking away from his cousin, and raised a hand to scratch Huan behind one huge, furry ear.
The hound hummed, sounding quite content. He then turned and brushed his head against Aegnor as he walked past them, into the forest again. The elf patted the creature on the side and also felt a light smile sneaking to his features. "Oromë was wise to let Huan guard you." he commented on the previous situation.
"And who guards you, Sharp Flame?" Celegorm returned, his voice lacking much of the previous gravity though.
At that, Aegnor could only shrug his shoulders. Then he finally put his bow aside, sat back and bent his knee to rest his chin on it.
„But where's your lady wife now?" Celegorm asked all of a sudden, maybe a bit surprised with himself that he had not voiced this question earlier.
„Her company has set up a camp at the creek over the hill." Aegnor replied softly.
Celegorm's lips tugged again. „So... shouldn't you be with her now? If I were you, I wouldn't let a moment of our time slip through my hands."
„Certainly." Aegnor had to agree. "But it turns out her father is not aware of today's news either."
The hunter laughed merrily at that, and Aegnor watched the scene with keen eyes, as he hadn't seen anything like it from Celegorm for quite a long time.
"In fact, I'm a part of that company as well." he explained further when again he had Celegorm's attention. "I'm seeing them safely back to Ladros."
"Safely..." The hunter noted as if to himself, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.
Aegnor cleared his throat, but otherwise chose to ignore his cousin's meaningful tone. "For tonight I took the duty of guarding the surroundings." he added quickly.
"I see." Celegorm sighed and turned his eyes to the starry sky once more. He seemed to be considering something, and waited for a long while before he spoke: "Huan and I could stay here and take the guarding duty, should a certain elf wish to bid his beloved a good night."
"That elf has been wishing for that the whole evening." Aegnor confirmed and did not even need to summon his horse, as Angamahtar had just climbed the slope and stood before him, awaiting a night ride though the pine forest.
A genuine smile was on Celegorm's lips as he said: "Well met, Aikanáro."
The latter flashed him a bright smile in return. "Indeed, Tyelkormo," he agreed and leapt swiftly on Angamahtar's back. "Thank you." he said and looked at his silver-haired cousin for a final time before darting into the night.
A.N.: This fic might be viewed as a companion-piece to my other Aegnor/Andreth story, "To the Ends of Arda", although it's not exactly a part of the same universe. It's rather a "what if" kind of story - what if someone made a different choice at a certain moment of their life...
As for "To the Ends of Arda" itself, I'm working on that, too! (among others) :)