Disclaimer: I only own Ëarel, Silruin, Aldaya, and Tindómë Ëarfëa
Chapter Three
Hidden Prejudices
Aldaya walked down to the docks, Tindómë balanced on her hip, cooing happily in her ear. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, allowed to fall down her back and twist in the wind. As Ëarel looked up from his work on the docks, his face burst into smile at the giggling youngster. Long it had been indeed since he had seen the happy, smiling face of a child.
The nimble elf left his boat to greet her and tickle the elf-child, who squealed happily, his eyes alight and his small fists pumping the air. "Coo," said the elf-child, and Aldaya laughed.
"May I hold him?" Ëarel asked, pleasantly surprised by the youngster's affection.
"Of course." Aldaya eased Tindómë into Ëarel's arms. The child sighed and happily poked at Ëarel's face with a tiny finger, giggling all the while.
"What a happy child!" Ëarel laughed as he gave Tindómë back to Aldaya. The child cooed again, and then suddenly pointed at Ëarel and said quite clearly, "Arel." This is, of course, the proper pronunciation of Ëarel's name. Aldaya was positively stunned. A human child could generally get their point across by a year old, but they rarely started talking before two or two and a half!
Ëarel, however, didn't seem overly surprised. He just smiled, and gave the baby a finger to squeeze. "What a grip!" he exclaimed, and then noticed Aldaya's amazed expression. "Did you not have many elf-children where you grew up?" he asked, curious. "It is usual for an elf-child to be speaking by the end of his or her first week."
Aldaya opened her mouth to respond without really knowing what to say. How could she explain to this elf, this elf that was obviously much, much older than she, that she had once been human? That she had been as mortal as the creatures the elves on Valinor and Eressea seemed to scorn?
She heard a voice fall to her, and looked over to see Celebrían wave to her, Elrond standing by her side. "I'm afraid I must go," she said to Ëarel. "Can I come here tomorrow?"
He smiled at her. "You are always welcome, meldis*."
She smiled at him in return, and then set off back up the docks, nodding to the sailors she knew as she made her way towards Elrond and Celebrían. Tindómë gurgled happily, and began to fall asleep on her shoulder. Elrond greeted her with a nod and a smile, and Celebrían gently took Tindómë from her arms, as it was clear Aldaya was tiring.
"How are you enjoying your stay in Valinor?" Celebrían asked, stroking the elf-child to calm him as he fell asleep in her arms.
For a long moment she didn't answer, and Elrond and Celebrían exchanged concerned looks. At last Aldaya spoke. "Lady Celebrían, did Lord Elrond tell you what I once was?"
"That you were human? Yes, he did. Why?"
"Do you think…that if the other elves here knew what I…that I was human. Do you think they would…hold it against me? For not coming from elven parents?"
Both Elrond and Celebrían stopped to look at her closely. Aldaya seemed suddenly very uncertain and very pale. Elrond nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I'm sure many of them would," Elrond said at last. "But not, I think, the ones who had lived in Middle-Earth, or had contact with humans. It is not the thought of a human that worries them, Aldaya, but the thought of a human knowing their secrets—an elf that is not a true elf, who could betray them. And an elf they felt they could not trust." Seeing the moisture in her eyes, Elrond quickly continued. "But you must understand, Aldaya, a goodly amount of the elves who live here have never had any outside contact from the humans—much of what they hear about your race is from hearsay. Those who call you their friend will not abandon you, for elves do not make friendships lightly. Those who respect you will not hate you. Only the younger, perhaps less…tolerant of the elves may prove bothersome."
Aldaya stared off into the distance for a long moment before saying, "Do you think they might…try and…"
"Harm your child?" Celebrían interrupted, and quickly shook her head. "Whatever their feelings for you, they will not lay a finger on the child. The wrath of all the elf-lords of our linage would come down upon them, from Finwe and Gil-Galad to Elwing, Galadriel and myself." Celebrían's eyes were very steady as she held Aldaya's gaze. "Upon my life I swear that while I still draw breath that child shall remain unharmed."
"And I also," Elrond said quietly. Aldaya looked between them, feeling safer and more secure suddenly. "Thank you," she said, very softly. Elrond and Celebrían smiled at her in return.
"But come," Celebrían said suddenly, light-heartedly. "We have not given you a proper tour of the island! Do you feel up to it?"
"Very," Aldaya answered with a very impish grin. "Perhaps I will find that disappearing husband of mine. He's been gone all morning."
"Off gathering flowers, I suspect," Elrond commented, offering Aldaya his arm, which she shyly took as Celebrían continued to hold the dozing elf-child. "Was I ever like that, my Lady, when we were younger?"
"Nonsense, darling, you were worse," Celebrían chuckled. "Up all night and day trying to make me comfortable. And you haven't done it since," she teased.
Elrond arched an eyebrow dramatically. "I've been doing it everyday since we married, dear."
Celebrían laughed. "Quite true," she admitted with a fond smile. "Quite true."
* * * *
Later that afternoon, Elrohir was tending their child and everyone seemed to be either sleeping or reading, so Aldaya, feeling restless, wandered down to the dock to see Ëarel. He grinned and waved her, and she returned the wave with a smile of her own. She plopped down at the end of the dock, allowing her feet to dangle in the pleasantly cool waters, chatting to Ëarel about nothing in particular and everything that came to mind. But something gnawed at Aldaya's concentration and tugged at her laugher, straining the conversation. At one point where Aldaya had stopped talking to listen to the water and the seagulls, Ëarel spoke.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, meldis*?"
"I'm afraid to," she answered truthfully. Ëarel frowned and
left his lines to come sit by her.
"Why?" he asked.
"I'm afraid of what you might think of me."
Ëarel was sincerely puzzled. He liked Aldaya, liked her charm and wit, and her openness with people. The fact that she was so disturbed about this little secret worried him. "I will not judge you," he promised.
She was silent. "On your honor?" she said at last, and he nodded. "Very well then. I'm not an elf."
Of all the things that could have stunned him, this was probably at the top. "What?" he gasped. "Then why were you allowed here in the first place—"
"For the first twenty-five years of my life, I was human," Aldaya plunged on doggedly. "Then I met Elrohir—we fell in love. Turns out we're soul-bonded. I was struck by an arrow and killed, much as Beren was all those years ago. And like Luthien, Elrohir followed me to Mandos' Halls, to plead my case. I can't exactly explain how, but we were allowed to return, and I was transformed into an elf so that Elrohir and I could marry without him becoming mortal. I'm not sure why the Valar made a—a different decision with me than with Beren and Luthien. I only know they did. So. There you have it. I'm almost the most blue-blooded human you can find these days, from a long family of merchants, and here I am, sitting on Eressëa off the coast of Valinor, and elf in body and soul if not in temperament."
Ëarel didn't speak for a long moment. Then he silently stood up and went back to his boat. Aldaya leaned far out over the water, allowing her tears to slide from her cheeks into the water.
After a moment though, she felt a gently hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ëarel smiling at her. "Someday I'd like to hear the full story," was all he said, and she smiled.
* * * *
"Humans are a mystery to me," Elrond said quietly to Celebrían. "Sometimes I look at Aldaya and think that she could have been born an elf—and other times I look at her and wonder how Elrohir could love a creature so different from our own temperaments."
Celebrían came to stand beside him at the windowsill, where the two of them could see Elrohir and Aldaya laughing together, playing with their child and enjoying the warm sun.
"Is she really so different?" Celebrían asked in return. "Look at her, Elrond, and tell me that her soul is so different from ours. Look at her and tell me, is she so bad a creature?"
"Not bad," Elrond answered, "but a paradox. I know she'd willingly step in front of a flying arrow to save Elrohir—but just as willingly she'd kill someone she thought was a threat to her family in cold blood. Humans are such a strange mixture of good and evil its no wonder their society is chaotic."
"If a human had killed me, darling, would you have killed them?"
Elrond looked startled. "Yes, I would. Why?"
"If that human was Aldaya, would you kill her?"
"She's no longer a human."
"But if she was, would you kill her? Before she and Elrohir became soul-bonded."
"Yes, I would."
"And if she was wounded, and unable to fight you, would you kill her?"
Elrond seemed to see where this was going. "I see your point," he sighed. "But you know what I mean, about the humans."
"I know," Celebrían answered simply. "But she's no longer human."
"In many ways she is," Elrond countered. "She is…she does not act like an elf. She has not the temperament of one. I fear for her, Celebrían. For all that we reassured her, I fear for her, should she be found out."
Celebrían put a hand on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her as she leaned against him. "Do not just fear for her," Celebrían answered. "Fear also for the child."
* * * *
Aldaya sang gently to Tindómë, rocking him in her arms as she moved. Elrohir perched on the windowsill, singing with her, and the light in his eyes was not entirely due to the candles in the room.
Child of my eyes, child of my heart
Forever together, never a part
Call to my soul, call to my heart
Forever together, never a part
What have you given to me?
What is it you shall grow up to be?
And when I am old, will you come back to me?
Who is this who calls to my heart?
Forever together, never apart
Song to hear song to cry
Song for thee and song for thy
What shall be shall be
Elrohir came to stand beside Aldaya and the two of them smiled at the sleeping baby as they finished the song with a soft, "What shall be shall be.*"
Tindómë was quietly sucking on his thumb, his eyes closed, the soft tips of his leaf-shaped ears slightly bent over. Aldaya's eyes shone as she looked down on the little elf-child.
Gently the two elves put their child to bed, and perched on their own, watching the baby carriage. Aldaya leaned against Elrohir, and he put his arm around her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Whatever shall be, shall be," she murmured.
*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*
*Meldis=female friend.
*Do listen to Enya's "Exile" while reading this song. I was listening to it when I wrote it.