I own not the world nor some of the characters mentioned here made up by the mind of Tolkien. I make no money either. Please don't sue just enjoy.

Lathwinn stared back into the orc's face another moment as he continued pressing down on the elf's chest. Then she tossed away her blade. The three orcs behind her sprang. As Sarnin stepped forward after them she heard the orc-bow's string drawn tight. She stopped and swallowed while watching her niece's arms being pulled behind her back and her hair jerked to raise her face. Lathwinn glared into the face of the orc captain. He had lifted his foot on the ellon's chest and was rocking back onto the other while filling the canyon with his laughter.

The ellon stared up at her with wet eyes. After breathing in, he asked, "What have you done?

The elleth cast her gaze down upon him and smirked. "Have hope."

The ellon and her aunt's eyes widened as he stared at her profile and Sarnin at the back of her head. The orc-captain's voice went silent. He closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at her face. She smiled back at him and then looked over his shoulder away from the near-canyon wall and over the edge of the other. The orc slowly turned his own head to look that direction as did the eyes of the other living orcs including those holding her and the orc archer. His aim also shifted away from the elleth and wounded ellon. Before it was pointed at the place Lathwinn gazed an arrow went through his eye. His flew wide and hit the far canyon wall harmlessly. Another went through the temple of the big orc. As those holding her arms and hair released them to flee, Lathwinn sprang forward. She pushed the now crumpling, large orc body off the hurting ellon beneath it. Sarnin flattened herself against the near canyon wall. Three more arrows struck her niece's attackers in the back bringing them down atop the bodies of the already dead.

Lathwinn fell to her knees beside the head of the hurting ellon squinting up at her. He whispered "Who ..?"

She smiled at him as she began removing his helmet. "My brothers."

His face and eyes cleared. Then he winced. "Your brothers .."

Lathwinn nodded then lowered and deepened her voice. "And yours …"

His eyes opened wide and face greyed. "Mine?"

She nodded. "The one we call Sarnhael." She tilted her head toward Sarnin who'd stepped over the ellon to kneel at his other side across from her. Lathwinn continued, "My aunt calls him Ceulant, and you, I believe, called him Narkal."

Tarman's face got greyer and while both healers feared the gravity of his wounds as they examined him, they suspected the change in his complexion was not entirely due to them.

. . .

Narkal stepped slowly through the carnage finding small spaces for his feet between orc bodies, yet barely noticing them as he studied the faces of the elf corpses. Each was oddly like his, though unscarred. They were splattered with black and red blood. They were also grey and still while his glowed around and even through his scars. The noses, high cheekbones and chins though were very similar indeed. He finally turned his wide eyes and slightly grey-tinged face toward the only like face to his still moving that still had a bit of glow. It flinched beneath his gaze. He knelt down beside the wounded ellon's waist leaving but a hand-span between himself and Lathwinn. His gaze, though, was fixed upon the ellon. "Tarman … how could you let this happen?"

Tarman whispered back, "I'm sorry brother … I tried to keep my promise to you, but after I paid the price to continue protecting them, in your place, by betraying your place among us, things only grew harder. Rombar played mournful melodies on his harp alone. He would not play before others unless commanded to by Caranthir. Then his spirit wasn't in it. The twins would not practice archery together. Only separately, and they only began again after they were commanded to keep in practice by the son of Feonor. They never smiled. Their voices were tight like their bowstrings, when they spoke. And Ascarant rode far and wide with whatever patrol would include him only coming back to sleep, eat, and drink before going out again. There was nothing I dared say to comfort any after we sent you away along with Caranthir save that it was my fault. I told them to follow his order. They have not been able to look him in the eye since. We swore in Valinor to follow the every order of any son of Feonor. We had no idea then what a misery it would become to us. Ascarant finally broke that oath yesterday by riding to find you rather than to guard the building of Caranthir's city. Be angry with me, punish me since I still breathe, but please forgive our brothers."

Narkal raised his gaze to look at both elleth healers. "What is wrong with him?"

Sarnin and Lathwinn had drawn Tarman's head, shoulders, and chest onto a cushion made of both their laps and removed his helmet, tunic, and mail shirt. Sarnin cast pain-filled eyes at the ellon in green as she rested her hand on his brother's head. "The greatest danger is the blood pooling beneath his skull. He may live till the sunrise, but not long after that."

Tarman spoke up from her lap. "A mace wielded by a strong orc struck me there, but I'm sure his crushing of my ribs later will cause them to pierce my lungs if I move, end me sooner, and prevent me from speaking clearly to you. I wanted to let you know first that Estaemma was right. We were fools and you were wise, but you came with us as if a fool, only to protect us. And you got no reward, at least, not from any of us. I am sorry toron nin. I can do nothing for you now but tell you that."

Narkal's eyes flooded. "Why brother? Why? Why did you have to come here, and make me follow you? Did I not warn you what would come upon Feonor's sons if they followed him in his folly? That to go with them would be like walking into fla …" But Narkal once named for shining-fire could not now finish a word in reference to it. He bit his lip instead and drew a clenched fist up toward his face."

Tarman stared back. "You did, and we assumed even then it might end in death, but we never dreamed it would require doing you such wrong to follow Caranthir's orders. I'm sorry toron nin, if we had known of this, seen this future for us all, I hope even the enchantment of Feonor's speech that day would not have moved us to come here …"

Narkal shook his head. "It is useless to think of such things. But what am I to do with you? Long have I hated you, even hoped pain would follow you in the same way you inflicted it upon me, but now … Shall I comfort or scorn you this night as you lay dying before me?"

Tarman gazed back almost blankly his voice soft. "It is your choice."

Sarnin's face flushed with rage. "My own foolish course may have robbed you of all, but the final portion of this night with one brother, and every other moment on arda with the other four. Do not waste what little my foolishness has left you with Celuant!"

Tarman winced at the sound of her voice, but then spoke again. "It was me not telling Ascarant of your visit and him only overhearing about the knife-maker in Ossiriand while he was in the stables choosing his horse to ride to guard the builders of Caranthir's new city that caused him to bolt. And we, also preparing to go with him to follow those orders, followed his mad rush instead. We caused this not you. Ascarant had just come back, slept in his armor, and then bathed after exhausting himself again on another patrol. All our long chase of him I considered our crimes and felt the end drawing near around us. Do not chide yourself dear elleth either for your courage or your kindness. I made the wrong choice for a brother a third time. What has befallen us is my doing not yours."

"No," Narkal said, "It is also mine. I could have sought you out, particularly Ascarant, I might have sent a messenger to you, Tarman, letting you know what became of me, where I was and with whom. I chose to let all of you guess about my fate in hopes it would drive you all mad like I felt you all drove me mad! Some of this guilt lies at my feet. I particularly never spoke of any of you, but to disparage you to all of these now here." He looked up then toward Sarnin and Lathwinn. Four living ellon in green cloaks standing some distance behind him watched with tight lips and intent eyes. At these words of Celuant's they raised their heads to watch the reaction of the wounded noldo over the well noldo's shoulders. Sarnhael continued staring at the healers tending his brother. "I feared not explaining the manner in which I was sundered from all my kin all this time would be the cause of your deaths, Green elleth, not my brothers'."

Sarnin gazed into the ellon's scarred face, "My niece and your brothers protected me."

Lathwinn smiled at him. "And they were glad to know your fate."

Narkal sighed and shook his head. "How can I stop hating in a moment, or even an hour, and yet … how can I keep on doing so …"

Tarman watched him saying nothing. Then he squinted his eyes, pressed his lips tight together, and fully shut his eyes. Sarnin gently moved her hand over his head. The glow coming from under her palms and fingers grew brighter. Tarman then gave a harsh whisper. "Please tell me your decision brother, whatever it might be, while I can still understand it."

What do you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes