Chapter 2- Sorrow of the Sea

Watching the rising sun, I realized that I had been on board 3 weeks, and had not bothered to do anything but search the horizons. And as the sun rose, I finally saw it; land. I trembled as my eyes rested on it, and the reflections of the early dawn light making me dizzy, I realized that I feared leaving the seas. These past few weeks, the sea has been a blessing to me; it had comforted me and kept me safe. Oblivious to the tear streaming down my cheek, I silently said my goodbyes, for we would land within a few hours. I repacked the few things I had brought with me, and prepared to leave the ship. And as I slowly stepped off of the landing, and onto the land, I rushed to the water's edge, and gave a praise of thanks. I could feel the sea smile at me; I felt its warmth. Then I turned and headed for the roads, and I did not know where I was going, I only knew that I was going there. Suddenly, a tall slender figure appeared before me, and I noticed it was another elf. She smiled at me and said " Welcome, 'tis been a long time since I have had a chance to welcome someone. Usually elves are leaving, not coming." She stared into my deep into my lilac eyes and, surprisingly enough to me, she smiled. "Ucar uume kaure nillo, cu aiquen sinome. Do not fear me, nor anyone here. I am Lady Nunilwen, let me take you to shelter for the night, or longer if you wish." And I couldn't help but smile and sigh in relief. I had reached the Grey Havens at last. She looked at me as if waiting for me to speak and suddenly I realized my rudeness. "Forgive me my lady, I am Oriavanim, the lady of Tol Eressëa. I am more gracious for your kindness then you will ever know," I said, and she looked puzzled. "My lady?" She said, "You do not need to speak so, for we are as equals here. At that I jumped, she had a quirk of amusement at this. "Where you come from, you feel need to speak with such respect? I had no idea that the people of Eressëa were raised so... " and her voice trailed off deep in thought, "no matter, as I said we are equals here, and shall speak as friends, if you would have it so." "Friends?" I asked, and smiled, "I have never had a friend, and would love it to be so." Clearly this had her stunned, for I could feel it in the very air, the shock that has convulsed through her, spreading outward in tiny ripples. She turned around and stared at me in puzzlement, and her eyes asked a single question: Why? "Nunilwen, I am flawed. Do not act as if you do not notice." And so it was said, and bluntly at that. She stepped back in complete startelment, and I realized that she truly had not known, and her obvious shock to knowing what she was thinking. A wave of guilt crashed through me, "You really didn't know, did you?" My shock to her reaction shown clearly and my voice grew quiet. She shook her head, and I sat on a large rock, "Avantelme nillo. Forgive me Nunilwen, for this is all new to me. My whole life it has been known that I am flawed, one had to be flawed to possess the dromondae." At that her eyes became large and she smiled. My reaction to it all was pure confusion. "For this is a strange day indeed, 'tis a great gift you possess, and so rare. 'Tis not a flaw you carry my friend, but a wonderful gift indeed. I must take you to Lord Elrond of Rivendell." She said joyfully, and I smiled, for at that moment, I learned what acceptance was.

And so it came to be how I met the lady Nunilwen of the Grey Havens. She took me to shelter for a few days and nights, and we shared stories of our lives. It was somewhat odd that most of her stories brought laughter to me, but mine only brought tears to her. Until then I had not realized that Tol Eressëa had been separated from the outside world for so long, that they had grown afraid of anything different. So long, that they had forgotten even the customs that they had brought with them. For their ignorance I had cursed them, but after this, I had felt deep pity. How horrible it must be to not even know that you have forgotten your kindness, to leave it behind before you even realized you possessed it. Of course, as I learned, with so many leaving from the Grey Havens, they would have more fear. But, with the new comings, they would foster new love in their hearts, and I wished this on them with every ounce of my being. For the 3 days that we waited for the horsed to be prepared, and supplies brought, we spoke of Rivendell, and she told me everything she knew about it. About Lord Elrond and his sons, and even the gorgeous Young elf that he had adopted into his family, once he had been orphaned. I listened in awe, I knew I would like Rivendell, the stories she spoke were warm and wrapped in reverence and respect. She also spoke of the wonder and powers of Mirkwood, the two princes Silinde and Legolas, both gorgeous and excellent bowmen. The tales of Lorien, words cannot describe them, the tales were beautiful, but later I saw it, and it truly takes your breath away, but is to be told later in my tale. After we received out supplies and our horses, we set out onto the roads on the northern banks of the Greyflood River. The travel was grueling and tediously slow, but we spent our time merrily, chatting about everything from the song of the bird, to the sing of my beloved sea. Strangely enough I could still feel its presence, I could still feel its gentle comfort. After all, the sea fostered me; it was all I ever had. Occasionally we saw other elves, and spoke and had merry times, but we would part within a few days, and I would have those memories to treasure forever. I felt blessed. I was accepted here. I was in the land beyond the enchanted isles, and I was accepted. But one day, we woke up to silence, and I knew something was gravely wrong. "Do you hear that?" I asked. We both looked around, shivering with fear. "The sound of silence, yes," Nunilwen said, "'Tis not a good thing." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and my head began to thud. I could hear the blood beating in my ears like waves upon coast and cliff, and I sent me sprawling to the ground in a dizzy mess. Nunilwen rushed to my side just as the visions began to overwhelm me, and I saw them, the creatures robed in black. They were cloaked in black, steel and iron from head to toe. I could hear them whisper to me, and I knew true fear, and the pain in my head was nigh unbearable. Slowly as the visions strengthened, I could see the blood again. I saw it, smelled it, and tasted it. I felt it trickle over my skin, and I was covered in it. I screamed, and through it all, I was conscious enough, and only enough, to hear Nunilwen pace around me, knot knowing what to do. As the visions subsided, the tears down my cheeks were obvious, and I was nearly unconscious, struggling to regain my breath, and all I could do was wait for the blackness to take me or the pain to subside. The last thing I remember was the sound of hoof beats, and hearing relief in Nunilwin's voice, and being lifted onto a horse, and being held firmly into place. My head was cradled onto the Gorgeous elf's face, and hearing him utter only a few words "We are only a few hours from Rivendell, we must get her there soon." And then the horse trotted into a full run, and the blackness claimed me. How long was it before I began to stir, I do now know. The only thing I can remember before slipping back into unconsciousness was my rescuer's voices. "She is beginning to wake, but she won't be for long." I looked up, and I daresay it took all the energy I had left in me to do so. He had long blonde hair, and the elf maiden that rode in the horse next to us, had long black hair, and they both looked worried. I could not make out the details of their faces. "Is she going to be all right Silinde? She does not look well." Her voice was low and etched with worry. "She will be if we can get her to Rivendell soon." She said in a grave tone, and then his voice changed drastically to somewhere between frantic and worried, "Gliren, I do not know how much time we have, we must hurry!" At that moment I slipped back into unconsciousness.