Artanis burst out of the coach as soon as it pulled up to their townhouse in Alqualondë. "You be back here in one hour!" her mother called after her. Artanis nodded, but kept running toward the harbor, wondering how she would be able to keep track of the time now that the Trees had gone out.
As she sprinted up to the starlit quayside, her heart fell. Each of the docks had a swan ship rocking gently beside it. Which one was Celeborn's? Most of them were dark, but the deck of one was lit by torches and elves moved about it. As Artanis ran towards it, she noticed two stern-looking Teleri wearing the King's livery standing on its dock. As she turned onto the dock and approached the ship, they moved to block the gangplank.
"Artanis!" a voice called above her. She looked up and a rope dropped over the ship's railing beside her. She seized it as the King's men started towards her. Celeborn pulled her up onto the ship's deck and threw his arms around her. Startled, she tensed up, and he released her, backing up nervously. Embarrassed, she glanced down at the King's men, one of whom was heading back towards the quay and the other of whom glared back at her.
"Ah, is everything all right?" Celeborn asked her.
"Aside from the world going completely mad, everything is fine." Artanis said firmly, turning to face him. He nodded and swallowed. "It's good that you're back," she managed awkwardly. He nodded again.
Celeborn's dogs emerged from somewhere below the deck, barking, and ran to them. Celeborn managed to tackle one of them, but the other jumped up on Artanis. She grabbed it by the nose and made it lie on its back, which it did meekly, whining and licking at her.
"Are you ever going to train these things?" she demanded.
"Actually, they're pretty good retrievers now... but I haven't really had time." Celeborn changed the subject. "Are you ready to go? My mother... and Galathil aren't, but I can always come back for 'em." He looked back at the quayside. "Where's your mad cousin?"
"Off with his mad grandfather on his way to Araman, I hope." Celeborn raised his eyebrows at this and Artanis hurried on, "But we should wait for my father and brothers, and my other cousins, Fingolfin's sons. The Noldor want to go to Middle Earth to try and get Fëanor's Silmarils back."
Celeborn stared at her for a moment, then sent one of the mariners who was doing something with the ropes to go fetch wine instead. Artanis explained about Melkor and the Trees and the Silmarils.
"So that's what happened to the Trees. We hoped that they had just been covered up or something. Most everyone had gone to the King's hall to wait for news, which is why almost no one is here now. But what of Fëanor?"
"Headed north, using the path that Melkor took, but I don't see how he can get to Melkor this side of the Ice. And what if he does? Melkor's a Vala, and even that sword won't help Fëanor."
"Might help him get himself killed," Celeborn remarked flatly, and poured wine for both of them. "This is a little more complicated than I expected."
"Sorry," Artanis sat down on a box on the deck. The dogs flopped down on either side of her. "I promise it wasn't my idea. I take it that you can't exactly pick up passengers here. The King is still mad at you?"
"Something like that." Celeborn pulled up another box and opened a scroll case. He selected one particular scroll and unrolled it, laying it on the deck between them. Much to Artanis' delight, it proved to be a detailed map of the northeastern coast of Valinor. The nearest dog sniffed at it with no great enthusiasm.
"Not that much decent harborage to the north." Celeborn remarked, tracing the shoreline with his forefinger.
"These are Galadhon's, aren't they? I thought he wouldn't even let anyone see them!" Artanis peered at the remaining maps in the scroll case. Rather like Fëanor and his Silmarils, she thought.
"These are only copies," Celeborn fetched out another, of the southern coasts.
"He let you copy them? He wouldn't even let Finrod copy them!"
"Nor the King's scribes either. Let's just say I never brought it up."
"You mean, he never caught you," Artanis retorted. Celeborn shrugged.
"Artanis, come down from there!" Artanis looked up. Her grandfather and her mother stood on the dock below, with a small flock of Teleri around them. King Olwë was scowling, but Eärwen's face was neutral.
Artanis stood and waved at them. Celeborn sighed irritably.
"You may come back tomorrow morning," Eärwen declared. Olwë glared at her, but said nothing.
Celeborn thrust another scroll into her hand. The name "Galathil" was written on the outside. She nodded and walked down the gangplank.
Artanis wolfed down her breakfast, and headed towards the harbor to bring Galathil his letter. Much to her relief, he was hanging out of his open window, so there was no need for her to enter the house and deal with her aunt and uncle.
"I heard you'd arrived last night, and gone to see my brother, and created a huge ruckus!" Galathil declared enthusiastically.
"You can thank the King for the ruckus; I had nothing to do with it." Artanis passed him the scroll. He opened it hastily and his face fell as he scanned it.
"He's leaving soon." Galathil told her mournfully. "You get to go with him, don't you?"
"I don't see how they can stop me," Artanis told him, "But we should be back pretty soon, and even if you have to wait a few more years, we can always return for you."
"I know." Galathil rubbed his eyes and refrained from sniffling. "Mum will have to let me see him off though. He says about noon. How am I to know when it's noon?"
Artanis simply nodded, unsure of what to say to him.
This time, she walked past the King's servants and up the gangplank. Celeborn was up on deck, waiting for her and eating breakfast. She shook her head when he offered her a plate.
The dogs were on leashes tied to the railing. They barked at her and wagged their tails frantically. She walked over and patted them while Celeborn ate.
"I've got a possible harbor, here to the south, and I've copied the map for your relatives," Celeborn told her once he'd finished.
"I suppose they're on their way up north right now," Artanis told him.
"Well, they'd better not try the ice on foot. I wouldn't even sail up that way."
"Isn't the Sea narrower up there?"
"It is, but the ice floating on it isn't all that thick and it isn't just one piece. The waves lift the sheets of ice up and down, and eventually they break, and pieces, huge pieces, pile on top of one another, or just float away. You don't want to be walking around on it when that happens. And a ship can be rammed and sunk by a floating piece of ice, or frozen into a sheet of ice on a cold night."
Artanis tried to estimate the size of the crowd that had gathered in Tirion the day before. "But it will take forever to bring the Noldor to Middle Earth. We really need more ships. Would any of the other captains be willing to help us?"
Celeborn shook his head, "The captains are a pretty conservative lot. A lot of them have kin left behind in Middle Earth, but they don't talk about them much anymore... not since my father's last attempt to get back there. You might want to have your mother ask some of them, but very discreetly. I don't think that the King likes that kind of talk."
He pulled out a map of the southern coast and set it on the top of the barrel from which his breakfast dishes had been cleared away. Artanis leaned over and found the potential harbor that Celeborn had marked.
Celeborn bent over her and tapped it with his forefinger. "If your cousins can meet me down here..." he began. Artanis reddened when his hair brushed the back of her neck. Celeborn once again pulled back from her, equally embarrassed. "Sorry... " he managed.
"Captain!" called the mariner on lookout. Celeborn and Artanis turned away from the map.
A contingent of elves was heading towards the harbor. Most of them were leading horses and many were wearing armor. They were Noldor... with Fëanor in the lead. Artanis' heart sank. He must have left Tirion even before herself and her mother and headed north only long enough to realize that Melkor had already crossed the ice. A night of hard riding had brought him to Alqualondë. And now he was here.
Celebrimbor emerged from the crowd and rushed to Celeborn's ship, waving and grinning broadly. He was still wearing his armor and sword, Artanis noticed. "Hello, Artanis, fancy meeting you here! We had the same idea! Celeborn, my grandfather wants to talk to you."
Celeborn looked over at her. Artanis shook her head. Celeborn sighed and started down the gangplank. Reluctantly, Artanis fell into step beside him. Fëanor's host began to break apart and armed elves headed down each of the docks onto the swan ships.
The houses on the quay had their windows open and unshuttered, and the Teleri within them stared out at Fëanor.
"Captains and mariners," Fëanor called out to them. "I petition you to bear us to Middle Earth, where we may succor your kinsmen against the evil that has returned to it. Melkor, no, Morgoth, has finally shown his colors. He has slain the two Trees, and my father, Finwë, your friend."
"The King has forbidden us to take you to Middle Earth," declared a broad- shouldered Teleri wearing a silver circlet. "You rebel against the Valar, just as Melkor did. But you can still turn back and should!"
"What of your kin? Of your true king, Elwë?" Fëanor called out.
The broad-shouldered Telerin captain leaned out and pulled his shutters closed. Artanis could hear him slam the window within. Slamming sounds echoed up and down the quay as the other Teleri in the houses along it did the same.
Fëanor went white with rage. "Take the ships!" he called out to the Noldor who had already boarded the swan ships.
Celeborn turned and began to run back to his ship, but Celebrimbor tackled him from behind. Artanis grabbed Celebrimbor by the shoulders and yanked him off Celeborn. But when she looked up, her cousin Celegorm loomed in front of them, with a sword in his hand and an unpleasant smile on his face. His wolfhound, Huan, who stood as tall at the shoulder as Celegorm himself, snarled at them.
"Cut her loose!" Celeborn shouted to his crew. Frantically they began to do so.
Artanis looked around, but as the Teleri emerged from their houses and started running for their ships, the Noldor drew their swords and stabbed them.
Celeborn tried to jump off the dock into the water, but Celegorm grabbed him. Celegorm was a big fellow, even for a Noldo, and if he set Huan on them, they hadn't a chance. Artanis began to back away.
"Watch out, Artanis!" cried Celebrimbor, and barreled into her, knocking her down as arrows began flying from the upper windows of the houses along the way. The Teleri were firing on the Noldor using hunting bows, Artanis realized. And like deer or birds, the Noldor died as the arrows pieced them. She cringed down next to Celeborn as Fëanor's host began to retreat down the docks, trying to take cover between the ships.
Most of the swan ships were now adrift and she could hear screams and blows from their decks. Almost all of them must have been manned by some sort of skeleton crew. Someone was thrown into the water from the ship beside Celeborn's: a Noldo, wearing metal armor. As she watched, he sank and did not come back up.
Celegorm lifted his hunting horn to his lips and sounded it three times.
There was a splash. Artanis looked around at Celeborn's ship. The oars were out, and the mariners were backing it into the harbor, but one of Celeborn's dogs had chewed itself loose from its leash and was swimming towards the dock.
Celegorm noticed it as well. "Huan," he shouted. Huan leaped off the dock and swam to Celeborn's struggling dog. Huan seized the other dog by the throat and began to shake it. Celeborn cried out and struggled in Celegorm's grasp but it was no good. Celegorm and Huan both held on to their prey. When Celegorm called on Huan to return, it released the other dog, which floated away limply.
"Celebrimbor, keep an eye on these two. Dad would take it amiss if anything happened to either of them." With these words, Celegorm dropped Celeborn back on the dock and headed towards the main battle. Huan, dripping, loped after him.
As Celebrimbor backed away from them and drew his sword, Celeborn tackled him around the waist, knocking him down. Artanis grabbed Celebrimbor's sword.
As she turned back towards the shore, several of the Noldor, running from the arrows, came at her. Artanis lifted the sword, but one of them didn't notice it or was running too fast or just didn't have room to dodge and crashed into her, knocking her over. Celeborn pulled her out from under him, but it was too late. The armor, made for show rather than for protection, had failed to deflect the sword, which had gone through a badly- placed joint. The fallen Noldo stared at the sky through empty eyes.
The remaining Noldor had reached the end of the dock and turned around. Artanis and Celeborn sprinted towards the shore.