I own only my OCs, not Tolkien's characters nor the world he created. Please do not sue and just enjoy. I made no money from this.

The eagle had seemed to fly higher and then west out of the sight of the elves. Then their gazes dropped down. Narkal clung to Tarman's body his eyes aimed at a bare patch of stone between orc bodies, but no one believed he studied it. The Noldo startled upon feeling a hand upon his shoulder. He looked up into Lastanan's eyes. The Laquendi stared back unblinking. "Manpalan has climbed up to look beyond the canyon and thinks he has seen a place your brothers can be buried deep enough no living orcs will be able to find them again.

Narkal narrowed his eyes. He'd barely gotten to say goodbye to Tarman's spirit. Now they were already planning where to place his and all their brothers' bodies into the earth away from him?

Lastanan met the living Noldo's glare with a gaze soft on the surface, but firm underneath like a coat of dust upon packed earth. His voice was low and quiet, but hard. "I assume you want them laid to rest before we deal with the orcs. There are more here than we have ever had to bury before when it is just the six of us to do so, seven counting you ... if you are willing. The orcs' stench will soon become overwhelming if we leave that task unfinished for too long. I'd like to not have the blood of orcs upon us when we carry Tarman and the rest of your brothers' bodies to their resting place."

Narkal bowed his head, but clung tighter to his brother's empty form. Lastanan raised his head and looked to his own oldest and youngest brothers. "Ranthalion, Manpalan, begin the digging." He then turned a softer deeper gaze back upon Narkal's bowed head. "That 'will' take time ..."

Narkal's own bitter voice came up from his down-facing lips. "Make a deep trench."

The other ellons' gazes snapped to Narkal bowed head as he spoke. When their gazes had fixed on him, he continued in a deep firm voice himself. "I will not lay them apart alone! We came to this land together. They nearly left it together. They shall rest in it together …"

Ranthalion nodded down to the Noldo. "Indeed …" Then he turned and walked away. Manpalan tried to keep pace an arm-length beside him, but they moved closer and farther apart as they both weaved their way through orc-corpses.

Sarnin, meanwhile, moved closer to Narkal and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Narkal said nothing, but her warmth soaked into him easing his muscles loose in the parts close to her. The growing coolness of his brother's body made the insides of his own was pressed close to it tense and harden with despair. Perhaps sensing this, Lathwinn came along behind him and placed one hand on his upper back on that side and the other on his head. He stirred slightly to glance back at her, but then slumped forward and bowed his head further even as his muscles unwound in his back, head, and neck. And more life pulsed through him than death as the elleth warmed him with the light of their people.

During this time, Lastanan and Melarbeth picked their way through orc-corpses to find the other Noldos' bodies. The Laquiendi ellon glanced at each other and gestured to try without speaking to plan how they would uncover and untangle elf from orc before doing so. They tried to drag and pull aside the dead orcs while handling them as little as possible and leave the bodies of Sarnhael's brothers more open to sight and reach.

Upon doing this for each of their fellow fallen elves, Lastanan motioned to the weapons protruding from their forms. Melarbeth and he tried to remove them with as little further damage as possible. Sadly, they had some experience with that. The sun rose higher though they could only see this in the lightening of the sky above them while they remained inside the canyon walls. The stench of the orcs began to grow greater.

Ranthalion and Manpalan returned with sand clinging to their hands, clothes, and tips of their hair. Ranthalion spoke as they approached the others. "I think we have made the beginning of a suitable trench, but more stones to help hold it in place are needed. I think a Noldo would be helpful with that task."

Narkal raised and turned his head. He fixed his gaze on Ranthalion and nodded. "Help your brothers by moving the orcs, I will continue preparing my brothers' place of rest and lay them there myself."

Sarnin drew slightly away to look at Narkal's now raised face. Lathwinn drew her hands back and then turned her gaze to Lastanan. Brother and sister nodded to each other. The other brothers added their own nods. Sarnin, however, made no other movement. Narkal looked to meet her gaze. "Will you and Lathwinn both stay with him while I go do this?"

Sarnin looked down into Tarman's motionless grey face and opened her mouth to speak, but Lathwinn uttered her answer first. "No."

Narkal turned widened eyes to her, but the younger elleth smiled softly though her eyes were oddly deep, and brow furrowed. "My aunt knows more of earth and stone than any other among our people, but you. She will help you with stone and sand while I stay and watch over your brothers and mine as mine continue to work here."

Narkal took another sharp breath at the words "but you." At the end of her words though, he nodded. Then he looked down at Tarman and gathering up his brother's cape made from it a cushion he then laid Tarman's head upon before releasing his brother's body and rising to his own feet. Sarnin rose up beside him. Narkal stared down at Tarman's body particularly his face another moment before sighing and saying, "I will return soon." Only then did he turn away and walk in the direction Ranthalion and Manpalan had come from. Manpalan also went ahead of them to show them the way, while Lathwinn stood over Tarman's body her eyes though roaming over everything in the area she could see while she cleaned and replaced her blades. She rested her hands upon them though while watching, listening, and feeling for foes or disturbances in stone or sky that might endanger her kin, Narkal, or the bodies of Narkal's brothers.

The living elves worked or watched in silence. After leading them to the trench he and Ranthalion had made in an area of deep sand gathered in a dead end of one canyon connected to the one in which the battle had taken place in by another short one, Manpalan stayed with them. He acted for Narkal and his aunt as Lathwinn did for their other brothers and Narkal's kin in the greater canyon filled with the dead his other three brothers carefully moved out of it.

Such was the care in preparation of his brother's resting place given by Narkal and the elleth who loved him, and the hasty manner in which the Lathwinn's brothers dealt with the orcs both groups were ready for the next phase of their tasks near sunset.

What do you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes