Chapter Sixteen: A Different Dawn

The darkest hours of the night were always the coolest, and the most desolate. Isil had already disappeared from the sky, making room for the arrival of Anar. Only Varda's lights lay strewn across the deep dome of the sky, their brightness reflected by the still, shadowy waters of the sea.

He did not sleep at all that night. It was not that he was not tired – his body was crying out for rest, tempted by the pallet that lay waiting for him inside the wooden house should he choose to go in and accept its comforting warmth. But he resisted the urges of his body, disciplining himself to ignore its complaints, as he had done so often long ago, when Beleriand had not sunk into the sea, when he was still a soldier and a great Lord amongst the Eldar.

Maedhros sighed, not for the power that had once been his, but for the memories of times long gone. He missed the companionship of his friends, and to a certain extent, his family as well. He had never been close to all of them – that was an impossible task – but he had always been close to Maglor, and to the twins. He felt so protective of these three: since Maglor came after him, he had been the first to be put under Maedhros' responsibility. Amrod and Amras were the youngest, so as the eldest he had always felt a certain degree of responsibility towards them.

I could easily do away with the trappings of power, as long as I can have peace like this, he thought as he stared at the wide expanse of ocean that seemed to stretch on into eternity. Why did one need power, when one could have this stillness, this tranquility? Power only complicated matters, destroyed the serenity of one's world. It was not a necessary part of one's life. One could do away with it and still live a good life.

"Have you been awake all through the night?"

Maedhros turned, and watched as Sinag-Tala emerged from the shadowy darkness of the house. He smiled at her as she sat down beside him. "I had thought that you would be asleep, as well."

"It is already morning," she pointed out to him, returning his smile with one of her own. "I always wake at this hour, to wait for the arrival of Inang A'raw, so that I may greet her and thank her for bringing her light into the world once more."

Maedhros nodded, and turned away from her. With his Elvish sight, he could see a hairline of light beginning to form on the distant horizon. Of course, he knew Sinag-Tala would not be able to see it, so he did not mention it to her.

They sat together in companionable silence, and Maedhros was only too glad that she did not ask him any further questions. He did not feel like speaking, fearing that words would rend the stillness that had settled upon them and that brought him so much peace.

The horizon gradually became lighter, the light sliding lazily over the vastness of the sea. The wall of the reef stood out starkly over the water – a long, black line that could easily rip out the bellies of ships that dared sail too close. He still did not know at what hour was the tide at its highest and thus the safest for ships to sail into the reef, for he was not able to see Sinag-Tala's people bring their ship in, and he did not ask the question of anyone.

And then, the quiet waters in the middle of the reef were disturbed as a dolphin leaped out of the water, its slick, shiny body arching and seeming to hang in midair before it descended back into the water with a splash.

Maedhros had held his breath as he watched the sight. He had seen dolphins jump before, but not under these circumstances. He suddenly wanted to laugh, to run into the water and join the dolphins in their gaiety.

"They are beautiful, are they not?"

Maedhros glanced at Sinag-Tala, and noticed that she was smiling as she gazed out upon the water. Seeing her smile, he allowed himself to smile as well. "Yes, I find them very beautiful."

"They love children," she said, as if it was the most natural thing to say at that moment. "They are the ones who teach the children how to swim. And they can lift the spirits of anyone – so long as one has the will to live."

Maedhros had to agree. "You are right." He bowed his head. "I… There are many dark things in my heart, and the road ahead of me is darker still. I would redeem myself, and my-" He swallowed, pausing, and then continued: "I would redeem myself and those I love, but it is a long road, and a hard one. I do not know where to begin."

He lifted his eyes, and found Sinag-Tala gazing at him, her gray eyes so like to Maglor's in the light of the rising sun that he thought, for a moment, he was looking at his brother again, during the days when he had often sought his second brother's counsel. But then more of the night shadows lifted, and he saw a woman – a woman who had her own pains and fears and shadows, yet ignored them because she had to put others before herself.

He did not know that she had clasped his hand in one of her own until he forced himself to come out of his reverie and listen to what she was saying. He looked up at her, and noticed the small smile on her face, though her eyes were lit with curiosity – and concern. "Would you like to swim with the dolphins?"

He blinked at her, unable, for a moment, to grasp what she had just said. "Swim with the dolphins?"

"Yes. I think you would enjoy it." Her smile became a little wider. "Some play may help lift that melancholy I see in your eyes."

"But I am not-"

"That does not matter. Follow me."

He stayed seated, watching her in confusion and some helplessness as she strode to the water's edge, walking right into the sea without a care for her clothing. And yet the sea did not repulse her, the waves did not push her back to shore. The water welcomed her, wrapping itself around her like a mother wrapping her child in blankets to guard against the cold of the night.

The water climbed higher up her body the further she walked, until it was well around her waist. She reached for a pouch at her waist, and drew out a shell around as long as her palm. She lifted one end to her lips, and blew. A high, trilling note that echoed the voices of seabirds rose to the sky, and a few moments later, a dolphin broke the surface of the water, spinning around once in the air before landing in the water again with a mighty splash that soaked Sinag-Tala completely.

He listened to her laughter, and it called him, lured him to join her. It has been too long, he thought as he reached down to remove his boots. It had been too long since he had allowed himself to laugh, to indulge in a childhood that had been taken away from him far too quickly, because he was a Son of Fëanor, because he was the eldest of seven brothers.

He strode to the water's edge confidently enough, but the moment his bare toes touched the surf he halted in fear. Would the water push him back, as so many had done before? Would he be forced out of the sea? He remembered again the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and at the same time, the fact that this was a place sacred to Uinen. She had been fond of the Teleri. Would the water, at her command, push him out and back onto land?

But then, Sinag-Tala clambered out of the water towards him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him in.

He tripped over the soft sand under the water and splashed, belly-first. But it did not force him away; it did not push him back to shore. Rather, it embraced him, and he felt a freedom that he thought he had lost long ago.

He forced his head up above the surface of the water, gulping in air, and felt Sinag-Tala grasp him by the arm to pull him to his feet. He glanced down at himself, and realized, much to his amusement, that he was dripping wet, and most likely looked very, very silly.

Grinning now, he turned his attentions to Sinag-Tala, who, grinning in the same manner he was, slapped the surface of the water with the palm of her hand, causing a splash that got saltwater in his eyes.

He gasped, not out of pain, but out of playful shock. Pushing his soggy hair out of his face with one hand, he retaliated by swatting more water at Sinag-Tala with the other.

She uttered a cry of surprise, and gave back as good as she received, using both hands now to spray water at him. Later on, one of the dolphins emerged beside her, and the creature used its tail fin to slap water onto his person.

In spite of the water that was obscuring his vision, he reached out, and touched the dolphin that floated beside Sinag-Tala. The skin was cool and slippery under his fingers, not slimy and rough like the scales of a fish. The dolphin turned, and gazed at him with eyes full of understanding, and what seemed to be a perpetually cheerful smile.

He turned when Sinag-Tala placed her hand on his shoulder. When he turned his head to look at her, she smiled, and said: "Let your shadows go. Let the sea wash you clean, and take them far away. Take joy in the simple pleasures of life again."

It felt as if he had stepped under a waterfall, and he had emerged from beneath it clean and new. He felt the burdens and the shadows lifted from his soul, the waves washing them away. And now, he could start upon the road with a new purpose, and clearer vision.

He grinned impishly at Sinag-Tala, and tackled her into the water, glad to be laughing, glad to be able to feel like a child again. The dolphins sang and chattered in their own tongue, leaping and tracing sinuous circles in the growing light.

And when Arien finally burst forth into the eastern sky, she was greeted not by chanting, but by the music of laughter, shouts, and dolphin voices that, for a single, brilliant moment, parted the dark clouds of war and allowed Anar's light to shine true and pure upon the land.

He frowned, the shadows still wrapped around him, for Inang A'raw was not high enough yet in the sky to lift all the shadows from between the trees. He did not like what was going on before him. If the strangers became too attached to Sinag-Tala, then they would surely protect her on their journey out of the jungles. And he certainly did not want anyone protecting Sinag-Tala – not when he now had the perfect opportunity to be rid of her once and for all.

He glanced over his shoulder at his sons, who stood behind him in attention. He smiled slightly. They were both fine warriors, intelligent and cunning in their own right. They would make the perfect leaders once Sinag-Tala was gone.

"I want you to follow them as closely as you can," he told them, his voice low to make sure that no one heard him, in case someone else was around. He could not risk having Talim or Hiraya hear him, not when he was so close to getting what he wanted. "Take your time, do not hurry in your task. It must look like an accident. I do not want her…friends…becoming suspicious."

The two young men nodded in obedience, and turned around, disappearing into shadows of the trees.

He smiled satisfactorily. It would not be long now, he thought. Revenge would soon be his.

Glorfindel watched with a small grin as Maedhros and Sinag-Tala made their way back into the house, the both of them laughing and dripping water all over the wooden floor. Some of the weight on his heart was eased a little bit when he noticed the bright smile on Maedhros' face. He was relieved that the darkness that surrounded the red-haired Elda had been lifted somewhat, though it would take some time until it was dispersed completely.

Still, it was a good thing that he was smiling now. Fingon would have been pleased to see him happy again.

"And where have you been this early in the morning?" Glorfindel asked as the pair approached where he was standing. He frowned slightly at them, though he could not help the small curl of his lips in amusement.

Maedhros quickly suppressed his laughter, and straightened up, trying to look as dignified as his soggy condition would allow. "We have been swimming with the dolphins."

Glorfindel nodded, now unable to conceal his amusement. "I see. And why did you do so?" This time, he focused his gaze on Sinag-Tala.

The young woman smiled up at him, and Glorfindel realized that, indeed, Ereinion had been right about her: she looked so young when she was smiling, almost childlike. "And I respond with a question: does there need to be a reason? It is a harmless thing. I do not think that one needs to question something if it is harmless."

Maedhros smirked now at Glorfindel. Apparently he agreed with Sinag-Tala's reasoning.

The former Lord of the House of the Golden Flower rolled his eyes, and threw his hands up in the air. "You have won, dear lady. And yet I must ask: at what hour do we begin our journey?"

The mirth suddenly faded from Sinag-Tala's face at his words. She straightened up, and Glorfindel saw that she looked every inch the leader that she was – even if she was soaking wet. "We leave in five hours. I know that there are some things that you must see to, and I too have business to attend to before we may set out on our journey."

Glorfindel nodded, seeing the wisdom and appreciating the fact that she had given them some time to prepare, though they had gathered most of their supplies together the day before. "I understand." He turned to Maedhros, and grinned. "I think it would be wise for you to change into something dry."

Maedhros rolled his eyes, though he was smiling, and nodded as he bowed, taking his leave of both Glorfindel and Sinag-Tala. With that accomplished, Glorfindel bowed to Sinag-Tala as well, and headed back to the room that had been assigned to him, preparing himself for the journey ahead.