Chapter Five
Aulë slept after that, but not well. The kiss was beautiful, wonderful, everything he imagined it would be and more, but it should never have been given. She was to marry Irmo. What could he do? Irmo and Yavanna belonged together. Who was he to contest their bliss?
He gave up after a few fitful hours, then got up and dressed himself. As he was tying back his long, dark hair to keep it out of his face while he worked, his eyes fell upon the necklace he'd made for and never given to Yavanna. The jewel caught the light from the crystals that illuminated the room and sparkled, laughing at him, mocking his pain. He seized the necklace, and for a moment, thought about crushing it. Then he changed his mind. It was a beautiful jewel, unique in its color, cut, design, and detail, and its likeness would never be produced again. Perhaps he could give it to Nessa as a wedding gift; they all knew it would not be long before she and Tulkas were married. Yes, that would suffice. It would not be as fitting for Nessa as it would Yavanna, but at least it would not go to waste.
He kept the necklace with him when he went down to the forges; wrapping the chain around his wrist several times, then securing the clasp, transforming it into a bracelet. He contemplated what to make as he descended the winding stone stairs that led down to his furnace. Perhaps some more fire crystals; those were always in demand. If nothing else, it would be somewhere to start.
"Lord Aulë!" came a voice from behind.
Aulë stopped and turned around. Three Maiar were making their way down the stairs after him. There was Eönwë, the noble herald of Manwë and the second greatest of the Maiar behind Aulë's Curumë. Behind Eönwë was wise Ilmarë, the handmaiden of Varda, and a half-stride behind her was the lady of the rivers, the beautiful Sírënis of the people of Ulmo. What reason could they possibly have for coming to him?
It was Eönwë who had spoken. The three of them halted when they had Aulë's attention and bowed their heads respectfully. "The Lord Súlimo and Varda Elentári have asked us to deliver a message on behalf of Tulkas Astaldo and the Lady Nessa," Eönwë continued. "Tulkas and Nessa are to be wed in a matter of hours, and they would be honored to have you present."
So Tulkas and Nessa were to marry sooner than he had anticipated. At any rate, Aulë was glad to be right about something. "Thank you, Eönwë," he said. "Let us depart at once."
Eönwë and Ilmarë turned around and led the way out, but Sírënis lingered, waiting for Aulë. He noticed this, and was not surprised. He had been wondering why she was even there in the first place. "You are not of their people, yet you deliver a message with the servants of Manwë and Varda, Sírënis," Aulë said. "Should I warn Ulmo that the heart of the Sea's greatest treasure lies not within his watery depths, but with the skies and stars?"
Sírënis smiled, and Aulë did too despite the heaviness on his heart. The two of them had always been fond of each other.
"No, I am as loyal to my lord as I have always been," Sírënis answered. "I also bear a message for you, and this message comes from Ulmo."
Aulë suppressed a groan. He was angry at Ulmo for persuading him to speak with Yavanna when he thought better of it; now it had backfired in a way more horrible than he'd ever imagined. He was curious as to what Ulmo would have to say about the incident, but not to the point where he wanted to see the Lord of Waters any time soon.
"And what is this message?"
"He wishes to speak with you at once."
He suspected as much. "Did he say what he wished to discuss?"
Sírënis hesitated before answering and looked as if she would say no, but she knew Aulë would see that she was lying. "Yes," she said quietly.
"Yavanna," Aulë said, more to himself than to his companion.
Sírënis spoke in the affirmative again.
"So he has told you, too." Aulë made fists with his hands, and when that did not relieve his tension, he threw his hands into the air and cried, "Must all of Arda know that I love her?"
Eönwë and Ilmarë stopped walking and looked back at him with curious expressions on their faces.
"Well, if all of Arda didn't know before, they do now," said Sírënis.
Aulë scowled. Eönwë and Ilmarë looked at each other, then continued walking. Aulë and Sírënis did the same. So focused were they on their own thoughts and duties that none sensed the presence of the evil drawing closer, watching their every move and waiting for the chance to make one of his own.
He waited until they were gone before he stole into Aulë's halls, dark, swift, and shrouded in shadows. He did not know how much time he would have, but he did know that it would be enough. The wedding would keep Aulë out of his abode long enough for him to complete his task. All he had to worry about was finding his target.
He heard the hammering sound of metal against metal echoing through the stone corridors, and followed the sound until he reached the forge where the Maia Curumë was shaping an iron rod. He smiled to himself, and his shadows leaked into the room.
"Curumë…" the darkness whispered.
Curumë dropped the hammer and picked up the red-hot rod. "Who's there?"
The shadows condensed into a physical form.
The rod hit the floor, too.
"You!" Curumë exclaimed.
"Me."
Melkor.
"Why are you here?"
"For you," came the answer. "I've watched you for a long time, Curumë. You are too powerful, too ambitious for what they have made you."
Curumë scowled and picked up the hammer and rod. He knew Melkor was trying to make him angry. And it was working.
"You should have been a Vala, Curumë," Melkor continued, "not a servant to those who are weak and compassionate."
Curumë placed the rod back into the fire of the forge and began hammering it.
"Do not let Aulë hold you back, Curumë," Melkor said, stepping closer to the Maia. "He knows what you can become, and he fears you for it."
"Aulë fears no one," Curumë said between hammer strokes. "Not even you."
"He fears Yavanna."
Curumë brought the hammer down so hard that the rod broke. "You lie."
"I do not," Melkor replied. "Can you not see it in his eyes, in the way he trembles when she is near?" He smiled and leaned in toward Curumë. "She was here. I know you know she was – you admitted her."
Curumë did not speak.
"What happened between them, Curumë?" Melkor asked. "What went on behind closed doors? Why was she weeping when she left?"
As before, Curumë remained silent. He knew as well as Melkor did that they both knew what happened between Aulë and Yavanna.
"Can you truly allow yourself to be ruled by one whose will is so fragile?"
"He loves her."
"Love is fear, Curumë," Melkor said. "Control fear, and you will control all." He extended his hand. "I will teach you to control it. Join me. You know what you are. Let me show you what you can become."
"My name is not Curumë."
"Then what is it?"
He placed his hand in Melkor's. "It is Sauron."
The wedding ceremony was short and beautiful. Aulë was unable to enjoy it; he could think of only when Irmo and Yavanna would be as delighted as Tulkas and Nessa. He wondered if Ulmo knew of their betrothal yet. Knowing that he would have to face Ulmo sooner or later, Aulë asked Sírënis to find him. Sírënis departed and returned only moments later with the Lord of Waters.
Aulë and Ulmo did not speak at once. Even after Sírënis excused herself and left, they were silent.
It was Aulë who finally broke the silence. "You told Sírënis."
"And for that I apologize. I… I consulted Sírënis to ask her if my course of action was the wisest."
Aulë could understand why Ulmo did so, and he was not angry. There always existed a great deal of intimacy between a Vala and their greatest Maia; there was no one Aulë himself trusted more than Curumë. It was only natural that Ulmo would confide in Sírënis.
"It was I who told Yavanna you had returned to your halls," Ulmo continued. "And it was I whom she came to afterward."
"Then you know everything."
Ulmo nodded.
"It is hopeless, Ulmo," Aulë said. "Irmo and Yavanna are to be married. She told me herself."
"But if their love was true, you would not have been able to tempt her," said Ulmo.
Aulë sighed. "I should have known, Ulmo," he said. "I should have known from the very beginning. Now I must watch her forever and know she can never be mine."
"Aulë," Ulmo said, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, "believe me when I say I know how you feel."
Aulë glared at Ulmo and jerked away. "How can you know?" he snapped. "How can you be so knowledgeable in matters of the heart when you have no love of your own?"
"What if I told you that I do?" Ulmo whispered.
Aulë stared at him. "What?"
Although Aulë pressed him for an explanation, Ulmo would speak no more. Someday they would all find out whom Ulmo spoke of in his enigmatic response to Aulë's accusation, but it would not be for many years. But his story is not this one, and it shall be told another time.
Suddenly, a great thundering sound was heard, and then the voices of the world's inhabitants, wondering what evil had befallen them. The thunder soon faded, and from its silence emerged a horrible, malicious laughter. And then… darkness.
"The Lamps!" a voice cried. Aulë suspected it to be Eönwë, but he could not be certain.
"How?" Ulmo asked. "The Lamps are at opposite ends of the world. How could both be destroyed at once?"
Then the green lawns of Almaren became engulfed in fire.
"What is this evil?" came the same voice as before. It was indeed Eönwë, as Aulë suspected.
From the north, flame and shadow condensed into a form they all knew: Melkor. And from the south…
"No!" Aulë said, feeling his knees go weak. "Curumë…"
Some quick words from yours truly.
I feel obligated to explain Sírënis. She appears in a story I'm currently working on set in the Second Age. She's not an original character; I took a character mentioned in passing in Fellowship of the Ring and gave said character a name and a backstory. (Her name is a combination of two Quenya words; if you can figure out the meaning you can probably figure out who she is). Right, so that's her.
And now to address something that's been brought up a few times: Estë. I actually have about 3/4 of this story written and all of it outlined, and I can't change my plot or risk inconsistency with what's already up, but I can tell you this: Estë will appear and she won't hook up with Aulë, although something does happen regarding Aulë's choice of love interest that makes her pretty angry. Keep your eyes open for that; it won't be long. :)