Chapter 5 – Shattered Glass

It is easier to repair a shattered glass than to heal a broken soul.


Valinor
Fourth Age

Eruanna spent the days following the Ringbearer's feast alone with her notebook. Slowly, and with great care she transformed the slips of blank parchment into works of art – still images of the most glorious celebration the people of Valinor could recall. The first of Eruanna's drawings were, indeed, grand. She drew the great hall all alight, the glittering crowd, the Ringbearers – but there were other drawings that followed. Small moments of no import that together made the evening what it was – a dancer lacing up her shoe, a musician tuning his harp, a wine glass reflecting the candlelight…

Eruanna added the final touches to her last illustration, which also happened to be her first. She began working on the drawing of Maglor on the balcony the morning after the Feast, but it had taken many days to complete. She could only look at the sad, lonely image for so long before it overwhelmed her and she had to put the drawing aside. Maglor's weary face stared back at her from the page, and she could not help but wonder where he was hiding now.

"Good afternoon to you Eruanna." A voice drew Eruanna's attention from the page to the entry of her garden hideaway.

Eruanna immediately closed the cover on her drawings. Her eyes lifted from her book to Celebrían's face. "And to you, my La…" she said, standing, but the last word caught in her throat.

The Lady was not alone. Her mother and grandmother accompanied her, along with an ellon Eruanna recognized instantly from the night of the Feast. He was tall, with silver hair and bright, laughing eyes. Like his companions, he wore a circlet – a mark of elven royalty.

Galadriel followed the direction of Eruanna's gaze to the ellon at her side. "Eruanna, I do not believe you have met my uncle Ionwë."

The ellon smiled and acknowledged Eruanna with a slight nod. At the Feast, Eruanna's attention had been so focused on Maglor she had not spent much effort discovering the identities of the elves he was watching. Eruanna could see now the resemblance this ellon bore to Celebrían's grandmother and the other elves of Olwë's line.

"My Lord." Eruanna returned the greeting with all the respect his station required.

"This is Eruanna," Galadriel said to Ionwë, "Lord Erestor's daughter."

"A pleasure to meet you, Eruanna," the ellon replied. Something in his grandfatherly smile reminded Eruanna of Lord Celeborn and put Eruanna instantly at ease.

Ionwë took a step closer to Eruanna and gestured to the leather volume in her hands. "And what is it you are working on?" he asked.

"Drawings," Eruanna answered, "of the Ringbearer's Feast."

Eärwen's eyes widened with delight. "May we see them?" she asked.

With Eärwen's question, Eruanna immediately regretted her candor. The Lady knew Eruanna enjoyed sharing her work with others, but there were some images contained within these pages that were not intended for other's eyes.

"I …" Eruanna clutched the book to her chest, searching for a way to refuse that would not be thought rudeness. "They are not finished."

Ionwë smiled gently at the elleth, mistaking her hesitation for shyness. "Well then, perhaps, when you have finished them?" he suggested.

Eruanna responded with a small nod.

Celebrían, in an effort to ease Eruanna's discomfort, moved the conversation to a new subject. "Will you be joining us in Alqualondë, Eruanna?"

"Alqualondë?" Eruanna asked in surprise.

"My father wishes us to visit for a time," Eärwen said, referring to herself and her daughters.

"We mentioned it to your mother earlier today," Galadriel added. "Celebrían thought the two of you might like to join us."

"I have not spoken with her since this morning," Eruanna replied. She was quite excited at the prospect of visiting the city. She had only spent a day or so there upon her arrival in Valinor and all of that time was spent celebrating with family. She had not even seen the inside of the palace!

"I do hope you will come," Eärwen, said, catching the light of excitement in Eruanna's eyes. "The sea is lovely at this time of year."

"And I am sure Marilla will appreciate your company," Celebrían added.

"I will have to speak with ada," Eruanna replied. "I think he was hoping to put me to work now all of the festivities are over." It was all her father could talk about – how much he was looking forward to life getting 'back to normal'.

Celebrían shook her head in fervent disbelief. "How that ellon finds such contentment in stacks of paper I will never understand."

Eruanna could not help but laugh. Galadriel smiled, understanding full well how Elrond's counselor could desire a return to normality. Eärwen and her brother looked upon the others in amusement.

Celebrían, with a conspiratorial grin, placed a hand on Eruanna's shoulder. "Well, I will help you persuade Erestor if you help me with Elrond."

"Agreed," Eruanna said with an equally mischievous smile. Her eyes moved then from the Lady's face to the setting sun. "I had better go," she said, "or I will be late for dinner." She picked up her drawing pencils and made to depart.

"Have a pleasant evening," Ionwë told her and the Ladies nodded their goodbyes.

"And you as well," Eruanna said, and with a small bow abandoned the garden glade for home.


Eruanna entered the common room of her family's palace suite, well aware that she was nearly an hour later than her mother expected. Irimë's attention flew to the door from where she stood setting the dinner table.

"There you are," Irimë said. "I thought we would be eating without you."

Eruanna laid down her drawings and rushed to her mother's side to help. She took the silver from her mother's hand and began to make up the place settings. "I am sorry. I met Celebrían and her mothers in the garden," she said merrily. "They have invited us to visit Alqualondë."

"Yes," Irimë replied. "I spoke with them earlier today."

Eruanna could see her own excitement reflected in her mother's eyes. "It might be nice to dwell by the sea for a while."

"I do love the sea," Irimë said with a sigh. "We could visit your grandparents as well. They live only a short distance from the city."

"I hope ada will think it alright," Eruanna said worriedly. "He has been waiting over a year to get back to his official duties."

At that moment, Eruanna heard the door between the common rooms and her father's private chambers open.

Irimë smiled. "Now is your chance to ask him," she told her daughter, moments before Erestor appeared.

Eruanna beset her father before he made it to the table. "Ada, Lady Celebrían is thinking of visiting Alqualondë. Do you think I can go with…?" Eruanna halted her speech at the sight of her father's dark expression. "Ada?" she said, concerned.

Irimë was also worried by Erestor's obvious distress. "Are you feeling well, Erestor?"

"What is wrong, ada?" Eruanna asked.

Erestor stared long at his daughter before the reason behind his ill mood found voice. "You spoke with Maglor at the festival," he said grimly. It was nothing less than an accusation.

Irimë's eyes widened with surprise at Erestor's declaration. She, too, turned her attention on Eruanna.

Eruanna did not know how Erestor found out about her talking with Maglor, but she should have known it would not remain secret for long. "Yes," she told him, not knowing what else to say.

"Why?" Erestor asked.

The question was harsh, demanding, and sparked an equal measure of anger in Eruanna. She did not hesitate when giving her answer. "Because no one else would."

"He is dangerous," Erestor snapped, advancing on Eruanna in his rage.

"He is broken," Eruanna replied, withdrawing a step as her father came toward her. She'd only seen him like this once, when their company was attacked by orcs. This time his anger was not directed at an enemy, but at her.

"That only makes his edges sharper!" Erestor cried.

The force of her father's raised voice made Eruanna flinch as if struck. The involuntary response was not missed by Erestor and the fearful response he evoked in his daughter startled him. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but it was not enough to calm him.

"Have you learned nothing from me all these years?" he asked, his voice heavy with disappointment. "He is a butcher."

Eruanna was not about to disagree, she knew that much of Maglor's past; it was the present that concerned her. She simply did not see a murderer in the Lord's sad, weary eyes. He was no longer the ellon who drew from her father such rage.

"You can not believe him a danger now," she said quietly.

Her answer was enough to ignite Erestor's anger once more. "You did not see him in Sirion covered in the blood of my kin!"

Erestor's cry shook Eruanna, and she found she could not meet his eyes. Her father was right. She had not been present during the slaughters at Sirion, or Doriath or Alqualondë. Those events were so long ago, in the past. Why could her father not leave them behind?

"The Valar have forgiven those who followed Fëanor," she whispered.

"I am not the Valar."

Eruanna shook her head in dismay. How could she make her father understand that the lonely creature hiding on the balcony was not the ellon he feared? "Ada..."

"Enough!" Erestor roared, smashing his fist down upon the table. The dinner plate beneath his hand shattered and the pain of it shocked him back to his senses. Erestor stared down at the broken fragments and his now bloodied hand. He lifted his eyes to find Eruanna in tears. He could not bear the shock and fear that shone from her eyes. Ashamed at his fit of rage, he turned from the table and fled.

Erestor's violent outburst shook Eruanna to her core. She wanted to follow him, beg forgiveness, but fear held her back. Fear … and not just of her father's disapproval, or that he might not accept her apology … she feared Erestor himself. His normally serene features twisted into a mask of fury when he struck the table. It was the same rage that took him the day he slaughtered the orcs, only this time, it was her actions that drew it out.

Eruanna choked back a sob, looking to her mother for the first time since Erestor walked through the door. Irimë's eyes were full of concern.

"Naneth," Eruanna sobbed, "I did not mean to ..."

Irimë came at once to her daughter's side and took the child in her arms. Even with the short time she had spent with Erestor and her daughter, Irimë knew the scene she had just witnessed was not a common event. She did not doubt the love the pair had for one another, but what Irimë witnessed was more than a simple disagreement and it would take more than time to make it right.

Irimë stroked Eruanna's hair until her breathing steadied, then sat her down. "I will speak with him," she told her daughter and went in search of Erestor, following the trail of blood he left behind on the floor.