I do not own the Valar nor Arda or Valinor or many characters named here. I did create Sanrhal, Sarnin, Lathwinn and her brothers though as well as the smaller black dragon fleeing the fight.
I also make no money from this, so please don't sue and just enjoy.
Centuries later, Sarnhael looked north again, but this time instead of seeing his brothers' shared grave, he saw the fortress of Morgoth he'd once been held in himself. Upon hearing the Valar's arrival in Arda, Lathwinn had gone north with her brothers and husband to fight. She had encouraged the warriors of Ossiriand to follow them. Many had.
Upon seeing the light of the Valar, and after their many defeats by their forces, some dark creatures had fled the fighting. These had gone south to trouble other lands. They caused death and destruction in places yet untaken by their lord. So Lathwinn and her folk traveled north to slay these before they came to Ossiriand. Now though, that mission seemed futile. Beleriand was sinking into the sea.
Once she'd felt this happening, Lathwinn, her husband, brothers, and aunt had gathered around Yavanna. Sarnhael had accompanied them to catch Sarnin if she collapsed and wept at the Valar's answer to their pleas. Yavanna, who had once blessed the people of Ossiriand, so they might in turn bless the trees and creatures of Arda, had looked upon the Laiquendi's distress with tears in her own eyes and then upon her cheeks. Lathwinn had raised beseeching hands and a loud voice to plea for the lands she loved that they not be destroyed though most of them had been taken and sullied by the dark lord already.
Yavanna had said it was not done on purpose but only through the force of her and her fellow Valar's attacks upon Morgoth's stronghold. These unforeseen repercussions could not now be held in check even by them. At Lathwinn's shriek of despair and collapse to her knees, Yavanna had gone on. She'd said she had foreseen some of Ossiriand would be spared and made a new home by many more elves and other creatures fleeing the destruction of the rest of Beleriand. Yavanna had also said she'd heard beyond the circles of the world before the formation of Arda that at the end of time, when all evil in the Ea was utterly vanquished, the world would be remade. Then Beleriand would be raised up from the sea and all in it would bear such beauty and glory even Lathwinn herself could not imagine it now.
Upon hearing this, the elves including Lathwinn had stopped weeping. The elleth warrior herself had stood to her feet. Her face still wet with tears it had hardened as she whispered "So be it …" Then, she'd bowed to the Valar, turned, and strode away. Manwe had then tried to meet Sarnhael's gaze, but the once-Noldo had dropped his own, bowed slightly to the Valar including Manwe while turning from them and followed Lathwinn's people back toward the battlefield.
In the following days and years, Lathwinn had grown almost as grim as Sarnhael. It had made him shudder to see her thus. This elleth he'd known to be both so joyful and so warm usually, had now become hard and sharp like one of the blades he had made for her. Her eyes flashed as she chased and killed the fleeing monsters of Morgoth. Werewolves, orcs, and even vampires she slew with her bow from perches on boulders or from crevices in mountainsides. Upon running out of arrows, she'd leap down on and stab them with her knives. If she did thus to a flying vampire she'd launch herself off them to cling to a cliffside and stare down as they fell from their wounds.
Her brothers, husband, and friends like slew these servants of Morgoth with her as the dark creatures abandoned their master before they could trouble whatever lands survived the destruction this great war. When Lathwinn walked among them, though, her like grieving people became more dismayed to see the sharpness of her gaze and hardness of her face and form.
Many were glad then that Thranduil had married her. In his light, and the encircling strength of his arms, she would at last soften, collapse against his chest, and sleep. Sometimes she even gave a slight smile then though her eyes were closed in her great weariness. Lathwinn, even in her grimness of those days, listened to the counsel of her brothers', aunt, and friends, but none of these could convince her so well as Thranduil when he spoke with a soft voice of love to her.
Then Sarnhael would watch Sarnin looking on as Thranduil comforting and consoling the daughter of her sister in light and gentleness and see Sarnin weep silently at the sight. Celuant's own fists would clench then at his sides. His heart like clenched within his breast then as he felt disgust at himself for not offering his own heart to she who loved and needed him now in such a fashion. Yet, as the war dragged on, Sarnhael found his belief strengthened that Morgoth was nigh unbeatable even by his fellow Valar.
The vast armies of orcs were burned by the light of the Valar till their bones were like cinders. Their armies looked like the greatest of all burned forests as far as even elven eyes could see their bodies fallen and charred. The mighty balrogs had fled like rams before sheepdogs as Eonwe and his fellow Maia loyal to the Valar and Iluvatar had chased and defeated all but a few who'd escaped. The men from the east fighting for Morgoth were like defeated by the vast armies of men who'd joined the Valar's forces and others. Yet, those that remained with Morgoth held even these armies of Arda and Aman off from total victory year after year after year.
Finally, trapped in his last fortress after forty-two years, Morgoth set loose dragons. These went forth and drove back the Valar's forces. Sarnhael felt his once rising and lightened heart as the Valar had approached Morgoth's very gate darken, harden and fall again. These favored beasts of Morgoth seemed to set both earth and sky aflame in their wake and spell victory for the dark lord all on their own. Lathwinn and her people's faces like fell around Sarnhael as they watched the Valar's allies retreat. Then, Lathwinn, looking up and seeing them first, pointed into the sky. "Look!"
And her people, and he Sarnhael himself looked up and saw. The western sky was filled with birds, great birds, and one ship that shone like a star. Earendil and Manwe's own armies of eagles fought the dragons in the sky a day and a night: a short time really compared to all the years of war that had come before. All Lathwinn's people gave off hunting in the surrounding broken mountains and hills to watch with stretched out necks and upturned faces staring at the sky to see if this final victory would come.
Only Lathwinn dared draw her bow and loose arrows into this battle in the sky. Even her most ardent followers thought it futile, her targets though so large were also so distant, so hard-hided, and so mighty. They almost feared more for Manwe's servants when she loosed a bolt into their midst. In the end, the birds along with the Peredhel in the flying ship wearing the Silmaril slew all the dragons save two. One had fled early. It was very small as dragons go. Lathwinn had glared after it. Sarnhael had thought she would have tried to loose an arrow after it were the creature not even farther away than what she believed her aim could reach. Still, the elleth warrior snarled, "That one, will cause great trouble some day!" Sarnhael had believed her, but what could they do but watch and know? A black and larger dragon fled much later after the greatest of them fell atop and broke the towers of their master's fortress impaling himself on one. Ancalagon the Black then lay still his mouth open with the fire inside him cooling as if it were doused by his death.
The surrounding armies of the Valar including the Laiquendi of Ossiriand from the distant mountainsides watching cheered. Morgoth could then be heard screaming out pleas for pardon. His cries grew fainter and Sarnhael realized he was retreating into the tunnels of his mines and the elf shivered at the memory of them.
Meanwhile roofs had been raised up and thrown away, so chambers and tunnels of the great dark fortress were revealed. More foes fled to be killed by the elves of Aman, by the Maiar, or, even if they made it so far, by Lathwinn, her brothers, friends, and husband Thranduil. Her aunt and other non-warriors from among their people looked on waiting to help those with a wound or simply suffering from great weariness. He remained to guard these.
Later, from his lookout perch, Sarnhael saw those like he used to be … freed prisoners, elves and some men looking about them open mouthed and peeled-eyed at the light they thought they'd never see again. And then, Sarnhael wept. He wept as if his own heart were freed upon seeing these, newly released, who had lost hope so far back despair had become an old and taken for granted thing before this day.
Sarnin came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head between his shoulder-blades. Embracing him and glowing with warm light, she shared her strength with him as with tears and racking sobs, he let go of the despair that had yet remained in him. Then love as well as hope, like a sprout and then a vine, emerged from the hardness within him then turning into soft soil within his soul. In the light now filling his mind, he thought he might actually now be able to love back this elleth who had shared his troubles, but never his despair. Finally, he'd discovered she was not naive, but wise … She had foreseen this victory not him. She had not only believed their enemy would be overcome, but so would be the darkness in his heart, though she had waited all this time to bind herself to him till it had.
She had loved him long in hope. He had cared for her even in the dark and hardness of his spirit all these centuries thinking it fair and good he protect one so kind and good as long as he could. But he'd never hoped in Arda at least, he could feel it safe enough to love her back. Now help had come and been victorious, here, in the east, though at great cost … She had been right. But he also had been right, for in these newly freed victims he saw the scars, the bones sticking, out as his own had been before this elleth's care … And Beleriand was now behind them sinking into the sea with much of this elleth's and her family's homeland. Much had been lost, but Morgoth, most certainly, had also lost … And perhaps in the future, there was much to be gained. He could see the prisoners even now being approached by elves and Maiar of Valinor and hoped they found an even brighter future than he.
What do you think?
God bless
ScribeofHeroes