So... Feedback of any kind would be nice?
It had been a week since she had encountered Fëanor, since she had been given the piece of the Silmaril. But none of that was important as she stood 10 metres away from the cliffs, the glider in front of her as she took too a sprint, jumping off the cliff face and riding the air current like a surfer rides the waves, screaming with delight as she speed a metre above the sea, boosting herself every once in a while as she turned corners and looped over herself, revelling in the freedom that was to fly. Her hair had been bound tightly on her head and she wore blue leggings and a navy blue coat, the hood covering her hair that would inevitably get in the way. But truly, this was freedom. No ground or sea to get in her way.
Aphrodite spent hours up there. She was joined by the birds at some point, but she eventually became physically exhausted and headed over to Taniquetil. She spotted Ilmarin, he home of Varda, steering herself so that she landed on the doorstep. But then the doors suddenly opened and she tumbled into the abode, ending up as a heap before Varda and Manwë. "My lord. My lady." She mumbled from her uncomfortable position on the ground. "I can fly now. Did you see?"
She heard laughter as Ilmarë pulled her into a sitting position. "You looked exhausted. How long were you up there?" The maiar questioned.
"Well, it was the peak of Laurelin when I took flight, but I could swear I saw Telperion wane at least twice. Can I stay here to rest? If it's not too much?" Her voice sounded as exhausted as she felt, her entire body feeling like lead.
"Of course." Aphrodite squealed when she felt someone picked her up, the shade of gold hair betraying him as Eonwë. Obviously he had nothing better to do. "Where would you like your...glider is it called?"
"Safe. Not where it can be broken. Where am I being taken?" She mumbled, attempting to keep her eyes open as she was carried somewhere.
She heard chuckling from next to her head. "To a place for you to sleep. You hardly ever come here, but there is a room set aside for you. Manwë was highly amused and impressed that you managed to fly. We all thought that Ulmo would have to catch you!"
"I find your lack of faith disturbing. Can I go to sleep now?" She yawned and brought her hand to her mouth.
"Of course. Manwë and Varda both want to speak with you when you wake up."
She nodded sleepily, closing her eyes and falling onto the path of dreams.
When she woke, she could feel pain in her chest, the soft sheets around her attempting to lull her back to sleep. But she resisted, sitting up and stretching. Then she noticed that she was not alone in the room. At her bedside was Ilmarë, who looked at her with curiosity.
"Why do you sleep with your eyes closed?"
Aphrodite shifted herself to face the maiar. "Because that is how mortals sleep and I can't sleep with my eyes open?"
The maiar passed her a glass of water. "Drink up. Food is in the main hall. Your glider is safe with Manwë." She smiled and gave the girl a hug, making her realise that her hair was no longer bound. And it had grown a lot since she had last seen it.
Ilmarë left the room, leaving Aphrodite to wash and get dressed. Then there was her hair. It still reflect the time of day, but it was almost unimaginably long. Thinking back to a fairytale she had heard as a child about a girl who was locked in a tower and the only way in and out was to climb her hair, she giggled, but the lighthearted thoughts did nothing to dull the ache in her heart. After an hour of braiding her newly-washed hair, Aphrodite was ready to go. Gathering the singular braid into a bundle, she made her way to the main hall, where she would inevitably have to speak to Manwë.
Sure enough, he was in the main hall, Varda alongside him.
"I'm sorry that I took so long, I had not anticipated the length of my hair and I had to at least braid it. But obviously, it is going to tangle like headphones and I will need to do something about it after I have spoken with you." Her voice was a little joking, but it betrayed the ache in her chest a little.
The vala motioned for her to walk with him to a more secluded place, where she found her glider to be. Tying her hair up like rope, she checked the glider over, opening the engine compartment and making sure that the boosters were fully functional, which they were.
"What have you accomplished with flight?" His voice sounded from the bench at the side of the courtyard. "I know of the ache in your heart and why it is there, but flight will only prolong the inevitable. You will fade without him."
That was what the pain was...she was fading. "Would I be able to prolong it enough to wait for him?"
"Yes. But what do you wish to do other than fly?" Aphrodite sat next to the wind lord, untying the knot and allowing the braid to fall to the ground. "Eventually the pain will become too much for you to be able to concentrate on your balance and not even I could save you then."
"I will need to know how to use my weaponry, even if it will not be for many years yet. I know the basics already, but I plan on following the ñoldor to Middle-earth when the time comes, but I will not take the same route. Even so, it is not the safety of Aman over there. Any of the elves who saw cuiviénen can tell you this." She wrapped the braid around her hand, unwrapping it again and repeating.
"It is decided then. You will train under Tulkas and you will practice flight. It would help if you had a place to live permanently though, as you will need to have stability in your training." His words rang true, as well as the hint of an offer.
"Could I stay here, at Ilmarin? It would be the perfect place to take flight from, and not many elves come here. I would be able to train in one of the gardens and if I ever need to put my skills to use, then I can always join Oromë on a hunt." She kept her reasons simple and logical - at least they were logical in her head.
He put an arm around her shoulder, which seemed to dull the ache in her heart - probably due to the fact he was a powerful being. "Of course you may stay here - but beware that we are not always in corporeal form and when we hold council you may not see us for days."
Aphrodite leaned into the wind-lord's paternal embrace, "I understand. And I can look after myself. I may be dwarfed in age compared to you, but I am no child. I have but one question though - would I be able to fly to Middle-earth and back?"
"It would be possible, but not recommended."
She smiled at the king of the valar, "I was just wondering, seeing as I slept the entire way here. That boat journey wasn't very enjoyable either."
Manwë simply laughed, as in his eyes, she was still a child.