...it was still here. Maeglin groaned. It was smaller and seemed well kept, although the roots were mad and quivering under the sunlight.
Maeglin thought of throwing it away. To cut it into pieces for the upcoming winter. He was quite sure Gondolin will be happy with extra firewood.
A cold hand slid to his shoulders. Maeglin flinched.
That THING is still here.
A silence.
Was that his clothes ?
The creature tilted its head. He looked fairer, almost elven. Well, a messy broken elven that is. Something similar to Nan Elmoth's wraith-like servant with a mix on Telerian ears. It was looking at him with a wide and curious look.
"Son of Eöl. My son?" No I have not found your son which you never described to me so don't ask me with that weird look of yours,please!
A knock was heard from the door. Immediately, Maeglin shoved the 'thing' to his closet. He locked the closet door before a sound of protest came from the thing. Quickly he ran towards the door. It was opened afterwards.
"Cousin!" Maeglin gasped, almost blushing.
"Cousin." came the passive reply. " I was asked to check on you. You may have breakfast with us and the lords of Gondolin."
"Oh I will don't worry. I just need to recollect myself for a while. It's a mess inside..." He tried his best not to look awkward. Not in front of the Idril Celebrindal.
"Is that a black tree ?" She pointed.
"No!"came the quick reply. "I meant, it was not there before but now it was there and I have to get rid of it so... see you at breakfast!" He slammed the door. Stupid. Why did he slammed the door ? It was all that thing's fault!
Maeglin opened the closed door to find the 'thing' screeching in pain. Immediately he closed the closet door again. Now, how to set his closet on fire?
There were important artifacts inside his closet. Long memories of smithing, his mother's gown, his scribbles given to his mother. No. He resolved to stab that thing instead.
"Son of Eöl, it smelled of the remains of a female in here. May I go out shaded in the white cloth?" The voice asked.
"Tell me who you are first and I will consider it!" Maeglin's patience is wearing thin.
Another expected silence.
"I... am. Flesh." came the sound from the closet.
"I've heard of that! You better give a better explanation before I stab you!"
"The tree. Is me. I am ... flesh. I...live." Muttered the voice darkly. "Body. Mine. Long time. Not remember. I, find my son. Take home."
"You came to Gondolin to search for your son?" Maeglin opened the closet door slowly. The creature nodded slowly. He look much more elven now, as if adapting to its surroundings. Maeglin can see the elven ears amongst the hoard of unkempt hair. The creature has thin dark lips and was skinny but tall. It looks very familiar. His speech was ancient sindarin with an avarin accent. An elf from Nan Elmoth perhaps? A weird one.
Maeglin took a more regal position. " I only can help you if you tell me what you son was like." he started. The creature was silent. It took a glace towards the galvorn sword Maeglin held. "I know how to make that..."it replied.
A weird one and a liar,Maeglin thought. Nobody knew the secret of galvorn except his father. The creature was eyeing the black blade. It was singing solemnly. The creature smiled. "This is his brother is far away. Far separated. The creature told him.
Treating the sword like a person. Maeglin seen the act somewhere. It was a long time ago.
He was small and was up late at night. His mother was sleeping but the noises still kept the child awake. He heard voices from the forge.
"They are twins. This time you created twins..." it was his father's voice.
"I created swords, you gave them life..."
"They shall have an elder brother, forged late. He can protect you in your journey in place of me."
The forge was silent for a while.
"Are you leaving?" his father's voice was distinct, and hurt.
It was a suffocating silence afterwards.
"No. Are you ?"
No response.
At that moment, Maeglin leaned on the door too heavily, it creaked. The sound was heard and he immediately fled from the scene.
"What proof you have for your words ?" Maeglin asks daringly. The creature thought for a while. It looked Anguriel and stroked the blade almost lovingly.
"Sing for me."it whispered to the blade.
Anguriel wailed in songs so disturbing and dangerous. It was the noises Maeglin heard in the nights in Nan Elmoth. She told tales of burning forges, of hope and despair, of blackened trees and enchanting rivers. Suddenly the songs mellowed into of silence and starlight. Tale of long old memories and of trees tall that shunned sunlight. She told tales of separation and adventure. It was until the creature shushed her.
"I did not know she could sing like that..." Maeglin stammered.
"She has a very nice voice. More of a minstrel at heart than a blade. Only paired with it's twin, she will be deadly. Then again, her twin chooses it's opponent well. He has an odd sense of justice and a horrible sense in choosing a friend."The creature continued. It looked at the window afterwards.
"It was never this bright. Great fire in the sky is horrible. Also the other one, horrible. Great fireflies of the sky, bearable. Someday it will burn us, kills us, but no. She gave me gifts. I hate her. I love her." The creature cringed. "Elbereth you monster..." It closes it's ear,shutting the whole world down.
"You did not answer my question you horrid creature! Who are you ?!" Maeglin shouted.
It looked at him in the eye. Such dark piercing eyes.
"Your father called me Nan Elmoth..."
Never did he heard of forests taking elven form. It told him it was the only one. Out of ancient enchantments, maybe long before the creation of Arda. Maybe it was the will of Eru, or escaped magic of the Valar. The main thing is, it was alive. Waiting, longing, knowing he should not be but he was. Just like the ents, living forests. But this one is near impossible. It was too elven, too real, it has a real flowing flesh. It beats a heartbeat. It... Might passed as an elf.
"She..." it muttered.
"Who?"
"The lady which was named 'Cousin'..." still creeping under his bed, protecting itself from moonlight. "You spoke of breakfast together..."
"Oh, Idril. She is my cousin." Maeglin replied in sindarin as the tree only spoke in it.
"... you love her."
Maeglin shoved a sword sheath under his bed. Hitting the tree. "None of your business!"
"You do love her. Why you do not make her yours?" Maeglin felt a poke from under his bed.
"It's not that simple you son of an orc!" Another jab from above.
"As we established earlier, I am Nan Elmoth. In my laws, you are permitted to love anyone. I approve of your love to your cousin, Idril..." It smiles. For the tree, it was all too simple.
Maeglin groaned. Explaining customs to a tree is like talking to a wall.
"Why not try to kiss her ?" another, now muffled sound as Maeglin threw his pillow to the tree. "Love is simple and beautiful. Look at each other, touch hands, kiss, and that is it. Happy forfefer." another pillow landed in its face.
"Can you not? I am trying to sleep!" Maeglin yelled.
"Goodnight, son of Eöl..."
"Can you not say that ?!"
It went silent.
Before Maeglin dozed off to a dreamless slumber, the tree whispered darkly. "...Goodnight, son of Ar-feniel."
Maeglin woke up tangled by dark branches. His arms were bound to his sides and instantly went trashing to get out of the bounds. When his left hand got freed, he quickly tore the branch on his right. He then kicked his way free of the rest of the twisting branches. He found the edge of the roots trailed to his bathroom.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?!"
The tree looked at him passively."Getting water" it replied.
The flowing water formed a puddle and pooled all over his floor. Maeglin was filled with rage. After everything he had been through, this... THING happens.
"GET OUT!" He yelled.
The tree thankfully complied and jumped from the bathroom window.
Did it just... run away?
More headaches came for Maeglin.
Maeglin's head was pounding. Trying to come up for an excuse for the broken plumbing had proved futile. He resolved to fix the mess himself then kill the tree. The problem remains, the tree was unseen. Was it hiding from him? Did it run away? He had hoped so. Good riddance.
Why must he worry of a foolish tree anyway? It was not his problem. He decided to not think of the tree at all and went to the halls for breakfast.
He secretly hated joined breakfast. All the lords of Gondolin were talking nonsense and the image was too vain and proud for his liking. It was one of the nice moments he could talk to Idril though, so there is a good side on that.
"It seems that the newly established lord of the house of the mole is enjoying his meal." he felt a curled smile under the sweet sarcastic voice.
Echtelion.
"Ah, yes. " Maeglin muttered to himself.
"Strange that The Lord of The Golden Flowers is late for breakfast, is it not?" Echtelion is bothering him. Obviously because his best friend was missing.
"Mmm..." Maeglin muttered.
The breakfast went quick and painless, thankfully. A little chat and being social here and there and finally it was done. Glorfindel did not show up at breakfast at all which was quite news of the morning. Maeglin did not care much, he planned to go quickly to the forge and start working on his first commissioned work.
What. . ?
"Maegliiiin~~ Hello!" Beautiful golden locks tangled in daisies and smells like fresh mints, Glorfindel waved at him. He was the personification of sunshine, child of the sun, probably. But it was not his concern. His concern was.. THAT THING.
THAT THING was sitting comfortably under a tree in the meadowy garden WITH a yellow daisy crown. Maeglin quickly ran to its side."What in the name of Valar are you trying to do?! Kill me ?!" Maeglin whispered.
"Isn't Némo wonderful? I thought of filling his gloom with some happy thoughts and flowers!" Glorfindel smiled ever so radiantly. 'Némo' replied with a sarcastic smile.
"Némo?"
"Nan Elmoth, Némo in short. For convenience." The tree whispered.
"Isn't it wonderful? You made friends already!" Glorfindel smiled. " I knew son of Irissë was also very sociable! I never doubted you! Némo is from your house is he not?"
"I know the secret to galvorn..." Némo replied.
"Oh no you don't!" Maeglin glared at the tree.
"Apparently I don't." corrected the tree based on Maeglin.
Glorfindel laughed."Némo you are so funny!" He hugged the stone-cold tree. It was again, smiling sarcastically.
"I live under Maeglin's bed..." It said while smiling.
"NO YOU DON'T!"
Glorfindel blushed madly. Disturbing images playing in his head. "I-I-I-I... I d-didn't k-know... Sorry.." Glorfindel hid his face.
Maeglin glared at the tree furiously. "That is not.. We do not! Glorfindel come back here it was a misunderstanding!" Maeglin ended up chasing the lord. Némo whistled rhythmically, waiting till the two lords finished their game of chase. It didn't know it will be in a great trouble afterwards.
"Have you found your son yet? If you do, please get away from me !" Maeglin slammed the door. Némo quietly slither under Maeglin's bed, replenishing its burnt skin after 'playing' with Glorfindel. A pair of glowing eye blinked under the bed.
"Get out of there you son of an orc!" Swiftly, the tree fled before being hit by a sword. It went inside the closet. Maeglin is seriously considering burning the closet now. Memories of childhood be damned.
" Cannot find my son. So I'm staying for another day." It whispered. Maeglin groaned and let the room for the forge. Before closing the door, he yelled to kill the tree if it left the room. The tree nodded.
For some reason, that tree becomes a fixture. He remembered the time he brought Némo a giant clay pot. It instantly rooted its roots inside and filled it with soil. The creeping dark tree in the corner had became a tall, neatly trimmed potted plant. Némo slept on the tree when the moon was not too bright. It helps Maeglin with the smithy, commenting final touches and infusing magic inside them. It even taught him some magic.
Late at night, Némo helped Maeglin creep on Idril. He knew it was wrong, but Némo insisted on having their relationship closer. It also promised to hid himself whenever the residents of Gondolin passed. Némo also helped on giving nightmares to the annoying lords of Gondolin. In return, it was allowed to sleep under his bed. It muttered every single day that he had not find his son. Long after, it told him it didn't mattered much.
"Némo, what were your son like?" He finds himself asking, one day.
Finally Némo answered. "Tall, noble, proud." He heard it sigh. "Beautiful, fair,lithe." he heard a gasp, almost a whimper. "Careful...loyal...a-afraid..." a sob. A broken sob.
"Némo are you crying?" Maeglin peered down his bed, finding Némo curling in a ball. It was shaking furiously.
"Broken..broken...broken..." it muttered.
"M-my ch-child.. no. M-must protect... G-gone. NononoNonevergoneheisalwayshere..." It was trembling. "IlovehimIlovehim...pleasecomebacktome... .Please. L-love you. I...broken...leaking..."
Maeglin did not understand what kind of pity roused him to drag the tree out from under the bed but he did. He hugged the shaking tree which look more lost than an elfling. "It's okay... I'm broken too.." He find himself saying. He remembered an old Quenya lullaby of his mother and unconsciously sang it for the tree.
What is this? This is so unlike him. He thought silently. The tree fell limp out of exhaustion. It was really cold. He thought, just this once, he will let the tree sleep in his bed.
The next day,the tree was gone.
No potted plant nor elven-looking one. Next time they met, was the fall of Gondolin. Where the traitor of Gondolin fell, strong pair of hands held him. He remembered him of course. As they fell together, he saw fading black leaves leaving it's body. Branches turned to ashes to reveal cold worn hands. When they fell, the traitor's back was behind it's chest. At his final moments, he saw it's face. His face.
Dark piercing eyes, just like does not speak and does not spurt out blood like an elf should. It was a cold flesh, long dead. It shielded him from the sharp edges of the rocks below but not everything. There was still pain,fear and regret.
He heard a song. An old lullaby sung in Avarin. He knew, Némo has found his son long ago. Those screams long time ago, the way it looked longingly towards him. All this time, it was pieces of memories sewn messily together. I'm sorry, it whispered. We can go home now. It fades.
His father's spirit was also looking at him. His face was an unreadable expression. No joy or regret. No judgement was placed on the traitor by his father's spirit. Nothing at all. It fades as well into darkness.
His mother welcomed him. A little bit of longing in her eyes. Maeglin smiled. I'm very sorry, mother. He looked at his body for the last time. It was tainted with dark leaves and a rotting body. And thank you, he whispered to nobody.