Disclaimer: See Chapter 2
Note to readers: Many apologies for the delay in posting chapters of this story. Unfortunately real life took over and I had to deal with it first before I could relax and write again. I also had to get a new computer system which I now have and which is a super duper high end gaming system so that I can indulge in playing Age of Conan!
We are heading towards the close of this part of Eonwe and Kim's tale and I do have a game plan for a sequel of sorts, but for now, on with the tale! Just short chapter to get me into the swing of things again.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
-- William Shakespeare
Chapter 55 – Never the twain shall meet
Halls of the Valar, Taniquetil, Aman
"What troubles you so my beloved?"
Manwe, Elder King and Lord of the Breath of Arda turned from the large window to the East where he so often stood these days. His countenance was somber and reflective. For a long moment he did not answer, simply because he could not find the right words to explain his feelings, but his spouse bided her time and waited patiently.
Finally the answer came.
"I have been… observing Eonwe and his mortal." He sighed. He moved slowly away from the window and slumped down heavily on the marble velvet cushioned bench beside his wife.
She looked anxiously at him. "You are not thinking of changing your minds about allowing the union are you?"
He shook his head. "Nay, it is a little late for that. I neither could or would do such a thing to our Herald, but I do have great reservations about their future together. She is mortal, he is immortal, I wonder how much time either have spent in pondering the issues that will become increasingly obvious as she ages and he does not. And what of the child, their daughter? There has been no word from Atar as to her status. Is she bound to Arda like her father or is she to be given the Gift of Men and move beyond the Circles of the World as her mother is bound to do? Surely these are questions that they must consider and must be answered before she is returned to her own time."
Varda chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I cannot believe that Atar has not considered all of this my beloved. He knows how loyally Eonwe has served both him and the Valar and he would not punish his loyal child. Should we not just be happy for them both at the moment? The die is cast, this ceremony that is to be performed is merely words said over them, their true bonding began when he took her to his bed." Manwe opened his mouth to speak but was forestalled by his wife's slender hand on his arm. "Let them have this moment, the future will take care of itself. I foresee that Eonwe will have the hardest time of both of them anyway since he will have to live for many millennia in the full and certain knowledge that his child will be born without his presence and that she will not be by his side. It will be hard enough for him without having to consider the ponderous issues of mortality and immortality."
"I hope you are right my heart." Manwe said softly. "I spoke to Namo on this matter earlier and he would not speak clearly of their fate."
Varda laughed. "I can imagine. He is a Vala of few words. What did he actually say?"
"Oh you know; the normal cryptic stuff that he comes out with when he's trying to be maddening and mysterious." Manwe scowled and scuffed one perfect sandal against the leg of a marble table. "He spouted some drivel along the lines of 'everything will be known in the fullness of time' which could mean anything and absolutely nothing at all."
"Drivel?" The amused tones of the dread Lord of Mandos filtered across the room. "I always wondered why I failed to persuade Feanor and the rest of the Noldor to return and now I know why. It must be as a result of the drivel that spouts out of me whenever I am required to proclaim doom upon someone. I obviously failed miserably to impress upon the rebellious masses the enormity of their actions and decisions nor did I manage to convey the horrific ramifications on their future descendants."
Manwe's irritation immediately changed to embarrassment. "Namo, I didn't mean…I mean it wasn't my intention to… I just meant…"
Namo stood for a long while watching his brother Vala struggle to find the right-sounding explanation. His eyes held a deep twinkle of amusement and Varda hid a smile as she realized that the Lord of Mandos was simply going to stand there while the Elder King dug a huge hole for himself.
Once he was satisfied that Manwe had huffed and puffed his way through every denial and explanation he could come up with, Namo finally smiled that long, slow smile of his and decided to put the Elder King out of his misery.
"I was not being cryptic when I said all would be known in the fullness of time. Atar has not yet decided as to the status of Eonwe's spouse, much will depend on the safe arrival of their child whose status is not in question by the way. She is half Maia, half human and will be automatically granted the same fate as Luthien Tinuviel was before her when she was born, until Luthien forsook her immortality of course. The child will be bound to Arda like her father."
Varda paled. "Surely all will be well with the child?"
"There is no indication otherwise as yet, however her future cannot yet be clearly seen. Atar says this is because Kim currently stands with a foot in both time dimensions. Once she is returned to her own time the child's ultimate fate will become much clearer." Namo's voice was calm, but it did nothing quell the sudden rising anxiety in both Manwe and Varda.
Manwe glanced at his wife and tried to push that rising anxiety down. "Is there a doubt that she will return to her own timeline?"
"No." Namo shook his head. "She is wisely resolved to return to her own time, as she and Eonwe both believe it is the safest course of action to take for the sake of the child, but until she passes through the portal created by the rift in dimensions, both she and their child are in danger. Once they are gone and the rift is sealed, things will be clearer. However I do not think this is your only concern is it?" He sat down on the opposite bench to Varda and Manwe but directed his question at Manwe alone.
Varda gave her spouse an accusing glare. "Of course it is…isn't it? What other concern could there be?"
Manwe shifted uncomfortably in his seat and he looked at Namo for support.
The Lord of Mandos waved his hand dismissively at his brother Vala. "Oh no you don't." He said cheerfully. "You're not going to involve me in this. I don't make the rules; I just spout drivel when you and Atar ask me to."
Varda's stare grew harder and Manwe sighed. "Oh all right then. I am not sure of Kim's maturity and ability to conduct a relationship with someone of Eonwe's stature. There, satisfied?" His expression was mutinous and just to emphasise the whole issue he folded his arms stubbornly.
His wife's jaw dropped. "I am surely not hearing this from you! I thought you were delighted that Eonwe had finally found someone who he loves and who loves him in return."
"I am...I was…" Manwe protested. "I still am, but I feel that she has not demonstrated a great deal of maturity over the past few weeks, what with running off because she didn't get her own way and putting others in danger and having tantrums. None of that demonstrates to me the kind of maturity required of the consort of the Herald of Manwe. Will she understand that he has a duty to the Valar and to Atar and that it is her duty to support him? Or will she indulge in a tantrum because she wants him to stay by her side all the time? I do not wish to see Eonwe hurt or trying to slice himself in two to please a mortal child who has no understanding of what he is and what his place in the Music is. Does she even know what the Music is? Do any of them know…mortals I mean? They don't appear to live by any kind of belief system, few, if any, even know who Iluvator is!"
He knew he was sounding petulant, but once open, it was difficult to shut the floodgates on his fears and worries and Kim Freeman was definitely an unknown quantity, therefore something to be worried about.
"From what I have learned from the Chief, I know that modern mortals at least have abided by a code of moral conduct and do have belief systems." Namo interjected reasonably and stood up. "Kim is a child of his time and therefore will have been brought up in a similar way, although I think the term 'Music' is not something she would associate with belief in Iluvator, who they call God, or his servants. I have no fears that she is capable of understanding the situation. Yes she is young, but I believe her love for Eonwe is true. In truth her seemingly immature actions over the past few weeks have been borne from fear of the situation she was plunged into and complicated by her love for Eonwe and his alter ego, rather than an indication of lack of maturity. I think she will do well with guidance and motherhood will give her an added maturity."
Varda glared at her husband again. "As do I." She said firmly, brooking no further objections from her husband who flung his hands up in defeat.
"Fine! I do not dislike the child. Far from it. I can even see what Eonwe sees in her and I am happy for him. Of course I am happy for him…for them both; I just have a few reservations, for both their sakes, not just his. Am I not allowed to have reservations?"
Varda placed a gentle hand on her husband's hand. "Of course you are allowed, Eonwe is like a son to both of us and we both want the best for him, but for now, just be happy for them both."
Manwe pursed his lips as Namo bowed to them and slowly disappeared from their presence until virtually nothing but that wide knowing smile was left.
"I am happy for them. See? I even got dressed up for the occasion of their wedding." He grumbled as Varda took his hand and drew him back to the large window from which they both regularly gazed to the East, across the Sundering Sea. "Have you ever noticed how excessively creepy that smile of Namo's is? It hangs around long after he's gone. It's simply not natural." He shuddered dramatically.
Varda laughed softly to herself, slipped her arm around his waist and leaned in towards him as they watched the wedding party form complete with a suitably nervous looking Eonwe. Slowly but surely the rest of the Valar materialised in the chamber behind them, all apart from Namo whose duties required him elsewhere on this occasion.
ooOoo
The battlecamp of the Host of the Valar, somewhere in northern Beleriand
It was a wedding the likes of which had never been witnessed in Middle Earth and was never likely to be seen again. The bride stood in her tent and fidgeted nervously while one of the female Elven healers adjusted the nearest thing to a wedding dress anyone could come up with at such short notice. Kim had already been bathed within an inch of her life and her now very long hair had been pinned into a feminine style studded with small star like white and yellow flowers. She didn't ask where the gown came from, but it was of the palest green and perhaps the prettiest dress she had ever worn in her entire life.
It had been explained to her that there would be two ceremonies, one performed in the presence of Lord Tulkas as a representative of the Valar in which the vows would be said by Olorin, now separated from the Chief and incarnate in his own preferred form, on behalf of Eonwe and Ereinion Gil-galad in his capacity of High King of the Noldor in exile would speak the vows for Kim.
The other ceremony would be performed by Alun Davies in his capacity as a preacher. The vows for that would be spoken by the groom and bride who would be 'given away' by Chief Knowles. Eonwe had chosen Jim to stand with him as best man. Celebrimbor, Glosur and his dwarves had been prevailed upon to forge the two silver rings that would be worn by bride and groom. The SAS team were to stand as witness to the solemnization of the marriage so that Kim's official claim to Gary's military pensions and wordly goods would have a good legal standing.
Great excitement had reigned over the camp and everyone had gone to great effort to make it look quite festive. Not an easy task given the fact that they were in the middle of a war. Both Elven and Edain cooks had joined together to produce a wedding feast and the guards had been doubled so that no unwanted guests from Morgoth's side would gain entry.
Elrond stepped through the tent flaps just as the healer left. He smiled at Kim. "I have brought these for you to carry." He said quietly, handing her a small bouquet of sweet smelling flowers. "I understand it is traditional in your time for the bride to hold flowers."
"They're beautiful." Kim breathed in the scent in delight. She beamed at Elrond and lightly brushed her lips across his cheek in thanks.
Elrond blushed to the roots of his hair and bowed courteously. "You are a beautiful bride, as beautiful as any I have seen and it is a lovely custom. I will remember it if I ever come to take a bride."
"If? More like when." Kim grinned happily at him. "They'll be forming a queue when they realize what a catch you are!"
"Dear Eru, I hope not." Elrond beamed back at her. "I do not believe I could handle more than one wife!"
They were interrupted by Maedhros who entered the tent elegant in a set of rich green robes, a colour which suited his flowing red hair. He nodded to Elrond, who slipped out to join the rest of the guests, turned to Kim and offered his arm. "I hope you realize that I do not get dressed up like this for just anyone Lady." His tone was severe but his eyes were twinkling. "I am to escort you to Chief Knowles. Your bridegroom awaits you with as much anxiety as a Maiar can summon up."
She wanted to giggle at the thought of Eonwe being as anxious as she was, but an enormous terror suddenly took hold of her and instead she gripped his arm tightly and stared up at Maedhros with terrified eyes. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze and gently kissed her cheek.
"Courage little one you are going to your wedding, not your execution! Are you ready?"
She nodded mutely and they left the tent.
ooOoo