Tuor's Longing

It was not long after the union of Elwing and Earendil that Laiqualasse returned from the isle of Balar. With him came Cirdan, the renowned shipwright. Tuor had sent word to Laiqualasse that he wished to have a ship built at Arvernien and that he hoped Cirdan would come build it for him.

No gift of foresight was needed to see that Tuor was reaching the end of his days. Although his physical strength had not waned his blond hair leaned heavily towards being white instead of golden and his fair features showed weathered lines from the years of sorrow and cares that weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

I know Tuor's mortality weighed on Idril greatly. Often she was seen walking in gardens hands clasped and eyes haunted letting no one get close. I know she knew something of her fea-mates plans before he announced them on the arrival of Laiqualasse and Cirdan.

Tuor stood in the hall an announced to all gathered there that he planed to build a ship. For all Tuor was a mortal man it seemed he felt the sea longing just as strongly as most of the elder. He planned to seek the west and there supplicate the Valar for their mercy on those who lived in Middle-Earth.

recount of Earendil and Elwing's conversation with Eruanna about Tuor's sea longing

Idril asks for council from the one who knows the future

"Eruanna," Idril said. Her voice which had usually been filled with kindness and confidence was now riddled uncertainty and hesitance. I had never heard the Noldorin princess sound like this, not even during those long marches from Gondolin years before.

"Yes, Lady Idril," I replied turning to her with a small curtsy. I had known her for nearly three decades and I had been her unofficial babysitter for nearly two however there had never been and would never be complete informality between us.

"You must tell me what will happen! You must tell me if my husband will leave me alone here. You must!" Her voice contained an absolute command the uncertainty gone completely this wasn't a request for information that I may poses it was an outright demand to know what no sentient being should know, what will happen in the future. I was glad that she had not done this many years before when I would not have been able to withstand the power radiating from her in that moment. She was one the Calaquendi, one of those who had seen the trees in bloom and I felt the strength of her in that moment. It was very hard not to tell her what I knew even though that was very little.

I looked at my protectress sadly. "I can not tell you Idril. You must be free to make your own choices." She looked at me angrily her eyes flashing.

"Can not or will not Eruanna," she spat.

"Both my Lady," replied politely. "I can not because I remember very little and will not because what must happen must, for all our sakes."

"This will not be the last we speak Eruanna-Mernaselde," she said with venom. She spun around her long blond hair whipping around her as she stormed away.

Idril's decision, Tuor and Idril depart

Earendil blames Eruanna for his mother and fathers departure

Elwing's pregnancy

It was drawing nigh to me fiftieth birthday that I looked in the mirror one morning after my bath and realised that I did not look fifty. My mother had been fifty when I had first come to Beleriand and I have never forgotten her face. My mother had not looked her age and this was exaggerated because she constantly died her hair. Even so I knew there was no way I looked as old as she had. When I had turned thirty I could brush it off but the lack of grey hairs was too obviously wrong.

I knew that I had to make sure that I wasn't just gong insane, and I had to talk to someone about it. I dressed and went to the airy well lit room that Elwing had chosen as her sewing room. Elwing and her maid were sitting in the chamber sewing baby clothes for the twins when they were born.

Both of the elleth smiled as I entered. "Good morning, Elwing," I said. I reached over and picked up the little tunic that I had been working on the day before.

"Good morning Eruanna. Have you seen Lailitha this morning?" asked Elwing. "She told me that she would be joining us today when I spoke to her yesterday but I haven't seen her since," said Elwing.

"She went to work in the fields this morning and told me to tell you she would be in after the noon hour," I replied relaying the message Lailitha had given me for her friend. Lailitha had no airs from being Lady Elwing's unofficial Lady in Waiting and took to much joy in being out of doors working in the fields and the forest to give up the tasks.

"Sometimes I don't think Lailitha realizes just how dear a friend she is to me," said Elwing with a concerned look.

"She does Elwing but she is still a little over whelmed by your rank. It was on thing when you were both elflings chasing butterflies in the gardens but now you are Lady of Arvernien. Lailitha is not less your friend but she is still trying to find the balance between the love of a friend and the respect for ones liege lady. Mirwen explained this to me years ago as she went through the same thing with Finduilas, when they were young in Tirion," I said remember a long ago conversation with my absent friend.

Elwing nodded her head in understanding. "I just wish she saw that friendship means so much more to me then rank."

"She does," I replied. "Elwing, have I aged at all since you first me?" I asked feeling horribly self-conscious.

"No Eruanna, you haven't. It is strange to be sure but I don't think you need to worry about it. Some people age slower then others among mortals I'm told," she replied.

Her answer did not ease me at all. She was eldar raised and knew little of her human heritage. She did not understand that although ageing may vary not ageing at all in thirty years could not be natural. It was one of those moments where I felt very alone in the world. When I had lost my moon times all those years before when I had first come to Beleriand I had been able to come up with a plausible explanation. That first year had been difficult taxing me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I had been poisoned as well. It was easy enough for me to brush off the loss as my body's response to what I had gone through. However, the fact that I had not aged at all was wholly unnatural.

Slowly I put stitches into the small tunic. I let the monotony of the task sooth my mind. Elwing and her maid continued to talk light heartedly. Elwing had leapt on the chance to bother her maid about the guard she was courting. He was currently off on scouting duty but when he was at the havens he and the maid were near inseparable. Colinde, the maid, frowned at the younger elleth then put down the cloth for a moment.

At behest of mother and wife Earendil apologies for his presumption