To Fulfill a Vow
After Laiqualasse's warning Elwing gives all the chance to flee, a very small minority including Lord Gilmir leave
Lailitha departs at the insistence of Laiqualasse and Eruanna,
"I don't understand why I must go. I am of age Eruanna!" My foster daughter said to me forcefully after I had told her that I required her to leave for the Isle of Balar.
I looked at her and saw the elleth she had become. "I know you are no longer an elfling Lailitha but I swore over your mother's bones that I would care for you and let no harm come to you and to that end I require you take the ship to Balar. Will you disobey me now?" I asked.
"No I won't but know that I'm not happy that you are taking this choice from me," she said. She put her arms around my neck and hugged me. "What if I never see you again Eruanna?" she asked.
"Don't think like that Lailitha, we will see each other again one day, no matter how long it will be. Now, you need to go get the things you will need. The ship leaves on the evening tide and I still need to write a letter to Mirwen."
The remaining son's of Feanor attack the havens of Sirion
Battle is joined
Laiqualasse and Eruanna stand guard over Elwing and her twins
Escape
"Go Eruanna," she screamed at me, with a gleaming sword held in her pale hand and the Nauglamir clutched in other. "Take the twins and run," she insisted. Already the fighting outside the walls could be heard. I looked at her and at Laiqualassё and at the twins.
"Eruanna," I shifted my gaze back to his starlight grey eyes. "Go, little one, take the twins and go." His voice was soft but urgent.
"I will not leave you," I replied.
"You will," he said. "You will leave because in dieing you will do no good here. Eruanna, give Mirwen my love, tell her that I miss her and I will await her in Aman. Tell Lailitha that Ionvain and Curoneth would have been proud of her, and that I a proud of our little Lailitha as well. Now go,"
During the time that Laiqualassё was speaking Elwing had been speaking to the twins, she had flattened the arguments that they had about staying and had given them each a bundle to carry. I swung a pack onto my back and taking a little hand in each of my own I ran. I looked back one last time as we past through the small gate in the seaward wall and descended onto the beach. Laiqualassё and Elwing stood watching us go as the battle poured through the main gate.
"I love you, Eruanna," Laiqualassё called to me as we past through the gate. There was not time to answer so I continued to run. Elros and Elrond had tears pouring down their faces as did I. Elros was murmuring that he should have stayed to protect his mother but Elrond ran in silence with a look on his face that was years too old for him. His face reminded me so much of his father's during the flight from Gondolin, there I had lost my saviour and here I was sure that I had lost my teacher, my guide and my love.
We ran down the hard packed sand of the beach, away from the clash of the battle behind us. I knew to where I was headed, many years before when I had not long been in Arvernien Mirwen and I along with Lailitha and Elwing had explored this shore. We had found a small cave with a fresh water stream in it. It was for that cave that I was headed.
When I reached the cave with the twins we huddled together in the back of the cave. After some time night fell and we laid our blankets down close together. After what seemed like hours unconsciousness finally overcame me, and I fell into a restless troubled sleep.
A song was heard echoing along the beach melding perfectly with the calm lapping of the wave on the shore. The music crept into the little cave bring to its inhabitants a sense of a mournful sadness that bridged ages. The voice that sang was male but the beauty of it was beyond anything that I had ever heard. It was this tragic song that woke me from sleep.
As I woke I noticed that Elros was standing near the entrance of the cave off to one side. His brother was also awake listening to the singing but unlike his brother he was simply sitting on his blanket. Elros began to walk slowly towards it seemingly entranced with the song he was hearing. I left my bed roll quickly leaving my blankets in a twisted heap on the cave floor.
"Elros," I hissed quietly. The young peredhil took no notice of me. "Elros, don't go out there," I said with force but still keeping my voice quiet. However, Elros did not heed my words and left the cave. I grabbed my sword and was at the cave entrance in moments however, before I reached the cave entrance the singing stopped.