The Tolling of the Bell

Doriath: 13th Chapter

"No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee."

– Albert Camus

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews guys! Please don't forget to leave one if you have time and enjoy the story. Your questions and comments are always very valuable and helpful.

It had been many years since all of Finarfin's children had been gathered in the same place and the first that they had traveled to Menegroth together and, at any other time, Artanis would have been overjoyed at such a thing, yet now it was with the beating of her heart quickening in her chest that their traveling party approached the gates of Menegroth, for the noose had slipped about her neck and already it was tightening, threatening to choke the life's breath from her and a great foreboding had awakened in her heart; for she knew that the time was at hand when that noose would at last be drawn closed.

Angrod had made their excuses to Celeborn and what exactly he had told the prince she did not know, but he was suspicious, no doubt, though he had the tact to say nothing of it. Too many times had they had that conversation. She dared not look into his eyes, frightened of what she would see there. She had lost his love and next she stood to lose her home. She felt as though there were a clock that had begun to run out its time since the first moment that she had crossed into the borders of Doriath and now the short minutes were tick, tick, ticking away, her time drawing near and she powerless to stop it. Soon enough the bell would sound the hour and any hope she had of redemption was entirely dependent upon her being the one to toll the bell, to decide the hour in which it should ring.

She drew in a deep shuddering breath for before them at last stood the gates of Menegroth, stretching high into the walls of the cliff. But they had not come upon the kingdom unawares, or so it seemed, for standing before the gates now were a great contingent of guards and Galathil, waiting.

"Kinsmen, well met!" Galathil called as they drew near. "We have heard from our Queen that you journeyed with our Prince and with your sister as well. Glad we are that your hearts have been filled with the desire to visit with your sister for as your sister's keeper this also grants us the honor of your company, which we do most heartily cherish and enjoy."

"Hail herald of Thingol!" Finrod Felagund called in reply. "Long have I dwelt in my unfinished city yearning to look once more upon those incomparable halls of Menegroth and of the fair people who dwell within them. You do us great honor with your welcome." And drawing near he dismounted and embraced Galathil.

"This is well," said Galathil, though there was some tone in his voice that awakened a sense of foreboding in Artanis. "But I must regret that my brother, Prince Celeborn, has been called away on urgent business with the King and will therefore not be able to join you immediately, however, "let us pass now within the capital city, for there are many friends who are longing to see you once more and we are preparing a great feast in your honor to be served at midnight and which we plan to enjoy even until the dawn breaks upon us."

It was agreed and then they all passed within and Finrod sighed to look upon the beauty of Menegroth, the very inspiration that had quickened his heart with yearning to establish his own kingdom in its image and rule it by his own hand. But Artanis walked with uncertain steps, though she had her brothers at her side, for a great fear had awakened within her and she felt more now as though she were entering a prison than a palace. For the guards of Menegroth, and these were no ordinary guards, she noticed, but a squadron of elite royal guards, stayed unusually close to her and her brothers.

"Forgive me," Celeborn said to them, having just taken quiet council with his brother, "for Thingol has summoned me to some private council and very suddenly. If it is meet with you, Galathil shall escort you to the hall." So saying, he stepped forward, drawing Galadriel to him and placing a chaste kiss upon her brow, a show of respect for the benefit of her brothers, before he turned and swept away to see to Thingol's business. But Artanis trembled in her heart, for it seemed to her that Galathil and the guards were not there so much to escort them and do them honor so much as they were there to ensure that they did not stray.

And on a time, as they passed to Thingol's great hall, Finrod and Aegnor began to speak to Galathil of the architecture of Menegroth but, while they were in conversation, Artanis drew Angrod aside, growing impatient and saying: "Brother, have you forgotten the words that passed between us when we last spoke or the promises that we made to one another? For each day that I guard this secret weighs upon me like a millstone about my neck and I am almost found out! Morgoth's lies and, even worse, the truths he tells about our people must have reached Menegroth at last, else they would treat us less like prisoners and more like guests. If we speak first then it may well be that some sort of friendship between our house and Thingol's may be preserved, yet if we are found out by other means than our own words there will be no mercy and no forgiveness for us, for the king grows wroth and in his anger lies a paranoia that will not easily be put to rest."

"It may well be that you fear not because you who have the friendship of the sons of Fingolfin and your own house besides do not stand to lose very much, but I beg you recall that I am personally invested in Doriath and in her people and I have no other home now save this city. Whatever may go ill for you shall be ten times worse for me," she continued, her eyes, quick with worry. "Though Celeborn may no longer love me, I cannot even look at him without my heart being overwhelmed by guilt so strong I can barely stand it! Even his touch I cannot bear, for it is the touch of one deceived, and one for whom I still bear great love! I still hope to retain what happiness I have built here, a life of my own choosing that is not dictated by the infighting that plagues the houses of the Noldor and that is not dictated by the choices of others. Let us speak and make the evil known so that we might move forward and put this behind for how can I move forward with my life here while this terrible secret yet remains guarded?"

Then Angrod grew concerned for he knew Thingol not well but much had he heard of the king's legendary anger and he worried that in her desperation his sister was grasping at straws for it seemed to him unlikely in the utmost that Thingol would permit her to remain here once the terrible secret was laid bare. He thought that this she had understood, that knowing the secret, Thingol would certainly cast her out, yet Artanis had ever been strong of will and perhaps in this too she thought that if she willed hard enough she could make it so.

And yet Angrod knew that no words he could say would make this clear to her or dissuade her from her path and so he took her arm, saying gently, "I have not forgotten sister, nor do I mean to deceive you, indeed, it was for that very purpose that I persuaded our brothers to journey here with me, as you know, though they know not the depth of my true purpose. And I am not ignorant of the rumors that have been spreading for recently they have reached even as far as Nargothrond, where I have been dwelling these past few years with Finrod. I beg that you not doubt me, for I have devised a plan and if all goes accordingly you shall be seen as most blameless of all. Only give me but a little more time and I swear to you that I will tell Thingol everything."

"But I am not blameless," Artanis said, "and I would not wish to appear so. It is the truth that I wish to tell and not one more lie!" Yet at that moment they could converse no further for they had arrived at the great hall.

Despite his display of proper and courtly affection, the Prince of Doriath was anything but calm and it was with great fear in his heart that he first walked, then ran, to the chambers of the king for only on one other occasion had he received such an urgent message from Thingol and that had been at the beginning of the Battle of Beleriand and he wondered what evil was afoot and if it meant that he might have to take up axe and armor once more in defense of his kingdom. Moreover, the behavior of Artanis and her brothers had been extremely peculiar, though he had not questioned them on it.

And he saw indeed that Thingol was wroth and, more than that, nearly sick with worry, for the instant that Celeborn entered his king's chambers Thingol stood, his actions quick with anxiety, his eyes glimmering with anger as he paced about his chambers, restless, a letter clutched tightly in his hand, which he thrust at Celeborn.

"How very worried I was," the King said, his voice a husky whisper, "when I received this letter and knew that you were alone with the children of Finarfin. Verily, I did fear for your very life. Yet glad I am that I received this letter only mere hours before you returned, for my anxiety was but brief. We have had word from Cirdan at the Havens in reply to the letter you sent him. Many long days did he spend in seeking out the information you requested and it seems he has discovered that these past 18 years I have been raising up a nest of vipers in my own house."

With trembling hand the King held out a letter and Celeborn took it from him, recognizing the blue wax seal of Cirdan, and he immediately felt his heart plummet to his shoes, for by Thingol's words and by Cirdan's seal he felt that he already knew what it would contain, what he had long suspected in the darkest corners of his mind. He unfolded the letter then and read it carefully, then once more to be sure that he had understood completely, bypassing the opening pleasantries.

Rumors have reached us at the mouth of the Sirion regarding the intentions of the Noldor in coming to this land and their actions taken upon leaving Valinor. The sight of the Noldor troubled me at once and I saw clearly writ upon them malice and evil, though I know not from whence it came.

Here we have heard that a certain doom or curse lies upon the Noldor from which they cannot escape for it was cast upon them by the Valar themselves, whose orders they directly denied in leaving Valinor. It is said that the Teleri made efforts to stop the Noldor from leaving and denied them the use of their ships whereupon the Noldor turned their blades upon our Telerin brethren and slew them in cold blood: men, women, and children alike. Not content merely to take their vengeance upon the Teleri, they have come to this continent with the intention not just of fighting Morgoth, but of exterminating the Telerin race in its entirety, including the Sindar, and they have come here with the intention of perpetrating race warfare.

I know not whether these tales are true or false but what I can say with finality and assuredness is that they have been spread through malice, though I know not whose malice this be. I must confide in you that I believe the jealousy and infighting amongst the houses of the princes of the Noldor may at last have come to a head as we long feared. And it may be that each of these rumors is true in part with each house of the Noldor propagating the version that best suits his purposes while damaging his rival houses.

I write to you to warn you, and to beg you to take caution, for I know that you have been friendly with the children of Finarfin and though I know not truly what part they play in this, it is certain that they carry blame of some sort, as do all of the Noldorin princes and I myself cannot help but believe that they too lie under the shadow of murder.

I beg you forgive the cursory nature of this message for it was sent in haste as I have had dire misgivings of late since receiving your last missive and a great foreboding seems to come upon me as dense and heavy as a fog from the sea. My sole intention was to get this information to you as quickly as I was able, for your health and continued prosperity is my constant and abiding wish.

Your humble and obedient servant,

Cirdan,

Lord of the Falathrim

Lord of Falas, Eglarest, and Brithombar

Celeborn felt as though the very air had been sucked from his chest. Cirdan's warning struck him as most fell indeed, for amongst the hot tempered Sindarin kings, Cirdan alone was unshakeable in his placidity and he could well guess that for this very reason Thingol himself was set so ill at ease. They were given to know then that at least some part of these rumors must be true for Cirdan would not have written to them of idle concerns and it mattered not which parts were true and which false, for they were all equally abhorrent.

Celeborn raised a finger to his lips, wondering if he had only but a little while earlier placed them upon the brow of one who had slain his kin and when he took his fingers away he found that they were trembling. It was not the first time that he had heard theses rumors but hearing them from Cirdan himself lent them a serious amount of credence. And now that he found it possible to believe them true, all of Artanis's strange behavior seemed to make sense and Celeborn felt that he was putting the pieces of a gruesome puzzle together, finding, to his horror, that they fell into place with terrifying precision.

"What shall we do?" He asked Thingol, finding his throat dry, a great pounding as of a hammer in his head, smashing against the interior of his skull. He knew not what to think, was unable to feel.

"Artanis may have told us the truth, but it was only the truth in part," Thingol said, anger lurking like magma just beneath the surface, threatening to spill over at every moment. "There is yet much that she is concealing from us and I will know the truth in its entirety. No more will I be denied. The children of Finarfin will answer me and they will answer me in full now even if it must be by force that the answer is wrung from their lips." And so saying he took up his great sword, Aranruth, in it scabbard and buckled the belt about his waist. "I will not ask you to draw your blade," the king said, turning to his nephew.

But Celeborn's eyes were hard with anger and he did not hesitate, saying: "My loyalty to you and to this kingdom has always been above reproach and so it remains even now."

"Then I bid you to bring your blade here whilst I summon my personal guard and together shall we go forth to the feast that we have prepared though, alas, we will not go in friendship," Thingol said to the prince and when Celeborn returned to him the guard had already arrived, with Mablung at their head and Galathil, Celeborn's brother and Thingol's herald was there as well, having only just come from the great hall. Then they all set out for the feast they had prepared, but not in friendship as they had anticipated.

When they arrived there it was to find that all who were gathered were in the midst of great merriment, for this feast had been convened as a display of friendship, a time in which lingering anger about the keeping of the secret of the Silmarils and of Finwe's death was meant to be put to rest, a feast born of hope and the promise of making amends. Yet a great silence came over the immense crowd gathered there for all could see as their king entered that he was wroth with great anger and his great sword was buckled about his waist, his hand on the hilt as though ready to draw it at any moment. And at his side was Celeborn, his prince, and he too bore in hand his great battle-axe and upon his face a look closer to loathing than anything they had heretofore seen. Behind them marched the Imperial guard, led by Mablung, their cloaks of midnight blue hanging long down their backs, their black eagle feathers in their hair and their weapons in hand.

Then did a great cry rise up from the Sindar for never before had anyone dared bring a weapon into the great hall of Thingol and they wondered at what should have occurred to cause such a thing. The children of Finarfin leapt to their feet then, like rabbits sniffed out by a hound, for they believed themselves found out and all of their plans and carefully crafted strategies crumbled to ashes at their feet. And Artanis dropped her gaze, not daring to look at Celeborn, fearful the terrible apathy would have turned to dreadful hate.

With flashing eyes and floating hair did Thingol approached Finrod, towering over him and staring down from his great height with a gaze that might have been enough even to send Morgoth himself fleeing in terror and then did Galathil call forth saying: "Rise and stand all of you gathered here, for this is Elu Thingol, called Elwe Singollo, King of Doriath, King of the Sindar, King of the Teleri, High-king and Lord of Beleriand." His voice seemed to reverberate off of the stone walls of the palace until it faded away in an echo and in that ensuing silence Thingol at last spoke to Finrod.

"I'll have you done to me, kinsman, to conceal so great matters from me. For now I have learned of all the evil deeds of the Noldor." His voice was deathly quiet and yet it commanded the attention of all.

But Finrod answered: "What ill have I done you, lord? Or what evil deed have the Noldor done in all your realm to grieve you? Neither against your kingship nor against any of your people have they thought evil or done evil."

"I marvel at you, son of Earwen," said Thingol, "that you would come to the board of your kinsman thus red-handed from the slaying of your mother's kin, and yet say naught in defense, nor yet seek any pardon!" And at his words a great wailing arose for, hearing their king say it, the people at last believed these rumors to be true and many fell down in anguish, mourning for their Telerin brethren.

Then Finrod was greatly troubled, but he was silent, for he could not defend himself, save by bringing charges against the other princes of the Noldor; and that he was loath to do before Thingol. But in Angrod's heart the memory of the words of Caranthir welled up again in bitterness, for when Angrod had first visited Menegroth and brought forth Thingol's message to the Noldor, telling them where they might settle, Caranthir had grown wroth and he had rebuked the children of Finarfin saying: Let not the sons of Finarfin run hither and thither with their tales to this Dark Elf in his caves! Who made them our spokesmen to deal with him? And though they be come indeed to Beleriand, let them not so swiftly forget that their father is a lord of the Noldor, though their mother be of other kin.

Remembering these words and the way in which his cousin had scorned him for being half of Telerin blood, Angrod could control his heart no longer and he cried: "Lord, I know not what lies you have heard, nor whence; but we came not red-handed. Guiltless we came forth, save maybe of folly, to listen to the words of fell Feanor, and become as if besotted with wine, and as briefly. No evil did we do on our road, but suffered ourselves great wrong; and forgave it. For this we are named tale-bearers to you and treasonable to the Noldor: untruly as you know, for we have of our loyalty been silent before you, and thus earned your anger. But now these charges are no longer to be borne, and the truth you shall know."

Then Thingol passed to his throne and the children of Finarfin sat at his feet and at length Angrod moved to speak but Artanis stayed him, placing her hand upon his arm and saying: "Much do I appreciate your kindness brother, but this is my tale to tell, for it is I who have lived in Menegroth alongside Thingol's people and thus it is I who bears the greater part of the blame. I cannot accept your mercy at the expense of my conscience or of their justice."

It was the most difficult thing that she had ever done and her hands trembled worse than they had even when she had crossed the Helcaraxe. Except now she had not the excuse of the cold to give for her trembling. Her heart pounded within her chest like a hammer upon an anvil and, for a brief moment, she felt sure that her chest would explode from the pressure, that she had not been made with enough strength to withstand this. And she felt profoundly alone, more alone than she had ever felt, for here she was, about to betray the dearest friends she had ever had in her entire life and, worse than that, to make them aware that her betrayal was not sudden, but was built upon a lie that she had been cultivating since first she arrived in their home. At last the poisoned vine was bearing fruit.

Turning then to Thingol, it was with great difficulty that she raised her head to meet his eyes, for her body felt heavier than all the stone of this cave and she spoke saying, "my king, I spoke to you before of the Silmarils and of the deaths of the trees and of the slaying of Finwe, your dear friend, but as you now know, there is much that yet remains unspoken. And, as my brother has only just now said, the words that have reached your ears concerning the coming of the Noldor were spread maliciously though by whom we know not and though I must venture to guess from what I myself have heard that much of it is, indeed, lies as Angrod has said, it is with greatest regret that I must now impart to you that there is also much truth to be had in these rumors."

She turned to their right to see, standing at her father's left hand, Luthien, her best and most dear friend with tears in her eyes, understanding only that something was very wrong. Images flashed unbidden in her mind of how they had danced together beneath the moonlight and tears rose to her eyes. Most difficult of all, she looked to Melian's left to see Celeborn, dressed in his court attire. She still dared not meet his eyes yet it was as if her fea called out to his with an intensity that she had never before experienced. He looked much the same as the first night she had entered this hall. It was fitting somehow, as if things had come full circle at last. Then, she raised her head with what little remaining dignity she could muster and looked Thingol full in the eyes, confessing her guilt for all to hear.

"I ask only that you bear in mind that the blame for this lies on us Noldor alone. Of all those in Menegroth, none save ourselves was aware of this tale and none bear culpability save us." She stopped for a moment to collect herself before continuing, for she felt as though she would fall to pieces with each moment that passed.

"I did not tell you earlier," she continued, "though I found myself on the very verge of doing so, because I had been sworn to secrecy by the Noldorin princes. Yet I do not pretend that this is any excuse for my conduct for I know full well that it is not. In my heart of hearts I know that what truly restrained me was my own selfishness because I have loved my life here and loved my friends here and I did not wish to be exiled. Yet, I can no longer in good conscience keep the truth from you, knowing that every moment you are unaware of it you are placed in constant danger. This then is the truth, the whole and entire truth."

And having so said, she began the full and terrible tale saying thusly, "It is true what the rumors say: that the Valar themselves forbid us from leaving Aman and that we went forth in utter disregard for their command, driven by pride. Upon leaving Valinor, we did not depart separately from the Feanorians as I had previously told you. Indeed, we departed together and, upon reaching Alqualonde, we found that there was no way for us to cross the sea except in the boats of the Teleri. Yet, knowing that we had been forbidden to leave, the Teleri withheld their ships from us." She breathed deeply, for with the next words she spoke, she would not be surprised if they struck her dead where she stood.

"It was then that Feanor demanded that the Teleri surrender his ships to them. But still they refused and… Feanor drew his sword in great anger and struck a blow, beheading the harbor master in a single stroke." At those words a great shout rose up and she saw Celeborn raise his head at last, fear and incomprehension in his eyes as he looked at her. She dropped her gaze, her heart shattering into a thousand fragments, like a fragile glass dropped upon a floor. The cries grew louder and louder until, at last, Thingol bolted upright from his chair like lightening, his face as white as ice.

"SILENCE!" He commanded, the first time she had ever heard him shout so and then he turned furious eyes to her, speaking with a deathly quiet. "You," he pointed a quivering finger at her, "you will continue." And so she swallowed hard, her hands still quivering so that she could barely control herself and, mustering what strength she could find she continued.

"Feanor's sons followed his lead and drew their swords, Fingolfin and his sons as well," she said, her voice quavering now. "They slew the majority of the Teleri, not only those who withheld the ships, but women and children as well and women with children still in the womb, killing indiscriminately, as if they had gone entirely mad." Tears were running freely down her face now but she did not raise her hands to wipe them away. She stopped to collect herself before continuing.

"You began this story and now you must find the courage to finish it," Thingol said to her, his voice colder than she had ever heard it. "Look at me," he growled and she obeyed, raising her eyes to his face. "Continue," he commanded. Behind him she could see Melian and there was no kindness in her eyes either. "Tell me of your role in this perversion," he said.

"I drew my spear in defense of the Teleri," she said, though it seemed now a pitiful excuse. Kinslaying was kinslaying and it did not matter that it was not the Teleri she had slain.

"You defended the Teleri?" Thingol asked.

"I did. My brother's host arrived towards the end of the massacre and we were not entirely sure of the situation. Yet, we saw our mother's people being slaughtered and rushed to their aid. Finrod and Aegnor had no part in the killing. But Angrod and myself slew Feanor's soldiers."

"You killed Feanor and Fingolfin's men?" Thingol asked. She paused, swallowing.

"Yes, I did." She said.

"You killed another elf?" Thingol asked again, forcing her to repeat herself.

Yes." She said. Thingol paced to and fro, his movements full of kinetic energy as if he might reach out and strike her at any moment.

"How many?" He asked at last.

"Twelve." She said.

"How can you be sure?" He spat.

"I will never forget their faces," she said.

"If that is the only payment you must make on your debt then I have no pity in my heart for you and your ilk," Thingol said. "But you will continue, for now that I am at last hearing this long delayed tale I will have you tell it to the very last letter and I will allow you to delay no longer. Tell me of what happened after the Teleri were slain for you came across the Helcaraxe did you not?"

"That is true," she replied. "For during the battle there was great confusion indeed and my brothers and I and our father as well proceeded by land but Feanor's people had managed to take the ships of the Teleri and they proceeded by sea, and together we arrived at the land near the Helcaraxe. There, standing atop the great mountains of the waste of Araman we suddenly beheld a dark figure looking down upon the shore and we perceived this to be Mandos himself and from this figure ushered forth a loud voice, solemn and terrible, that bade us stand and give ear. Then all halted and stood still, and the voice cursed those of us who would not stay nor seek the doom and pardon of the Valar.

'Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Feanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also. Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. The Dispossessed shall they be for ever.

'Ye have spilled the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Aman. For blood ye shall render blood, and beyond Aman ye shall dwell in Death's shadow. For though Eru appointed to you to die not in Ea, and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos. There long shall ye abide and yearn for your bodies, and find little pity though all whom ye have slain should entreat for you. And those that endure in Middle-earth and come not to Mandos shall grow weary of the world as with a great burden, and shall wane, and become as shadows of regret before the younger race that cometh after. The Valar have spoken.'"

Then did Celeborn truly understand the words that Galadriel had spoken to him those years ago when first they began their courtship, imploring him not to ask her the reason but telling him that all things must be at his doing and that, as much as she might yearn to, whatever was to be between them could not be done by her hand.

"Hearing these words," Artanis said, "many repented of their actions and turned back towards Valinor to return to their homes and beg pardon of the Valar. Among these went Finarfin my father and though he begged me with tears in his eyes to return with him so that my mother need not lose all of her children at once, I denied him his wish and resolved to go forward as did my brothers.

Those of us who were determined to go forward then continued and at last we stood at the very mouth of the grinding ice itself and there did we stop and debate for a long while, for there were not enough ships to bear us all across the sea and to cross the ice appeared to us to be certain death. That night there sprang up a great mist and, when in the morning it cleared, we awoke to find that Feanor and his host had slipped away in the night. For a while we thought that he meant to return with some ships to ferry us across as well until one night from far off we saw a great fire and smoke rising to the sky from a far shore and we knew ourselves betrayed by Feanor. It was then that we were left with no choice but to cross the grinding ice and this we did, as I have previously told you, and now at last you have learned the full tale," she said. "And if I might make but one request of you, my king, it is this: I beg you, I beg of you," the words tumbled from her mouth. "Do not ever allow a Silmaril to pass into Doriath. The sons of Feanor will stop at nothing. They will slaughter each and every one of you in their quest to fulfill their oath."

"A Silmaril!" Thingol shouted, descending from his throne to stop before her and grasp her chin in his strong hand, hurting her. "Why should I fear letting a Silmaril pass my borders when already a snake has slithered in! I ought to have feared you! Instead I welcomed you, treated you as my kin, nurtured your friendship with my own daughter, made you an apprentice of my wife, fed you, clothed you, allowed my nephew to court you! YOU ARE FILTH!" He turned, his hand flying through the air, and he only managed to stop it a mere hair's breath away from her face, where he held it trembling as he stared at her with wild red rimmed eyes. She had no doubt that he had struck with the intention of hitting her, only restraining himself at the last moment.

"Do you have any IDEA of the damage that you people have done?" he shouted. There was no proper response and so Artanis and her brothers remained silent as he returned to his throne and sat.

Then did Angrod speak again, saying, "Wherefore should we that endured the Grinding Ice bear the name of kinslayers and traitors?"

"Yet the shadow of Mandos lies on you also," said Melian. But Thingol was long silent ere he spoke.

"Go now!" he said. "For my heart is hot within me. Later you may return, if you will, for I will not shut my doors forever against you, my kindred that were ensnared in an evil that you did not aid. With Fingolfin and his people also I will keep friendship, for they have bitterly atoned for such ill as they did. And in our hatred of the Power that wrought all this woe our griefs shall be lost. But hear my words! Never again in my ears shall be heard the tongue of those who slew my kin in Alqualonde! Nor in all my realm shall it be openly spoken, while my power endures. All the Sindar shall hear my command that they shall neither speak with the tongue of the Noldor nor answer to it. And all such as use it shall be held slayers of kin and betrayers of kin unrepentant."

The people dispersed then, like so many leaves scattered upon the breeze, and in the silence that followed, the children of Finarfin stood, the fire of the souls extinguished as a candle in a mine so that now they felt the poison of the choices they had made working upon them.

Then did Thingol turn to Celeborn, finding within his anger some modicum of pity for his nephew and said, "if you wish for a moment in private to speak to Galadriel before she leaves then I shall grant you that."

But Celeborn merely shook his head, an almost imperceptible movement, and said, "there is none called Galadriel here."

End Part I