#yoo hoo

Chapter VI: The Second Awakening (Pt. III)

They remained with us longer than expected with Finrod’s brothers leaving only to return with Angrod. I assumed Things wished to see all the brothers of Finarfin. Life at court became routine again. Mîrwen was determined to see Oropher and Nimeithel start a family, but Oropher remained steadfast in his resolve to wait. I spent most of my days with Galadhon, Galathil, Iarûr, and Finëar learning about the histories and traditions of our people. It was long and laborious but necessary. Even as my earliest memories of Lake Cuiviénen were starting to fade, I realized their importance. Súlwë proved quite valuable in this endeavor—sharing the many tales his father Olwë with us. Whenever Daeron was with us, we said nothing of Súlwë and he never asked about “Nimernil” while he was in the library.

One evening, I was with Iarûr putting away the scrolls when I noticed how much we had done so far.

“There are more here than I realized,” I said as I began to roll them up. “I find it hard to believe so much time has passed.”

“So true,” he began as he finished writing. “Yet time is the only thing we have so much and so little of all at once.”

“What do you remember, if I may ask?”

“I remember very little,” Iarûr said. “I think that was by design. If we knew everything, then what would we have to learn?”

“You make a very good point,” I began. “So we are learning what we already know.”

“What do we know,” he asked. “We are here. We were born and perhaps we will die—or not. All we know is what we have seen and little else. We speculate on the unknown hoping one day, somehow, the mystery will be solved. Perhaps there are some things meant to be unknown for a reason.”

“Are you looking to know everything,” I asked.

“I do not believe I want to know everything, Orothôn,” he said laughing. “Some things should remain a mystery forever.”

“True,” I agreed. “Just do not tell that to my wife.”

“The fairer of us know too much already,” Iarûr said. “That must be by design because it is inexplicable.”

As we laughed at ourselves, Finëar entered—his face flushed.

“What is it, Finëar,” Iarûr asked him.

“It is King Thingol,” he said. “He is angry. The court is in chaos.”

“What happened,” I asked approaching him.

“The sons of Finarfin revealed to him all that brought them into Arda,” he said groaning. “It was devastating.”

“Calm yourself,” Iarûr said. “What did you hear?”

“I do not know where to begin,” Finëar said as he sat on a bench. “There were jewels and fire and Morgoth…”

“What,” Iarûr interrupted sternly. “Did you say Morgoth?”

“Morgoth,” I asked.

“I did, Iarûr,” he answered.
Iarûr’s face began to lose its color. He looked at Finëar again.

“Are you sure you heard correctly,” Iarûr asked him.

“Yes,” Finëar answered. “I overheard the Lady Galadriel speaking with the Queen not long ago. I was sworn to secrecy when I was discovered. But tonight, all was revealed to the king. His anger was palpable. He cast them out of Doriath.”

“Galadriel as well,” I asked him thinking of Celeborn.

“No,” Finëar answered. “For she has found favor with the queen. But her brothers have gone.”

“Morgoth remains,” Iarûr whispered to himself. “Then this is not over.”

Iarûr looked across the room to see Súlwë standing by the entrance doors.

“They attacked my family for jewels,” he said—his face stoic.

Finëar nodded slowly, barely looking at him.

“I am sorry,” Finëar whispered.

Iarûr was dumbfounded. For the first time, he seemed at a loss for words.

“This is not the end of it,” I asked.

“No, Orothôn,” Iarûr said. “This is the beginning.”

Quickly, I made my way out of the library and toward the Great Hall. There were courtiers milling within the corridors whispering among themselves along the way. I saw little in their faces of the tales that were told as they all seemed to have heard something different.

“I see you have heard what has happened,” Êlengolas said as he approached me. “So Súlwë was right.”

“What did Thingol say,” I asked.

“To the court, very little,” he answered. “I am not privy to the king’s discussions beyond those four walls but whatever he said to his kin was not taken as well as they expected.”

“What little did he say, then,” I asked.

“We are not to speak of them in his presence,” Êlengolas answered. “Then he left us. He was angrier than I have ever seen him.”

“I am sure he was.”

“The Queen was none too happy, either.”

“Of course,” I said. “Why would she be?”

“She is a Maiar,” he whispered. “She knows far more than even the stars in the sky.“–TKWRT Book I: The Epic of Eryn Galen by Jaynaé Marie Miller. 7-9-2019

Note to @staff: If you naked people, you are looking at a weird Rorschach test. There are no people in the photo.

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