~Disaster hits Nargothrond and Aerneth is trapped there. How can she deliver a warning to her husband in Doriath before the dragon gets there first?~

oOo

Finduilas and Túrin by Elena Kukanova

Mormegil and Finduilas

A palace servant led the way to Nargothrond. When they crossed the bridge, Aerneth peered down at the stormy waters and shook her head. Stupid not to keep such a great natural defense.

Then it struck her how ironic it was that she had chided Thranduil for trying to keep his march-wardens safe, when here she was on a mission to tell the king of Nargothrond he was too bold and out in the open! But if she was honest with herself, she had not meant what she said to Thranduil, it was just her usual compulsion to wind him up and make him lose that hateful glass face. She did want him to stay safe – or even better, to get as far away from Doriath as possible.

Inside, Aerneth reflected that Nargothrond looked very much like Menegroth. It had similar silver trees and animals, and hidden skylights providing a faint illumination. It even smelled the same way, slightly damp and cellar like.

It was heavenly to take a bathe and change clothes after such a long time on the road, and when she went with her companions to the palace, Aerneth felt a little hopeful again. Perhaps if they could speak more with Orodreth, they could still persuade him to relent? Especially if Túrin was not around. It seemed the man was a bad influence on the weak king.

Sadly, they would not be so lucky, for when she entered the dining area, Túrin was the first person Aerneth saw. With his height and proud air, he dominated the room. He was talking with a blonde elleth, and when the messengers entered he waved them to him.

"Allow me to introduce you to my good friend Princess Finduilas, daughter of the king."

Finduilas politely exchanged a few words with them, but very soon her attention returned to the man beside her. Aerneth could see why; dressed in fine clothes, but with the physique and bearing of a warrior, he looked very handsome – if you were into the dark, arrogant type. Aerneth prefered blonde, strong and silent ellyn, but had to admit that Túrin had charisma. No wonder Thranduil had seemed so fond of him, when he talked about the boy during their water calls.

An ellon joined them, casting a dark look at Túrin before turning to Aerneth. "My Lady Aerneth. I am happy to see you are well!"

She looked at him in surprise at first, but then recognised him. "Gwindor!" Last time she saw that face was in her water bowl at the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. It had been shortly before his brother was severed right before his eyes, after which he had charged prematurely, leading all the elves he brought from Nargothrond to their death.

Aerneth's eyes were drawn to the stump that was all that remained of his left hand.

"I was taken captive by Morgoth," he explained. "I managed to escape at last, but lost a limb in the process."

"I am sorry," Aerneth mumbled.

"I have only myself to blame. I rushed the attack, and my comrades had to pay for it." He spoke low, only for her ears. "If you do not mind – would you tell me what happened after I left Barad Eithel?"

"Of course." She gave him a detailed description of the battle, from the beginning to its bleak end. When she had finished, they were alone; Túrin and the elleth had gone to speak with the king, and Gelmir and Arminas had followed them.

"That man...!" Gwindor's jaw set.

"What about him?"

"Finduilas and I are betrothed to marry. But ever since he came here, she has loved him more. He claims only to think of her as a sister, but yet he singles her out all the time." He clenched his remaining fist.

"That must be awful."

"Mormegil is cursed. Wherever he goes, evil follows. Perhaps I should not expose who he is, but..."

"I know already. My husband is a captain of the Doriathrim march-wardens, and was with the outlaws."

Gwindor's eyes widened. "Captain of the march-wardens... I hope... I hope your husband is not Beleg Cúthalion?"

"Nay. Nay, he is Thranduil Oropherion. I heard what happened with Beleg. Thank the Valar, my husband survived."

"I have met Thranduil; I was there at that time. Afterwards I brought Túrin home to Nargothrond with me – which I bitterly regret now, may I add. Is your husband well? He seemed a nice ellon, though he was understandably not himself when we parted shortly after the death of his good friend."

"I have not heard from him in many years, but have no reason to believe otherwise than that he is well. We are leaving for Doriath tomorrow, to warn them also."

"Warn?"

"Aye." She repeated Ulmo's words.

Gwindor paled and swallowed hard. "These are grave news indeed! From the beginning, I spoke against opening up our city, but of course nobody would listen. I was trapped in Angband for many years; I know Morgoth's strength. The only way to beat him is for the Valar to return and help us. Leaving our hiding place has only made him aware of our existence – no wonder he will retaliate."

"But how can we reach them? My adar tried to send ships to Aman many years ago. None returned." Aerneth pushed down the still fresh grief over her mother's demise.

"There must be a way. There is a prophecy among our people, that one day a messenger will get through."

Aerneth remembered Ulmo's final words: From this shore a new star shall arise, and save the children of Ilúvatar. A chill crept along her spine. Did he mean that the Valar would help them? If so, that made it all the more important for the last elvish realms to stay hidden and safe until then – or there would be no children of Ilúvatar left to save.

"I wish I could go with you to Lord Círdan," Gwindor continued. "I would, if I could persuade Finduilas to come with me. But I know she will stay with him, and I cannot leave her." He sighed heavily.

During the course of the evening, Aerneth and her companions again tried to speak with Orodreth and make him relent, but to no avail. He was intent on fighting valiantly and not showing weakness. Instead of destroying the bridge, he and Túrin meant to strengthen it and make it wider, so an even greater army could pass. Beginning tomorrow, they would recruit more warriors among the Nargothrond people, increasing their numbers further.

"You should stay and fight too," Túrin suggested. "Perhaps after you deliver the message to Doriath, you can return here?"

"You could ask Thingol to join forces with us," added the king.

"We would gladly await battle with our kin, but we promised Lord Círdan to bring back word to him afterwards," said Arminas smoothly.

oOo

The three messengers slept well in the royal guest rooms, and left the city shortly after sunrise. They had not come far, however, when a rider caught up with them at a gallop, bringing three loose horses in tow.

"You must return. Our scouts have seen a great host of orcs south of the Teiglin crossing, and there is a battle going on between them and the humans of Brethil. They must have come during the night. The king will send a company there shortly, but the area is not safe for wanderers."

"We are not going that far north," Aerneth protested, dismayed at the prospect of further delay. "There is a secret bridge over the Sirion which is much closer. It is the route the trade emissaries from the Falas used to take."

"Some of the orcs have come far south, almost to Amon Rûdh. You cannot go there. I have orders to bring you back with me."

The three messengers looked at each other. Then Gelmir shrugged. "I guess we have to wait a while longer."

They mounted the spare horses and followed the messenger back. When they had climbed the hills and reached the bridge across the river Narog, Aerneth turned around. Shadowing her eyes against the morning sun she could now see the raging battle in the distance. The orcs were so numerous the area looked black.

"This is bad," Arminas muttered. "They are too many."

A few slow days followed, after Túrin and the king had left with a large company to aid the humans and push back the invading orcs. Aerneth and her companions spent the meantime restlessly walking around in the city, sleeping long in the mornings and eating too much, just to have something to do.

After a little over a week, Aerneth felt someone calling her, and hurried to one of the many silver fountains nearby to establish a connection. A somber, tired Gwindor appeared in the water.

"Good to see you," she said. "How are you faring?"

"We are holding the enemy back, but only barely. The orcs have control over most of the northern Guarded Plain. But that is not why I'm calling. Tú– uh, Mormegil wants to speak with you." He turned to someone standing next to him, and Túrin's face replaced his in the fountain. He looked cheerful and excited.

"Do not let that old pessimist frighten you. We are not budging, and with the new recruits I plan to engage, we should soon be able to push back the enemy where they belong. I was very pleased when Gwindor told me about your gift with water magic. This is just what we need! I hope you can stay the duration of this skirmish and be my voice in the city. Could you do it? It would be beneficial to you as well, for the sooner we rid the Plain of festering orcs, the sooner you can deliver your message to Doriath." He smiled winsomely.

Aerneth nodded reluctantly. She might as well accept, for at least then she would have something to do other than eating.

"Wonderful! Then you shall soon hear from me again. Oh, by the way... Gwindor asks you to send his love to Finduilas, and please greet her from me also." He disappeared.

Aerneth turned to Arminas and Gelmir, who were with her. "You heard him. We are still stuck here." She sighed.

Arminas shook his head. "I don't want to be caught up in this. We all know what will happen; it is not safe to stay!"

"I agree," said Gelmir. "We should return to Lord Círdan. If we take the river route it should be safe."

"But what about Doriath?" Aerneth bit her lip.

"Maybe their scouts will discover what is happening, and then someone there might reach out to you."

"Maybe, might... It's not good enough! I have to warn my husband!"

"I am not staying. Sorry." Arminas stubbornly crossed his arms.

Aerneth felt like punching him in the face. How could he be so unfeeling!

"Well I am. You can leave, and I will deliver the message myself," she said firmly.

"Aerneth, be reasonable..."

But she had already stomped off.

Gelmir and Arminas left Nargothrond the next day, walking on foot along the river but planning to build a simple raft once they got further downstream where the water slowed a bit. Despite their disagreement, Aerneth went out to see them off.

"Círdan will have our hide when we return without you," said Gelmir, giving her a quick hug.

"He will understand. Tell him to reach out to me through the water if he worries."

"Be careful." Arminas took her hand, and some of his earlier affection for her returned to his eyes.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know." He kissed her hand, and turned away.

Aerneth watched her former companions as they gradually became smaller. Soon they disappeared behind a cliff and were gone.

❈ ❦ ❈

A/N:

In the next chapter a lot happens... there will be dragons, orc captors and long awaited reunion... Stay tuned. :)

And now, for something completely different: Today, on March 22, exactly one year ago, I published the first chapter of my first ever fanfiction: Horse Lady of Rohan. Happy 1-year Anniversary to me!

In the year since then I have written and published over 300 000 words of fanfiction. Not kidding... ! Never had so much fun, even despite the pandemic. This is the best hobby I ever had!

Thanks a lot for all votes and comments. *Sending a virtual slice of my celebration chocolate cake to you!*

Image Credits:

Finduilas and Túrin by Elena Kukanova