Tears of the Valar.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Original Characters and their adventures. Everything else belongs to JRR Tolkien, the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema/Peter Jackson, et. al. This was done purely for entertainment and as an exercise in creativity.
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The dash to the bathing pool was almost comical as the Elves and Alexandra rushed to make themselves presentable for dinner. Legolas and his wife fairly ran to their chambers, undressing as they went, and she grabbed the first gown she could find, dropping it over her head and hoping she did not have it on backwards. Her husband tied the laces quickly and they made it to the dining hall just in time to find a spot among their friends.

Alexandra found herself seated next to Saelbeth and across from Elladan and Elrohir. Legolas sat on her other side and the rest of the western Elves gathered at the table with them along with Pomea, Durisia and Charika, and their hosts, Vanurion, Sarendir, Cunion and Naveradir. Though they still reclined on cushions, the tables had been joined into one so that all could fit around it.

The newcomers demanded to be informed of everything that had happened over the past year. Legolas’ messages to Ithilien had been irritatingly vague.

“Details, my friend,” Elrohir pronounced as he placed several steamed vegetables on Charika’s plate next to him.

“Indeed. You gave enough information to be maddeningly teasing,” Elladan added, accepting a fresh goblet of wine from Haldir. “We leave you alone for a few months and come back to find Erestor wed, Helcarin returned from Forodwraith, the lot of you on a quest for the Waters of the Awakening, haunted keeps and a re-embodied ancient. I, for one, am highly disappointed to have missed this escapade thus far.”

Glorfindel began to tell the complicated tale of their latest adventure with occasional comments from the others. It lasted all through dinner and several bottles of wine and when it was done Saelbeth shook his head.

“I must agree with Elladan and Elrohir. I, too, am disappointed to have missed being a part of this tale.” Giving Naveradir a smile, he added, “I hope you will come to visit us in the west, my friend. I can only imagine how it must feel to be back in corporeal form after so long.”

“I hope to visit much of Middle-Earth,” the dark-haired Elf replied, “and look forward to visiting with our western cousins before you all travel to the Blessed Realm.”

“You will be most welcome among our people,” Legolas told him with a smile. “And I am certain others of the west would like to meet you as well.”

“I shall plan on visiting then,” Naveradir responded with a slight nod. He noticed that a shadow had fallen over Legolas’ wife’s face at the mention of Valinor and wondered what brought the lady such distress.

“So when do we leave to seek the Waters of the Awakening?” Elrohir asked as he surreptitiously kept adding food to Charika’s plate. In truth, the woman did not eat enough in his opinion. Rumil could see what his friend was doing and bit back a smile.

“Within the week,” Helcarin replied, before taking a bite of the sweet cake Pomea held to his lips. He smiled at her and she leaned over, her tongue flicking out to catch s drop of honey on his lip. “It would seem we shall have good company on this quest.”

“Who is planning to go?” Saelbeth asked, taking a sip of the excellent Rhunian wine. Legolas had written of the fine vintage and he had heard from Thranduil that the barrels sent to Eryn Lasgalen, were better even than the Dorwinian wine the king usually kept.

“Myself, of course,” Helcarin answered. “Legolas, Orophin, Rumil, Haldir, Naveradir, Glorfindel, Erestor, you,” he smiled, “Elladan and Elrohir.” He glanced at their hosts. “Sarendir and Vanurion have not yet decided if they will go.”

“There is much we must attend here,” Vanurion replied. “Though I enjoy the thought of seeing the place of our ancestors’ beginnings.”

“I understand your duties come first,” the blonde Elf from the north told him with a slight smile.

Charika listened to their talk of the journey and, glancing at Rumil, leaned toward Alexandra.

“Will you be accompanying them?” she asked her friend innocently.

Startled out of deep thought, Alex looked to her husband. “Yes, I suppose I will.” Legolas kissed her cheek and smiled.

“My wife has been … misplaced too often for me to ever leave her alone,” he told the others with a soft laugh. “We have promised never to leave one another voluntarily.”

Charika looked to Rumil and raised a brow. He met her gaze with his own calm one and she sighed mentally. He would not change his mind.


Later, retiring to their chamber, Durisia and Erestor lay entwined together, her fingertips lightly rubbing over the muscles of his flat belly while he stroked her smooth back. She planted a soft kiss on his chest and looked up.

“Do you wish for me to accompany you to Cuivienen?”

The Imladris counselor thought for a moment. Indeed, he did not wish to leave his new wife for any extended length of time. However, he also did not wish her to go into possible danger. The possibility of encountering Lastharos or his minions gave Erestor pause. He did not want his wife anywhere near that creature.

“I would like you to be with me, but I do not wish to expose you to possible danger. It would ease my heart to know you were here in relative safety.” He kissed the top of her head.

She sighed softly. “I do not wish to be away from you, my lord; but I understand that you do not need to have concerns for my safety while on this journey. I am surprised Legolas is allowing Alexandra to go.”

Erestor laughed softly. “He could not stop her if she was determined to accompany him. She was a warrior in her own land so she is accustomed to going into danger.”

Durisia smiled. She was a warrior herself, but had to admit most of her life had been spent in decidedly non-martial activities. From what she knew of the prince’s wife, Alexandra had been a professional warrior and so was likely well-suited to such a quest.

“What did he mean by her having been ‘misplaced’?”

Her husband ran his fingers through her silky black hair as he thought a moment. “Besides being taken by Goroth, she was also taken by an enemy of Legolas’ father shortly after their marriage and he and many of their friends went in search of her.” He chuckled. “I had never considered it before, but she does tend to find danger when she and Legolas are separated. After her adventure with Goroth, the prince decided he would never willingly be parted from her. Their time together is so short; one can understand their desire to spend every moment in each other’s presence.”

The elleth nuzzled his neck as she wrapped herself even more snugly around him. “I do not think I could bear to know my love would have such a short life,” she sighed. “He and Rumil have done something I could not do. And Legolas and his wife share a bond … to spend eternity with a bond severed by the death of your mate. I cannot imagine how painful that must be.”

Erestor did not wish to think of such sorrow. “We are fortunate to be Elves,” he told her, pulling her closer. “And to have found one another.”


In another section of the keep Helcarin and Pomea did not even bother to discuss the journey. She was going with him.

The golden-haired ellon lay against the pillows on the large bed. He watched as Pomea brushed her long, black hair, the breeze from the open window occasionally causing the sheer curtains that surrounded the bed to gently undulate, occasionally obscuring his view of his beautiful lover.

“I am glad your friends are here,” she told him.

“As am I. It has been many years since I saw Elladan and Elrohir. They were always quite kind to me when I was growing up in their father’s realm. It will be good to have them on this journey.”

Pomea put down the brush and came over to the bed, shedding the silky robe she had worn and tossing it onto a nearby chest. Helcarin pulled the covers back for her and she slipped between the sheets as he extinguished the light. They found each other instinctively in the dark and entwined their bodies together.

“Why do you have this impetus to journey to Cuivienen?” she asked him as they lay comfortably together in the afterglow of their joining. “It was strong enough to deter your sailing to the Undying Lands so you must find it quite important.”

Helcarin considered her question. “I do not know,” he finally replied. “I dreamt of my mother and she told me to seek out my fathers and the longing to see Cuivienen seemed to take hold.” Stroking her silky black hair he pondered the desire a bit longer. “It seems to have been the will of the Valar that I come here. Had I not, I would never have met you, Erestor would never have met and married Durisia, Goroth’s victims would have never found peace and his spirit would never have been sent to its punishment.”

“True,” Pomea agreed. Looking into his eyes and smiling, she kissed his chin. “I am glad you took on this quest.”

“As am I,” he replied with a smile.


The preparations went quickly and, in the end, Sarendir, Cunion and Vanurion all decided to accompany their western cousins on the journey. Since their realm joined Khand, they decided it would be to their advantage to learn more about the land to their east.

Elladan stood with Glorfindel and Haldir, securing the last of the packs that would accompany them on the trip to Cuivienen. The dark-haired Noldo surveyed the preparations and glanced at his companions.

“I see we appear to expect trouble on this venture,” he remarked, tying off a loose opening.

“From what we have heard of Lastharos, he is not one with which to trifle,” Haldir replied, tossing Glorfindel another water skin. “He has allegedly claimed the waters as his own and I, for one, do not like the idea of this malevolent creature taking the place where Elves first awoke and making it his private domain.”

Elladan nodded. “It is objectionable,” he agreed. “I do not suppose thoughts of revenge have anything to do with Legolas and Rumil deciding to make this journey.”

“Vengeance against Lastharos would be an added reward,” Haldir answered. “The man has brought nothing but suffering to Charika and Legolas, and by extension, those who care about them. Were he to find himself brought to justice, I do not think any would shed tears of sorrow for him.”

Glorfindel smiled as he heard the younger ellyn discussing the various ways to bring about Lastharos’ end. Their sense of outrage at the man’s treatment of their friends was understandable, and he felt it no less than the others. Still, he had learned that sometimes the desire for revenge could not always be satisfied with the mere destruction of one’s enemy. Sometimes, the desire itself could turn on its bearer and bring more pain to them than to the one intended.

“We must remember that we are here primarily to seek the Sacred Waters and learn about this land which was the home of our ancestors,” he chided gently. “Let us not seek battle, but if battle should come to us, we shall not seek to avoid it.”

Elladan and Haldir nodded respectfully, acknowledging the much older, much wiser Elf’s words. What Glorfindel said was true. They certainly would not seek trouble, but would certainly not run from it if it arose.