One Flesh, One Soul. Part 2 by FellFireFan  

Ladros
366 A.D

The large wooden door echoed with three gentle knocks and with a rattling creak, it slid open. Engrossed in the pages of a book, the young Andreth was completely oblivious to the sudden presence of her father leaning against the door way. The outside world seemed to fade away in her mind as she lay on her stomach on her bedroom floor, peacefully flicking the sheets of parchment in the comforting sound of the crackling of fire.

"So, it seems you have been returned to me safe and well, my daughter," Boromir's smiled warmly, his sudden voice drawing the small girls attention across her bedroom, "So," he continued, "you have met the fair Lord Aegnor I hear,"

Andreth's eyes sparkled with life and she raised her slender frame from the floor, her long hair falling around her like a blanket.

"Do you know him father?" she asked calmly, her rosy lips bending into a sweet smile .

"Do I know Aegnor?" Boromir chuckled gently as he came and settled down on the floor infront of his young daughter. "In fact, I am well acquainted with the elf lord. I was but a boy when I first met him, riding through the woods with my father on my first orc hunt. His fierce presence had a great effect on me and we been close friends since that day."

Her bright, innocent smile turned to a childish blush and her gaze fell shyly to the floor.

"He seemed like a dream, yet, it was real. Just like in the stories I read in my books. He truly was a wonderful creature," she sighed quietly, her gaze rose to meet Boromir's kind eyes, "Father... do you think he will come back one day?"

He sighed sadly and hesitated before answering.

"Be warned my daughter, that your heart does not yearn for such a day. Prince Aegnor... while kind and noble of spirit, does not allow his heart to be touched by anyone. He is a very guarded being, a closed shell no force can penetrate. Not even the sweet and innocent face of a child," he smiled, playfully pinching her round, soft cheek as she giggled.

"I am confident I shall see him again father. I know he will not forget me. I can not explain to you what happened... but I feel... like I had known him for a lifetime... in some place... far from the bounds of this world."

"You are yet so young child," Boromir replied, "your book is yet unwritten, you're story untold. You and only you can decide its pages,"

With tender, fatherly words still warm on his lips, Boromir bend forward and kissed his daughters brow. His black hair with threads of silver entwined shimmered in the firelight as he rose to his feet and quietly departed with a gentle close of the door. Andreth got up and waited till she could no longer hear the clunk of his footsteps outside and walked to the corner of her chambers. Kneeling upon the floor, she lifted one of the planks and reached her hand beneath. From her secret compartment, she pulled out a small silver box. She unclasped its lock and settled herself on the floor, her legs elegantly crossing beneath her small frame. Resting on a plush cushion revealed her most cherished possession. A broken fragment of the poisoned spear, the very piece that was lodged in Aegnor's shoulder from his confrontation with the troll. Its thin carved veins that once held the deadly poison, lines stained red with elven blood. Her gentle fingers traced its edges, her mind wondered to that fateful day.

Laying on his back upon the wet grass after surrendering his consciousness to the toxins. The cold rain drops peltering down upon them. His face embedded into her memory. His skin glistening as his wet hair clung to his face and lips. His eyes shut as though he was sleeping. So helpless he seemed to her in that moment. Helpless and breath-taking.

Lake Auluine

382 A.D

The lingering star of that enchanting night gradually faded, bidding farewell to its nocturnal reign, heralding the birth of a new day. With the final verse sung and the last drop of wine savoured, the night before had been a blessed one, filled with merriment and laughter, dances, and songs

As the dawn lifted beyond the horizon, Bregor emerged from his tent, accompanied by Variel. He instructed his beautiful wife to take a rest on a chair. He left her side and took a walk just as people were waking up. He came to a barrel filled with water and grabbing a spoon, took a drink. Just then it was in the corner of his eye that a small figure sitting alone on a withered stump. Mousey brown hair covered her face, posture marred with misery and gloom. Beryl sulked alone just outside the hustle and bustle and the camp. Indignant at her, he sighed in annoyance and made his way toward her on the outskirts of the camp.

"Beryl," he spoke with agitated calmness, "there is work to be done, the women could do with a helping hand,"

She ignored her brother, crossing her arms in firm defiance. Her her eyes flooding with angry tears.

"Go away Bregor!" She barked, "My heart is broken! Andreth has driven away the only man I have ever loved! Now I am destined to wither, an old maid without the solace of a single male companion, just like her! That vile sister of mine! Once again, she has shattered my happiness, and I shall never forgive her for as long as I draw breath!"

"BERYL!" yelled Bregor, his sudden bellow cracked the air, jolting her, "I have had enough of you and your sulking! Go and assist the servants now! You pursue men like a mindless sport, shamelessly proclaiming your love for each one, Only to move on to the next one as if it were nothing! This wheel of misery of yours ends now! This one will serve as a warning to all who do not evert their gaze from my sisters breasts!" He roared.

She stood up her face twisted with fear and rage, "How dare you!" She screamed, "I shall have any man I wish! The day I turn sixteen I am leaving this stifling house and getting married and I will never come back! Never!!"

"Beryl..." Bregor sighed softly

"BERYL!" he cried as she whirled around and took to flight.

He called out to her but when it was clear she had no intended of stopping and was fleeing into the forest alone, he gave chase. Variel watched her husband chase Beryl into the woods and slowly rose from her chair, cradling her belly. Not knowing what to do, she waddled toward the woodland, following the frantic siblings.

Deep into the trees, Bregor pursued Beryl, her nimble body being just that little bit quicker. He stumbled on a fallen branch and crashed into the ground, his hands stopping his fall. Panting heavily he cried out to Beryl ordering her to stop.

"Leave me alone! I HATE YOU!!" Her screech echoed in reply deeper into the forest. He sighed deeply and agitatedly and got up again to continue the chase. Eventually, she reached a vast split in the earth before her with no path forward. A ditch several feet deep revealed sharp jagged rocks at below. As Bregor gained on her, she desperately looked for a path to the other side, her eyes clocked a large fallen tree that formed a bridge to the other side and she climbed onto its trunk. Her arms splayed for balance, she slowly walked across but she reached the midpoint, Bregor finally emerged.

"Beryl, please! Get away from there! Come back!" he begged her, but she ignored him, her feet etching further along the tree to the other side.

"You were always harsh on me Bregor! You do not love me, not like Andreth! I see that now! I will not come back

"Why would you say such a thing!? You are just as important to me as Andreth!"

"Liar! You both hate me! You accept non of my friends or my boyfriends!"

"Beryl..I,"

As he was yet talking, the hem of her dress caught on the splintered wood, and yanked her off balance and she tumbled over the side. A blood-curdling cry shattered the trees. She desperately clung to the flimsy branch of the tree that pointed downward to the rocky abyss below. Their sharp, jagged surface ready to claim her life in a perilous instant.

"BERYL! HOLD ON!" Bregor screamed. Just was climbing onto the tree, another distant blood curdling shriek sliced his ears, emanating from the depths of the woods behind him. He recognized the petrified voice of Variel. Bregor, his head spinning furiously between the two cries, stood confronted with an agonizing, and utterly terrifying reality.

As hope seemed to slip, and he began to consider whose life he should save, another sound came in the form of galloping of hooves against the soil, approaching them from the other side of the chasm. Bregor lifted his wide eyes to see the figures of Angrod and Aegnor emerge from the dense foliage on return from their patrol. With a grace that defied mortal bounds, the two brothers sprang over the large split from one side to the other, their horses leaping furiously over the gaping mouth and landing on either side of Bregor with a solid thump.

Angrod saw the unfolding tragedy. In a voice that was deep and calm, he turned to Bragor. "How may we lend aid?"

"Variel!" Bregor's voice trembled with desperation. "Her cries of distress reached my ears from the nearby woodland! Please, lords, go save her!"

The elves exchanged a glance and without hesitation, Aegnor darted into the forest. Sorna's powerful legs propelling him on. Variel, her heavy load a burden on her strength, frantically attempted to escape the relentless beast hot on her heels. With each desperate stride, her hopes of outrunning her pursuer dwindled. Finally, she halted, gasping for breath, her tear-streaked face contorted with raw terror. Summoning her last ounce of bravery, she turned to confront her predator, emitting a bone-chilling scream that pierced the air.

Her eyes locked onto the nightmarish sight that awaited her—a snarling orc, its grotesque flesh hanging from its body as if defying death itself. Its lipless mouth revealed a ghastly row of yellow, jagged teeth, while its malevolent white eyes fixated unwaveringly on its prey. Oily hair obscured its vision, accentuating the creature's monstrous nature against its cracked skin. The orc's sinewy muscles rippled as it roared, savouring Variel's fear. Slowly, it closed in, its jaws salivating. As Variel sank to the ground in utter helpless fear, her hand trembled as she extended towards the orc, clutching her belly. Desperate to protect the life of her unborn child

Aegnor moved through the trees like a furious spirit, drawing his blade as he closed in on their location. It sliced the wind with a piercing whistle as he spun it wildly through the wind with a wave of his wrist, the sharp edge glinted in the rays of sunlight. He charged to Variel's defence. He leapt upon the orc. He thrust his blade into its back before it could turn to defend itself. It screamed and cried as Aegnor viciously butchered it before Variels own eyes, black blood sprayed all over the plants and upon Aegnor. The screeching died and the orcs body stilled beneath the elf. An eerie silence followed. A quiet not even the birds in the trees wanted to break. Finally, Aegnor turned to the petrified Variel. He quickly tried wiping away the blood from his face, clothes and hair, as if suddenly conscious of the fear in her eyes. She saw a vulnerability in him she never knew before, she saw shame. Slowly she stood up, awkwardly clutching her abdomen.

Aegnor watched intently as she gently reached out and took his blood-stained palm in her own. With gentleness, she guided his hand to her abdomen. Aegnor's breath stilled, his entire body freezing, heavy with a profound anticipation. They waited in silence for a moment, then, he felt a lump slowly push back into his palm. Aegnor quivered, releasing a shuddering sigh, filled with awe. His smile gave way to tears flooding his glowing eyes. His demons sufaced in that unguarded moment, the feelings he had be running from for so long. Shame, emptiness... and deep regret.

"Do you feel her?" Variel asked calmly, her breath as gentle as rain, "she reaches for you, her champion."

Her eyes raised and her beaming smile died when the quiet sniffs and restrained sobs whispered from him. His lips trembled violently and he broke the connection, turning away from Variel. She watched quietly from behind as the elf lord stood just afew paces away from her. He then sank to his knees upon the grass, utterly undone

"I am sick of this... of all of this," his weak voice muttered, "I am so tired of fighting," he whispered

The pink petal fell from the blossom hanging above. It fluttered and danced gently down to the grassy plain below. With the lightest breeze, it landed in his bloodied palm. He gazed down at the delicate petal in his hand. In that moment, he remembered Marúel and Petaril. Their faces haunting his mind like a broken dream. All they suffered for love and a chance for freedom, and the price they paid for it. He would not let their fates be for nothing. He knew what he had to do. Slowly his fingers enclosed around the petal, he would accept his fate as its guardian. "Life... there is much beauty in it, yet... so much pain." He murmured grimly.

Variel stepped closer and offered him her hand. Aegnor accepted it and rose to his feet with her gentle pull.

"There is also love and joy in it. Moments of happiness that last for a lifetime. There is no greater feeling in the world... than being wrapped in the embrace of a loved one. These are the moments worth living for," she smiled 

His empty expression lit up once more. His eyes filling with a renewed strength and purpose.

"Thank you," he whispered

Back at camp, as Angrod emerged from the trees astride his noble steed and Bregor walking closely beside him, Beryl clutched securely in his arms. They drew the attention of many. Andreth, who had been looking for them, came flying toward them with haste. Her brow tense with worry and her eyes wide.

"Beryl!" Andreth cried out, her voice tinged with concern. Bregor swiftly explained the events. Andreth, with utmost tenderness, took hold of her sister's delicate hand. Beryl lay in a stupor, alert but unresponsive. The shock is still within her.

"I will take her back to her tent," Angrod announced, lifting her from Bregor's arms, "You will wait here for Variel, Aegnor should have dispatched the threat by now" With Beryl's slim frame in his arms, Angrod carefully waded toward the encampment.

"Andreth, has Variel returned with Aegnor?" Bregor hastily inquired, his words hurried and laden with" apprehension.

Andreth looked at him, bewildered. "No, has something happened?" Bregor spun around, his gaze fixated on the woodland.

"Ready my horse!" Bregor cried, "I am going to look for my wife!"

"My Lord!" His guard called out, pointing toward the woods, "look!"

Aegnor appeared, with Variel seated comfortably behind him in a side-sadle. He rode with unhurried steps, taking care not to upset the delicate burden nestled behind him. With fervour, Bregor raced towards them, followed at a distance by Andreth. He dismounted, extending his arms to Variel, Andreth's steps faltered as she beheld the state of him. Her gaze fixated on the spatters of orc blood that painted him. Aegnor returned Variel into the waiting embrace of her husband. Overwhelmed with joy, Bregor enveloped his beloved with tender devotion, bestowing upon her countenance a cascade of adoring kisses.

Aegnor observed the scene with a smile that radiated palpable contentment, Bregor whispered sweet nothings into Variel's ear before burying his head into her neck, and then he turned to Aegnor

"I would hate to see the condition of the one who attacked you, Aegnor," Bregor jested.

Aegnor grinned. His smile faded slightly as his gaze fell on Andreth as she hastened towards him.

"Aegnor, you are a frightful sight!" she gasped softly, her voice delicate with tenderness.

"And your beauty is boundless as always, my lady!" He chortled with a playful bow, "shall I fetch thee a pale of water, that you might gaze upon your reflexion while the stars wait upon your permission to align?"

Andreth laughed with matching wit.

"Nay, for I will take that pale and dump it over your head and rince you like a dish rag if you ever leave in such a fashion again and return like the wolves spat you back out!" She grinned. They laughed together, their eyes lingering. Variel turned to her husband

"Come Bregor, let's leave them alone for a while," She smiled, pulling Bregor away.

He went willingly without a thought, following her back to the camp. Andreth approached Aegnor closer. The tension between then was palpable. He reached behind him, and Andreth gasped as his hand emerged. From the folds in his clothing, Aegnor pulled a white bloom of supreme beauty. Its delicate petals crisp and unfurled, welcomed her sparkling gaze. She smiled as he placed it in her pale, soft hands. She brought it to her nose and sniffed. The sweet smell caressed her senses.

"Good morning," Aegnor whispered. His soft gaze caressing her gentle features.

"You left my side so suddenly last night, swift as a fleeting shadow. I had not even time to utter a goodbye,"

"Orcs had been spotted nearby, I had to...,"

"I know, Aegnor," she breathed, smiling delicately. "I must have every moment with you, and I know I am selfish," She smiled, her cheeks blushing shyly.

He stood serenely, gazing down upon her with soft eyes, his hair billowing across his face in the gentle air. Warm fingers slowly slipped into hers. She tensed, her hand closing around his. She gazed into his eyes, discerning a mischievous glint shining within their depths with an subtle, anticipating grin. She understood his unspoken desire.

She blushed, and a matching grin spread between her cheeks. She lead him back to the camp, it was barely occupied as many were out gathering provisions for the journey home. They slipped between the sheets of tents to minimise visibility from the few guards scattered around. Soon they made it to her tent and slipped inside the closed privacy sheets. They entered Andreth's tent, the air tasted sweet. Andreth turned and Aegnor closed in. They immediately embraced. She was enveloped in his scent. Like forest air after rainfall. Like fire on an autumn lake. It was a smell so distinctly his, she could never forget it. He held her face and kissed her. His perfect lips claiming hers with touch so gentle. She raised her hands and folded them around the nape of his neck. Welcoming him deeper into her and Aegnor readily accepted.

"Aegnor... " she smiled as she buried her face into his neck. He held her there, like a pillar of support as she melted into his arms, "we must say goodbye, yet again. I can not bare to let you go again."

Slowly, he released her gazing into her beautiful, sad eyes. "Do not fear the uncertainty that lies ahead. I will make the way for us." He whispered.

Doubt shrouded her. "I know you wish me to trust in you fully, yet I must have but a small, fleeting hope that there is a chance for us," she replied with a matching, hushed tone. Her hopeful eyes, pleading with his. "I have waited so long for you." She whispered. His intense gaze lingered on her, drinking in her beauty and fragility.

"Bregor is aware of the nature of my feelings for you," he replied softly. "It will not be long before it reaches your father's ears also. Upon my next return from my post in Angband, I intend to seek a private audience with him, and there, I will beseech him that I may have your hand in marriage."

Her face intensified at his words. "A marriage between the Eldar and the Edain? Could such a thing truly exist?" She quivered.

"I perceive no gulf that divides us indefinitely, or force that could drive me from your side. I will return to you Andreth." he spoke softly.

With a lingering glance and a timid, trembling sigh. She left her hopes in his hands.

"So be it then, Aegnor," she answered, "unto you, I entrust my heart and my dreams. At with every break of dawn, I shall turn my gaze toward the sunrise and await your return and all that you have promised me," She leaned into him then, her lips brushing his in a whisper of a kiss, her breath trembling with the weight of their secret love "Into your hand, I pledge my heart and my body to you alone. ,"

Andreth's eyes shone with a fierce devotion, her every burning ember yearning to be consumed by his passionate hunger. Not opening his eyes, Aegnor unravelled within her, securing her lips with a final sweet, lingering kiss.

He stepped away and quietly withdrew from her tent. Before stepping out of the billowing curtains, he stole a final lingering glance at her. She passed him a tense smile, and he silently slipped out. His shadow disappeared and then, he was gone.

Alone in her tent, without the presence of Aegnor, she felt a heavy weight upon her heart. How empty her world seemed without him. She ignored a lingering feeling of dread that snagged at her mind, choosing to place her trust in his word completely and that his term commanding Angband would not keep him from her side overlong.

"Goodbye Aegnor... please remember what you promised me," She whispered to the air.

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Sleeping peacefully, deep in the throws of her dream, Variel was awoken by an agonising pain from her womb. Bregor shot up and saw his wife clutching her stomach and screaming. Blood soaked the sheets between her thighs and on her clothing. Bregor threw off the pelt blankets and raced to Andreths room, banging on her door and yelling. The whole house became disturbed by the noise and started emerging from their rooms. Andreth opened, her hair long hair tangled and her eyes heavy. Half asleep, she could barely make out the flood of loud panicking words. She came rushing to Bregors chambers, to find Variel spread upon the sheets sobbing loudly. She ordered Bregor to rouse the maid servants and midwives immediately and bring them to Variel. He obeyed her command without question and ran out.

Within the intimate confines of the bedchamber, the assembled women employed every resource at their disposal to ease Variel's distress. Alas, all was not well. As the arduous labour dragged on through the night, it became apparent that Variels life was draining.

Andreth approached Variel's side, taking hold of her pale hand and offering words of solace to her dear sister, urging her to persevere. Variel's cerulean eyes, akin to the boundless depths of the ocean, vibrant with life, now bore a sallow and weary gleam. Her golden tresses now hung tangled and dishevelled, devoid of their former lustre and drenched with moisture. Beads of sweat upon her forehead bore witness to the valiant struggle she fought for the sake of her unborn child, a battle she was losing. Andreth beheld Variel's dull, vacant gaze, witnessing the ebbing of life from her eyes.

A solitary tear fell from Andreth's visage, a silent plea to her sister. Summoning her last reserves of strength, Variel exerted herself with one last effort. Thrice she pushed, summoning forth the child from within her, and with bated breath, the babe was delivered into the waiting arms of Lady Anthel, who swiftly enshrouded the fragile form in a comforting blanket. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Variel's consciousness briefly waned, slipping into the embrace of sleep.

Andreth hastened to her mother's side, her heart heavy with trepidation, to examine the newborn child. It was a daughter, a resplendent baby girl. However, their initial smiles were swiftly marred by furrowed brows as they realized that the child lay motionless, devoid of breath. Andreth, her voice trembling, took the infant from her mother, whose very being was gripped by fear. Drawing her niece near the hearth, Andreth employed every ounce of her being to breathe life into the tiny form. Alas, the child remained unresponsive, unyielding to Andreth's desperate attempts. Placing her ear against the infant's red, miniature chest. Life burst from the infant, cries for comfort shrieked from its mouth.

"My child..." Variel's hushed voice permeated the air as she stirred once more. Andreth, summoning her inner strength, composed herself and rose to her feet. Variel extended her arms expectantly, a glimmer of hope adorning her weary face. With utmost care, Andreth brought the baby to her mother's waiting embrace, tenderly cradling her against Variel's breast. The cries soon quieted as the infant felt its mother's warmth, seeking replenishment from her.

"She is... a treasure," Variel whispered, her gaze fixed lovingly upon the precious child nestled against her bosom. Andreth, her heart deeply troubled, could only nod in response.

"Yes, yes she is," Andreth croaked, her words laden with raw emotion as she surrendered to sudden tears that she had not expected. Overcome by the moment.

"Let not your heart be sad... sweet Andreth," Variel whispered, her countenance graced by a gentle, unwavering smile. "No greater gift could I bestow to you, now I am complete... but you...," she paused, her voice barely above a breath. "A grander fate awaits you, full of blissful happiness... far from this world,"

Overwhelmed, Andreth's tears turned to weeps as she tenderly clasped Variel's hand, weeping into it. Her mother and the attending maidens joined in her tears, forming a circle around the fair and noble lady.

A serene, dying smile lingered upon Variel's lips as she finally reclined, her gaze fixed upon the flying birds through the opened window. She blinked, as if capturing fleeting moments in her mind, and softly spoke, "Life... 'tiss such a cruel, gift... too few sunlit days... too few... memories," With a final breath, Variel's soft smile faded as she gradually succumbed to the embrace of eternal slumber, her baby cradled against her breast.

Variel, the noble and courageous lady, succumbed to her fate that day, leaving behind a void that could never be filled. The weight of sorrow hung heavy upon Ladros, as they mourned the loss of a beautiful life, so sweet and good, the extinguishment of a precious, nascent flame, never to be rekindled

Bregor, consumed by an immeasurable sorrow, found himself adrift. In the depths of his grief, he turned to the solace of parchment and quill, penning a heartfelt missive to Felagund, beseeching him for a favour. His words, laden with the weight of a shattered soul, brought the noble lord to undertake a solemn duty—transporting the hallowed remains of Variel to the sacred grounds of Norgothrond, where a clandestine sepulchre awaited, one in which she could find eternal repose. The remembrance of Variel's presence had become an unbearable burden, a relentless ache that he could no longer endure.

With profound dignity, Felagund cradled Variel's lifeless form, bestowing upon her a burial befitting her regal spirit. In a secluded enclave within his kingdom, known solely to him, he laid her to rest with dignity. Interring her remains in a bed of flowers, ensuring that her final sanctuary would forever remain a secret whispered only by the winds of Norgothrond.

○○○

Ladros

384 A.D

With an ostentatious display, a flamboyant knight and his grand retinue galloped into the keep of Boromir, their thunderous arrival causing chaos in the bustling marketplace. Stalls were upended, and fruits and vegetables tumbled haphazardly in their wake. Bedecked in resplendent armour, the lord himself wore a helmet adorned with large, vibrant feathers, his eagerness akin to an unruly bull unleashed in search of a mate. Bregor, seated on the keep's outer stairs lost in contemplation, observed the spectacle with disdain as the men dismounted at the foot of the stairs.

The flamboyant knight, however, proved to be the epitome of clumsiness. Bregor arched an eyebrow as he silently witnessed the lord struggle to free his foot from the stirrup, resulting in an ungainly hopping motion. His cloak flapped and flopped, and it swirled in the vibrant wind as he fought with its enclosing grasp over his head while still hopping to free his foot. The cape obscured his vision, while his men rushed to assist him. Finally freed from the stirrup, the knight steadied his feet, pushing away his men in an attempt to regain a semblance of regal composure, hoping no one had borne witness to his embarrassing predicament.

"You there! Guardsbody! Come hither at once!" The knight called out to Bregor. Unmoved, Bregor took a slow draw from his pipe, deliberately disregarding the knight's command. Infuriated by this direct disregard, the knight removed his helmet, revealing a youthful countenance adorned with ribbons and braids woven into his fair hair. A similarly ribboned and braided dark beard adorned his face. Handsome, though he may be, his features contorted with indignation.

"How dare you dismiss me, worm! Such insolence shall not go unpunished! Come here immediately, I need not repeat myself thrice!" The knight bellowed in his high-pitched voice.

Suppressing a sigh, Bregor calmly rose from his seat and descended the stairs. His stoic expression and dark countenance remained unfazed, undeterred by the towering presence of the lord before him.

"What is your business here, wanderer?" Bregor asked, his voice devoid of emotion as he stood face-to-face with the knight.

"You insolent wretch! I am a prince and you shall address me with the respect I am owed and my proposal of marriage to the Lady Andreth is not knowledge that is known to you and you will indeed not know why I am here! I shall ensure that your lord will strip you of your position! Now, assist my men in carrying my belongings into the keep. The lord of this keep is expecting my arrival with ardent enthusiasm!"

"Oh?" Bregor replied, a hint of sardonic amusement lacing his words. In response, a leather glove swiftly met Bregor's face, and the knight delivered a resounding slap.

"Once again, you insult me with your profound ignorance! Pray, do your eyes not hear what your mouth sees?" He sneered, his voice dripping with exaggerated haughtiness. He paused, his eyes darting about in a desperate search for the right words. "Do your... eyes... behold.. what... umm," He stammered, his thoughts crumbling before him. Bregor, unable to contain his amusement, allowed a subtle smile to grace his lips, delighting in the knight's futile struggle to express himself with elegance.

"Are you content to remain like a mute beast of burden?" the knight bellowed, his frustration piercing through his attempts at sophistication. Bregor's gaze bore into him, a mixture of amusement and subtle mockery twinkling in his eyes,

"Follow me," Bregor hissed with a flick of his head, his voice laced with sardonic disdain, and led the knight, and his bemused retinue up the steps and into the keep.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a large warm fire and curious faces.

"I find that the abode of the house of Boromir does not quite match the expectations I had envisioned," he declared with a resonant voice, casting his gaze upon the surroundings. "This dwelling seems better suited for a prosperous farm owner than a noble lord. My residence, I dare say, exudes a far greater sense of luxury. Pray, when might I have the honour of conversing with the esteemed lady?" His words resounded with boldness and confidence.

Bregor turned sharply. His countenance bore a stern expression, tinged with anger. "You may speak with her once the lord of this household deems you worthy!" Silence descended upon the hall as the two lords locked eyes.

"Well, where is the lord of this house? That I may persuade him," he asked.

Bregor's eyes narrowed with contempt. "I am he!" He hissed.

"I beg your pardon, my lord. I mistook you for one of your guards," he offered his flimsy excuse, bowing gracefully, followed by his entourage. Clearing his throat, he continued, his voice feigning boldness. "My lord, I am Jedran, the son of King Jerdyn of the realms to the south. In the wake of my ten elder brothers' tragic demise in battle, I stand to bear the burden of my father's entire kingdom, I seek a queen who shall reign by my side," he paused, his hopeful smile fading upon seeing the unyielding countenance of Bregor. With wavering confidence, he pressed on.

"Above all else, she must be a maiden of refined beauty, nobility and purity, and I have come to negotiate a proposal of marriage for the reputation of your sister has reached my ears." A deliberate, drawn-out silence ensued, the prince, visibly uncomfortable, cleared his throat.

"Why not take a wife from your own people?" Bregor grumbled apathetically.

Nervous under Bregors intimidating glare, the prince passed weight from one foot to the other. "There is a scarcity of eligible women in my kingdom and those of neighbouring realms," he replied simply. "I have personally auditioned many fine maiden's, all of whom have failed to meet the expectations I require. These qualities are of paramount importance to my image and reign. Perhaps I may be granted the privilege of an audience with her...that I may judge her beauty for myself."

"No! You may not!" Bregor roared "My sister will not be paraded to the likes of you like some milk cow to be sold to market! Your eyes will not behold her now, nor shall they ever forthwith! Now get out and do not come back!"

The guards surrounding them closed in, their hands resting on their blades, glaring at them. "Please, just hear me. What I have to offer her is a life full of comfort and wealth beyond imagining, and by extension, you and your own kingdom. An alliance woven by the sacred bed of marriage, I will care for her and give her all her heart desires. She will never know a day of want. What say you?"

"Her hand has been promised to another, a being far greater than both you and I, and her heart will have no other. You seek women for trophies, my sister shall choose her own path and it is not with you!" Bregor sneered.

Jedran softened, his voice descending to a gentle cadence. "I humbly extend my deepest apologies for any offense caused to you." With a soft smile, accompanied by a respectful bow, he turned to depart the keep before stopping once more. "Permit me," he spoke again, turning back to face him, "This rival you speak of, is he skilled in the art of the dual? I would throw my lot into combat with him, for the hand of such a woman." he suggested.

"I can assure you, that if you were to challenge him to an honourable dual, even before your first strike would fall, your death would be swift," Bregor replied

"Truly? He is that deadly?" A pensive pause punctuated his words before he spoke again. "In that case, my quest shall persist," he conceded, a tinge of melancholy underscoring his tone. "My proposal remains resolute, and I shall patiently await your response regarding the fate of your sister, should the tides of fortune graciously turn in my favour," he called out as he departed, leaving Bregor's presence.

Andreth would fill her days riding along the valleys and clifftops, always with Aegnor's blade strapped to her hip. In the far distance, her eyes fell upon the tiny white fragment of wall that stuck out between two mountains, as far as her eyes could behold. Its smooth, white stone surface reflected the suns bright kiss, making it glow like a shimmering beacon of hope on the horizon.

She sighed contentedly, a blissful smile upon her fair face. "So far from me, yet I feel you are always but a breath away," she whispered to the wind. She looked down at her hands clutching a her reins and a small bouquet of white snow drops that lay in her grasp. "If only father had lived long enough to know of our loves pledge. It would have filled him with so much joy." The fragment of wall, strong as ever stood like a guard at its post. "Soon my love, you will return to my arms, until that moment, Your heart is safe with me." With those final words she rode away. Her hair and dress flowing behind her like a shroud unleashed to the wind.

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Norgothrond
386 A.D.

Finrod sat comfortably in the dimly lit chambers. Soft scribbles of the quill sounded from the parchment as he penned a missive. Its intended recipient was Aegnor. Taking a rest mid-way through, the wooden, elven carved chair creaked as he leaned back and sighed deeply. In the rush of thought that clouded his mind, he found himself utterly bereft of words, and for a long, lingering spell, he was deeply troubled.

He was faced with an impossible decision. To allow his brother the freedom to choose to continue on this path, knowing only grief and despair without union waited for him at the end, or to protect his brothers heart, sparing him the grief of her loss, shouldering the blame entirely.

He plucked his quill up from its inky prison. Just as it made contact with the parchment again, an unexpected sound caught him off guard, pulling him from his stormy thoughts. His curiosity switched to alarm when a pair of hands grasped the bottom of the window from the outside. Finrod leapt to his feet to confront the unexpected intruder only to see Aegnor's robust figure, clouded in shadow pulling himself upwards and inside.

"Aegnor!" Finrod yelled, grabbing him.

"Your guards are very diligent Finrod," Aegnor laughed as Finrod pulled him in, he clambered over the sill and into the cosy room.

"Aegnor! Why must you continually disregard the formality of penned letter announcing your coming afore hand! Had my guards seen you, they would have shot you!" He scolded him harshly. The ire in Finrods eyes only made his boyish youngest brother laugh.

"Is it not my duty to offer distraction from the tedious affairs of the state?" Aegnor quipped, his witty grin widening further. "You should thank me!" He added

"Do not make light of this, Aegnor! From this moment one you shall not enter my realm or scale my walls without first notifying my guards of your presence. Do I make myself clear?!" Finrod fumes, pointing his finger directly in his face.

Seeing Finrods genuine anger blazed, Aegnor took aback, his smile slowly morphing into a frown of confusion.

"What troubles you, Finrod?" Aegnor asked softly

Finrod's stern countenance softened, his gaze fixated on Aegnor's eyes, shimmering with innocence. Releasing a tense sigh. "I was in the proceeds of penning a missive addressed to you," A heavy burden weighed upon his features, casting a dark shadow over his countenance. He returned to his writing desk and leaned against it. His nirmally merry and calm voice, heavy with a deep melancholy, "there are matters of great significance I need to discuss with you..." Finrod continued.

"And I with you" Aegnor smiled broadly. He placed his hand on his chest, as is trying to stop his heart from leaping out, "there is a secret I have longed to share with you... that is why I have come."

Silence fell, heavy and deafening. As Finrod rested his elbow on the desk, his head cradled in his hand. Sensing his brother's sombre mood, uncharacteristic for him, Aegnor paused, his grin sinking into a look of confusion.

"Brother?" Aegnor spoke. Finrod sat silently, and his form was cloaked in shadows. "Finrod... if I have committed any offence against you I beg your forgiveness..."

Finally, Finrod turned around.

"No Aegnor, you are innocent, yet I confess... my heart is deeply, deeply troubled." Finrod muttered sombrely.

Aegnor watched Finrod silently as with a graceful sweep, he sat down upon the furnishings, extending his hand, he invited Aegnor to occupy the cheslonge parallel to him.

"Must you make every familial affair between us a rigorous formality? You know how much I hate that!" Aegnor grumbled as he came and sat down before him. The brothers stared at one another quietly, the air thick with unspoken words. A smile, masking a profound sense of dread, gently uplifted the corners of Finrod's plump lips.

"I am happy to see you so elated Aegnor..." Finrod began, his posture, stiff. A tense pause lingered between them. Aegnor observed his brothers hands that sat upon his lap. Their form tightly clenching together with one finger tapping rhythmically at the back of his hand. The tension thickened, and Finrod cautiously posed his question. "Are you ready now to divulge the name of the maiden, the very one who has cast her spell upon your heart?" He asked.

"You are nervous, Finrod," He remarked. Aegnor was no fool; Finrod could not deceive him, and he was foolish to believe he ever could.

Finrod released a heavy sigh. His hair shimmering like moonlight upon a field of snow, his full, plump lips tensing.

"I first discerned a change within you at the gathering in the few years passed." He began. "I noticed how you tended to Andreth. Her sway over your heart is... remarkable, to say the least." He paused. The heavy silence lingered as Finrod tensed under Aegnor's penetrating, almost predatory gaze, then he continued slowly, "I witnessed you both rise to retreat to the quiet of the wood, I bore witness to all that had followed between you and her afterward."

Aegnor rose from his seat, "so you followed me!" He growled

Finrod remained in his place. His steady gaze meeting Aegnor's. "Understand Aegnor, that what I did, I did for good reason..."

"Good reason!?" Aegnor barked, his voice coarse with building rage. "What reason could you possibly provide to justify this blatant abuse of my trust!" Aegnor shouted, his powerful voice shook the room.

("Sit down, Aegnor!") Finrod spoke calmly and clearly in elvish, he held an authority over Aegnors outbursts that no one could deny. Aegnor, seething, took a deep breath and obeyed his brother and sat back down.

"You are justified in your anger toward me, my brother. Know that I never deliberately seek to involve myself in your personal matters out of respect of you. Though in this particular instance, I deemed it was necessary."

Aegnors eyes blazed, boring into Finrods. His lips tensed in fury and his shoulders dropped.

"You may be the eldest Finrod... and you wear atar's own ring... but you do not hold authority over my own life, nor the decision I see fit to make! Have you already forgotten the countless times you would abscond with Amarïe into the night, and I kept it hidden from amil and atar, concealing your secrets from even them! This is how you repay me!

Finrod sighed defeatedly, his gaze dropping to his lap. "Aegnor, for undisputed clarity, I must ascertain beyond any shadow of doubt...." Finrods gaze lifted to Aegnor. A gesture of desperate hope that he is wrong, "the maiden you spoke to me of... is she Andreth?"

There was no expression on Aegnors face. A chilling vacancy of any discerning response. Though his eyes burned with ire, more terrifying than a dragons calculating stare. Finally, he replied, his tone as cold as his glare

"She is,"

The confirmation if his worst fear hung over Finrod like a leaden cloud. His head sunk low into his chest, and a look of deep regret darkened his brow.

"Be cautious, Finrod, that you do not further invoke my wrath, lest I succumb to deeds I shall certainly regret!" Aegnor warned, Finrod regarded him slowly. His clear threat not going unnoticed.

"You show caution, Aegnor! Do not make threats toward me! Control the anger that rages inside you!" Finrod asserted himself, his voice resonating with a low, commanding timbre.

A mysterious darkness shadowed Aegnor's brow lending power to the profound, unnerving glow that lit up his eyes like a raging wildfire. A terrifying look, that sent even Finrods fear to surface. Though it did frighten him to behold such an intensity in his youngest brother, Finrod stood his ground calm and in complete control. Suddenly, as if caught by a flicker, Aegnors eyes twitched and he disengaged, the shadow disappearing from his eyes. His gaze sank in quiet submission.

"Then, you disapprove," Aegnor muttered quietly, his head hung in low in defeat. "Yes, she is no high princess of noble elven birth. She is courageous as the ancient kings, as strong as the wild rivers flow and to her gentle voice, wind yields its power! She is unlike any maiden I have known, be they of men or of elves and she commands my heart. Yet you, my own brother, despises her!" He snarled

"On the contrary," Finrod countered, "I hold a great fondness for Andreth, She is after all the fore daughter of my most trusted servant and friend," Finrod replied, finally prompting Aegnor to look at him. A heavy pause hung in the air, and choosing to switch to elvish, he used their mother tongue to speak to Aegnors heart.

("The call of the feä is a phenomenon that resonates only within the Eldar. Bestowed upon us by the Valar, it is a connection that eludes the comprehension of all other races. Whether the depth of Andreth's love for you matches the fervent longing in your own heart, none can say with certainty. As Eldar, we are bound to seek out our spouses only among our own kind.")

("What did you say...?) Aegnor whispered slowly, his eyes narrowing.

Finrod explained on. ("When you came to me, to first seek my counsel, you unveiled the captive state of your heart, withholding her name from me, and I respected your silence. I presumed that the identity of this maiden was that of our own kind and not of mortal lineage. It was only through the glimpses of the passionate embrace you shared with her that fateful night that the gravity of my misjudgement unravelled before me,")

Aegnor sat unmoving, the same vacant glare boring into Finrod. Then, without warning, Aegnors rage exploded. His steel capped boot slammed beneath the small table between them, upturning it in a loud sudden crash. He sprung to his feet, towering over Finrod, his teeth and jaw clenching tightly.

"Not only do you violate my boundaries, now you seek to insult me! Calling into question the legitimacy of Andreth's love for me!" He roared, "whether Andreth has the blood of Eldar or the Edain, She is no less worthy a maiden to me! There is no distinctive differences when it comes to our genders that I can see with my own eyes! Why then would it matter? Other than your desire to drive us apart by blatant bigotry in your heart!"

Then Finrod rose to his full height. His eyes thunderous and his voice deepening, resonating with total authority. "Do not besmirch my character with words that have no place in my home!" he thundered

Aegnor darkened, his eyes narrowing. He stepped close, invading Finrods space. His breath softening with sadistic venom, "Did it vex you brother, to witness our heated kiss? I tasted her fully and it pleased her! Our tongues caressed with blissful delight!"

"Enough Aegnor!" Finrod thundered loudly. He pushed him back again, his eyes flashing. "You are vulgar and utterly bereft of the decorum of our noble house! You bring so much dishonour and shame to us, and you neither see nor care! Are you utterly incapable of learning from your mistakes?!" Finrod yelled.

"My only mistake lies in placing my trust in YOU!" Aegnor screamed. His ferocious bellow silenced the room. Finrod stared at his brother. His brow strained with deep hurt. Aegnor was not done with him yet. "I care not for your feelings Finrod. Hear my words! Once this accursed war is over, Andreth and I will wed. And if you deny us the rights to an elven ceremonial union, then by hröa to hröa alone, we will have it!"

He spun to leave, his form gliding toward the window and stopped. His voice, once powerful... now a ghostly caress

"I do not want enmity with you," Aegnor murmured. The light from the window cast upon him, he turned back to face him, catching the glistening in his watery eyes. "I came in hopes of celebration, that we might both rejoice in this newfound joy within my heart, just as you have known... with Amarïe. I have longed for a love of my own, my heart is inclined toward Andreth and I will accept no other. Why do you deny me the very same?" Aegnor quivered, his steely grey eyes glistening in the light. "brother, what can I do?"

Finrod sighed mournfully, his brow wrinkled with profound sadness. For once, Finrod had not the words to comfort him or advise him. His silence unsettled Aegnor even more.

"Finrod... please!" He broke. "I can no longer live like this! All my life, I have served you, I have done all that you have asked of me..." Aegnor broke down, his tears spilling down bis chiselled cheeks, "why do you deny me this only desire? You are not being fair..."

The sound of Aegnors helpless crying was too agonising for Finrod to hear. Aegnor crumbled before him. He slowly turned back to the window, resigning himself to Finrods decision and a life of exclusion from his kin.

"Wait Aegnor," Finrod finally replied with remarkable steadiness. "Follow me, there is something I need you to see." He swiftly left the room, inviting him to follow. With trembling breaths, Aegnor wiped his tears and left with Finrod.

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Aegnor followed behind as Finrod led him deeper into his dark dwelling, brightly illuminated by beautiful statues of elves of both genders holding torches of fire. They stopped at a large archway that held two doors. Commanding the armoured guards to step aside, which they responded with prompt obedience, they opened the doors simultaneously and allowed Finrod inside, followed by Aegnor pacing nonchalantly behind. The guards closed the doors behind them, and alone, the brothers were immediately shrouded in darkness.

Their feet were met with an immediate twisting staircase that descended down deeper. Their keen eye sight navigated the stone staircase. "Why this secrecy? Where are you taking me?" Aegnor demanded in annoyance.

Finrod's voice measured replied, "Be patient, Aegnor, all shall be revealed in due time. Now, come, stay close by my side." Finrod's words echoed through the hollow staircase as they descended.

At the foot of the winding steps, Finrod retrieved a torch from the wall, casting a warm glow upon their faces. Trinkets and ornaments were scattered haphazardly about, a testament to Finrod's long-standing fondness for collecting curious objects. Aegnor could not help but feel a twinge of nostalgia, remembering his youthful explorations of Finrod's private chambers in Tirion, where he would mischievously rearrange his brother's possessions. To Finrod, his collections were considered his sanctuary. But to Aegnor, it was a messy, disorganised hoard of objects that needed tidied up. Finrod led Aegnor through the labyrinthine, tapestry-lined corridors. Suddenly, a clanking sound startled them.

"Arrrh Finrod!!" Aegnor roared, delivering a penalty kick to the offending object that had tripped him. It crashed against the wall, shaking the very air around them. His brow furrowed in annoyance. "I tire of this! Learn to keep your household in order lest it succeeds in breaking my neck!!"

Finrod sighed, a touch of weariness in his voice. "When will you learn to control your temper, Aegnor?"

At last, they reached the gaping maw of a great cavern. Aegnor's breath caught in his throat at the sight before him. Within the dark depths, a small island of rock stood surrounded by a luminescent pool. Glowing cave flowers of blue and purple hues adorned the rock and cascaded over the ebony walls, casting an otherworldly radiance. Aegnor's eyes fell upon a large, white quartz casket, its lid bearing intricate carvings and a golden plate with an inscription.

"Do you know whose remains lay here?" Finrod asked, his gaze fixed upon Aegnor.

Aegnor studied the casket, memories stirring within him. "A mortal," he replied simply.

"You are correct," Finrod said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "You knew him well, Aegnor. He was also the one to bestow upon you the knowledge and language of his people, that you may converse with them freely as you do now. Beör, my dearest companion. He was the first among men I encountered, and he is the ancestor of Andreth."

Aegnor's eyes softened as recollections of Beör flooded his mind - the man's gentle smile, his love of nature, his curious spirit. "I remember him.." Aegnor whispered, his lips curling into a bittersweet smile. "He found such joy in the sway of trees and the light of dawn."

Finrod nodded solemnly. "Beör passed within the walls of my kingdom, his health succumbing to the ravages of mortal ailments. His fate is the burden that all men must bear - the fading of the light within them."

Aegnor's gaze lingered upon the casket, his heart heavy with the weight of Finrod's words. "Then Andreth's spirit carries the very essence of this noble soul," he murmured, admiration dawning in his eyes. "No wonder our bond is so profound.."

"Do you not see the toils that plague the Youngar? The curse of death and weariness that lurks before them?" Finrod asked, desperately searching for Aegnor's understanding.

Aegnor shrugged, "Do we not also suffer toil, Finrod? By fall of sword or poison? Do we not also experience death, same as they?"

Finrod sighed. "Alas, this is true, yet Aegnor, why is it that Andreth's ancestors are all absent while Andreth roams the world alive and well?" Finrod asked. A sudden shift hit Aegnor. He stared at the casket, his eyes squinting, deep in a chasm of his thoughts. "A mortal's lifespan is but a fleeting blink in our eyes. Like a bloom that grows from the ground, its splendour in full light of the moon, only to wither by the rise of the morning sun. Andreth will meet the same fate as Beör like all his descendants after him." The gentle hum of the torch held between them echoed in the silence, its dancing light reflecting off their faces. "There is no power that can alter this course, my brother,"

Aegnor stared at Finrod. His words hung between them like a dense, suffocating cloud. 

"Her spirit will fade until she too is beset by the ravages of old age, her strength and beauty never returning with passing of time. And that time is very short indeed."  Finrod murmured.

"I care not for the loss of her beauty! Nor the fading of her strength!" Aegnor exclaimed, his voice edging with sorrow. "When she can no longer see, my eyes shall be hers. When her feet fail her, it is my legs that will carry her. I would care for her as though she was my own child! Surely, our love will still remain!"

"Have you considered her feelings, Aegnor? Do you truly believe that Andreth would not suffer the shame of growing old alone while you, her own husband, retain your youth and vigour, untouched by age? Will she not continuously worry that your love for her will dissolve, the indignity of relying on your care, while her independent spirit still stokes its fierce flame?" Finrod replied softly. Aegnor was stunned silent. "Her lifespan may not even surpass the end of the siege," Finrod added.

Aegnor took a step back, his face riddled with slow and devastating realisation. "Then surely she will go to Mandos for healing!" Aegnor cried. "She will be made anew, and we will find one another again!" Desperate hope clung to his countenance, his eyes pleading with Finrod's.

"Nay Aegnor," he replied sorrowfully, his eyes equally glistening with unshed tears. "For the feä of mortals are fated to go west, blown by the wind of Erú Illuvatar, to a place that is hidden from the Eldar and nigh return henceforth."  Aegnor stepped backwards, his horror taking hold,

"Finrod..," he muttered, dispair gripping his very core. Suddenly, the words came flooding from him in a single, anguished rush. "You were the one that said our feä's never error in their choice! You told me!" He cried, his desperate eyes flooding with tears. Looking to Finrod, his sharp whimpers cut through the air. "What must I do!? Brother!" Aegnor cried, his voice tapering into despair."Tell me what I must do!"

The painful lump in a Finrod's throat tightened. "For the sake of her happiness, allow Andreth to choose another from her own kind, and return never to her side,"

Within Aegnor's vacant, frozen stare, Finrod heard the cracks begin to split the walls of his brothers mind. The last tendrils of sanity shattering like brittle glass. Within his eyes, Finrod witnessed his very foundations crumbling to rubble before his very eyes. Slowly, with great care, he extended a gentle hand to Aegnor, as if to figuratively grasp to whatever remained of his brother in that moment, desperate to save him from total collapse. Aegnor suddenly sprinted, fleeing into the darkness.

The echoes if Finrod's attempt to recall his brother back went ignored. Aegnor was shrouded in thick darkness, his footsteps drumming through the corridors. Unable to see, unable to hear, unable to care. He ran until an object splayed haphazardly on the ground tripped the elf, sending him flying through the air and landing with a hard crash upon the unforgiving stone floor.

The pain in his body from such a deadly fall rattled his very bones as he struggled up from the floor. His voice bubbling into soft whimpers of agony, but it was quickly quelled by a searing rage that boiled from his veins. Aegnor seized the offending object and launched it against the wall. It shattered on impact and scattered around the ground. He grabbed then another, and it met the same fate. He ripped tapestries and banners that hung from the walls. Candelabras, he smashed into the ground with unadulterated might. The thunderous crashes of objects mixed with unholy roars and wails of devastating horror and rage. Suddenly, Aegnor was quelled by the arms of Finrod who had seized him from behind, holding his brothers body against his as Aegnor succumbed to the grief that swamped his entire body in final, piercing scream of devastating sorrow, sinking to the ground.

Wrapped in Finrod's embrace, Aegnor wailed upon the floor. His ferocious sobs flooded the spacious passageway, shrouded in cold, darkness among the desolation Aegnor had wrought. His screams as the agony of a love denied him tore him asunder until there was no more power in his voice and no more tears in his eyes.

In the deafening silence. Aegnor lay. His eyes dulled of light and red with tears. His fragile expression and vacant stare haunted the space where they lay. Finrod, a comforting present, sat behind. His arms still wrapped around his brother.

"I will never walk again among the meadows with love in my heart, nor will I feel the touch of happiness. For what love has brought me, I would never welcome its embrace again." Aegnor whispered, his voice raw and coarse.

At that moment, he uttered his final vow, "I will go to the halls, a place far from the world and her memory, and never will I return again,"

With those sombre words, Aegnor's eyes closed, and he surrendered to the comfort of sleep. His fire extinguished completely. Finrod, his heart deep in the abyss of despair, cradled his precious siblings limp body. His tears flooded, and Finrod wept quietly. His huffs and sniffs ghost through the echoes of the lonely sanctuary.

○○○

Upon the pinnacle of a cliff, a solitary Andreth perched serenely, her hair gracefully wisped away by the furious breeze. A light smile played upon her lips. She opened the book in her hand. Pressed in its pages, the flower Aegnor had given her, his promise to her.

She turned her dark head towards the trees behind her as the soft thudding of hooves drew closer, an elf with bright hair. Her heart swelled with excitement. Her face pulled into a dazzling grin as she shot to her feet. Her white dress billowing in the wind.

"It is him! He has come... he kept his promise!" She whispered to herself as her heart flooded with joy.

As he drew closer and his face became clearer, it was not Aegnor. Her grin faded and was replaced by a look of confusion as Finrod gained ground upon her. He came to her with a wave of grimness. He appeared as though he had not known a days rest in months. Slowly, but no less formally, she dipped into a graceful bow. Her black tresses contrasting beautifully against her gown of purest snow.

"Lord Finrod, what brings you to me?" She asked

Finrod's sad eyes cast to the ground. "Lady Andreth, I have sought you out on behalf of those I love." She gazed at him silently, her smile fading. Finrod, his face grim and tired, added," I am aware of the affections shared between my brother and you and of the pledge you made to one another. I have come to tell you that you are forthwith released of the vows you spoke to one another, and you are free to make them to another. I am sorry," he bowed briskly and turned without another word.

"My lord?" She called out, he stopped. "Is he safe and well?"

Finrod turned. "Aegnor is safe." He replied

"Would you deliver a message for me?" She asked calmly. Finrod sighed and waited.

"Please tell him... " she paused, "to be well..."

After Finrod had rode away. She stood there in the sun. The wind billowing in her hair and flowing dress. Her book clasped in her hands slowly slipped out and unfurled upon the ground. The wind flicked the pages, and from its folds, the pressed white bloom blew out, carried away in its breath.

Slowly, she sank down upon her knees. Her eyes shimmered, and the tears pooled, making droplets upon her splendid white gown. She looked upon the heavens. Their swirling grey clouds met her gaze with an ominous canopy, and the cold splashes of rain kissed her face. Images of Aegnor flashed through her mind in rapid motion, his voice whispering into her ear, until they culminated in the memory of his soft kiss and she released a roar of utter despair toward the heavens and the sobs burst from her. She cried and wailed as the rain came lashing down. Her rage manifested in the rainstorm that engulfed her as her heart shattered into a million pieces.

And so, as the years came to pass. Andreth would write countless letters to Aegnor, hoping one would reach him. Letters of love, letters of rage, each one went unanswered. There came not a single word from him, and her dispair at his cruelty toward her grew evermore, and she found no respite.

○○○

A dark, gloomy shadow cast over Aegnor since his awakening in Nargothrond, forever altering his once vibrant heart. Laughter vanished from him, replaced by a haunting emptiness that swallowed him. His words were scarce and fleeting. He ignored the sons of Feänor, their cruel taunts going unchallenged and unanswered. His spirit, completely shattered. Angrod, deeply troubled with his fallen brothers depression, tirelessly endeavoured to comfort him. unaware of the reasons for Aegnor's inner turmoil, but nothing helped, for Aegnor's heart was utterly broken.

Not content with his misery, he threw himself in the relentless pursuit of his foes, throwing himself recklessly into the heart of battle and their vicious hordes. Employing the most brutal methods, he honed his skills, evolving into a figure far more brutal and ruthless than anyone could have fathomed. Each blow he struck unleashed his pent-up rage, offering him fleeting solace in the wake of their screams of agony or in the mere hope that even one of their blades might peirce his body, finally bringing him release. But non could, orcs quicker choosing to run from him rather than daring to challenge him.

When not consumed by fury and brutality, Aegnor distracted himself with wine, drinking excessively until his mind and body would falter into unconsciousness, and there he would lie for many days. He withdrew himself, succumbing to the lonely cries of his tormented mind, recklessly drowning his anguish with each intoxicating gulp. Angrod was helpless to save his brother. For he was working to hasten his death and leave this world and his pain behind.

○○○

Nargothrond

400 A.D

Finrod found solace in the seclusion of his chambers, seated upon the floor amidst a plush array of scattered cushions. The comforting warmth of the crackling fire enveloped him, its flickering light casting dancing shadows upon the walls. Deep in thought, his wearied spirit sought respite from the burdens of the day. The gentle melody of a nearby waterfall floated through the air, accompanied by the soft hum of the fire, creating a soothing symphony that eased his troubled mind.

Yet peace eluded him, his heavy thoughts interrupted by a gentle rap on his chamber door. He beckoned its maker to enter. His steward came into his view. In his outstretched hands, a silver plate held a missive.

"My lord," he spoke. "Pardon for intruding upon this late hour. I have received a letter intended for your brother from the lady Andreth. As per your instruction, it has been delivered directly to you."

"Thank you," Finrod replied sadly, gently lifting it from the plate. Left alone once more, Finrod held the sealed envelope delicately, its weight heavy with many words.

It had been many, many long years since he had seen a letter, but its contents would never be seen by Aegnor's eyes. In a solemn movement, Finrod placed the letter upon the bed of the fire, watching with vacant eyes as the flames devoured it. It curled and turned black as it burned. Mirroring the fate of all the letters that had come before it, shielding Aegnor's heart from further torment. He watched coldly until it was reduced to flakes of ash and soot. His heart, numb with despair.

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Ladros

445 A.D

In the hearth's warm embrace, a fair haired woman of middle age carefully arranged logs upon the crackling fire, casting a soft, glow that lit the room. Only a few lines adorned her eyes. A testament to a life well-lived and enjoyed to the full. Standing behind her, her elderly aunt exuded a dignified presence, while long, unbound strands of silver tresses stretched neatly past her shoulders and down her sleek back. Time had etched its mark upon Andreth, with furrows of weariness and faded beauty adorning her brow. Yet, her eyes, though dimmed by the passage of years, still retained a hint of vibrant life. And her serene smile bespoke an enduring gratitude towards her beloved niece. Delicate, vein-laden hands clutched a walking stick, guiding her slow, deliberate steps towards the waiting bed.

"Tonight, dear aunt, you shall find solace in the warmth of the hearth," the rich voice of her niece graced the room with a tender reverence. Placing a supportive hand upon the elderly woman's back. With hands that trembled, she handed over her cane, and beneath the covers, she eased herself in with a groan of weariness, her tired bones creaking and clicking with long life's use. Slowly, she settled down, allowing her slender, fragile body respite from the burdens of age.

"This winter has proven to be exceptionally severe. At times, I had believed it might be my last," Andreth jested. Her wit as sharp as ever.

"You have countless winters yet to witness," Hirwen laughed softly, carefully tucking in the sheets and adjusting the pillow with tender care. "You shall not depart from us soon!"

"Draw near, Hirwen, allow me to behold your face," Andreth beckoned, extending her shaking hand out. Yielding to her aunt's request, she gracefully descended to her knees beside her. "Ah, indeed, you are fair as the winter snow." She murmured. "I only wish your mother could have known you."

"My true mother, Variel?" She asked and turned sad, "Father never did speak of her, even after he had remarried and had many more children," she added sadly, her gaze descending sorrowfully to the ground. "How I wish I knew what she looked like," she sighed wistfully.

Andreth smiled upon her beloved niece, who had been like a daughter to her, "You need not look far, child," she said, cradling her face in her shaking aged hand. "You have her likeness, how she warmed my heart when I was a young woman, with the wind in my hair and a fire in my spirit. Now look at me, a withering old lady. There was no fear in her eyes in her final hours. It is in such a manner that I aspire to meet my own demise,"

"You still possess immense strength within you," Hirwen insisted.

"Child," Andreth replied. "I am the last scion of my noble house. Soon, I shall join my mother and father, brother, and sister in the next world, as sure as the winds of change," Andreth replied weakly, her gaze locked with Hirwen's eyes "I welcome this next journey, and when I pass, I shall finally have peace for my poor heart, burdened with old age and longings, long gone."

Hirwen rose and turned away. Wiping away a solitary tear. Hidden from Andreths gaze. "When you speak such things, I can not bear it," she croaked.

"I shall miss you deeply, my child," Andreth whispered. Slowly, Hirwen turned to the only mother she had ever known and leaned in. She placed a tender kiss upon her warm brow.

"Sleep well, beloved aunt," she whispered and turned up the sheets. After placing a few more logs onto the cosy fire, Hirwen left with a gentle sweep of the door.

In solitude, Andreth gently cast aside the covers enveloping her lap, and with a determined grip on her walking aid, slowly elevated herself once again. Limping towards the window, she unlatched the shutters, allowing her gaze to venture into the night. The frigid air pierced her very bones, eliciting an instinctive recoil, yet even the biting gusts failed to dissuade her. The wind, in its capricious dance, playfully swathed her flowing tresses. Like a spectral figure graced by the night's embrace, she stood as the breeze tenderly caressed her weathered flesh. Her watery eyes traversed the horizon as she inhaled deeply, savouring a liberating breath.

The melancholic smile etched upon her face, and she summoned the visions of her youthful days. Those moments spent basking in the sun's warm embrace, her steed saddled between her legs, carefree and unburdened. Alas, those days seemed a distant memory now. In that fleeting instant of clarity, his face haunted her thoughts once more. His eyes, intense with fire, burned their gaze into her mind.

She covered her face with trembling hands, surrendering her thoughts to the wayward winds. Despite the pain and sadness she was made to endure for so long, still, her heart pined for him. Her lips still desired his. She wept into her palms, mourning the life that should have been hers, snatched away.

On this fateful night, the stars bestowed upon her a spectacle surpassing all earthly beauty, wrenching her mind from its depths of desolation. A surge of thousands or more stars streaked across the ebony canvas, an ethereal ballet of luminous trails. Shooting over her head. Transfixed, her weathered lips stretched into a wide grin, as the night sky came to life, enveloping her in an embrace of wonder and awe.

Beneath the vast expanse of the heavens, the same spectacle of stellar radiance also graced the skies above Angband. Standing alone upon the towering ramparts, Aegnor, with a solemn gaze, beheld the cosmic display of celestial beauty unfurling before him. The very atmosphere surrounding Angband, tainted by noxious fumes, altered the light emanating from the blanket of shooting stars, transforming the heavens into a resplendent display of captivating, shooting colours. A cloak of thick warm fur draped over his suit of armour, Aegnor observed them in profound silence. In his vacant eyes, he shed his anguished tears.

"If she was destined to be mine... why could it not just be so?"

Unable to hold back his tears, he unleashed his feä to the heavens, offering it freely to the Valar, beseeching them to relieve him of its burden.

As if propelled by a force, it burst forth from his very being. Radiant wisps of brilliant blue light soared like a celestial torpedo towards the lofty expanse of the sky, unseen by all save for the watchful gaze of Ilúvatar, who took notice of its brilliance. The feä ignited with its resplendent light, compelling the darkness to yield. Weightless, it lingered in the air as if yearning to traverse the horizons. It was the anguished cry of a lonesome feä, denied union with its true love.

Gazing upon the stars, Andreth found her mind ensnared by a sense of wonder, yet suddenly, seized by an overwhelming sadness that utterly engulfed her, surging through her with an intensity that defied comprehension. Clutching her chest, she surrendered herself to uncontrollable weeping, the weight of this mysterious sorrow not solely her own, but her true love's, Aegnor was reaching for her. Hearts condemned to be a part, weeping as one, Yearning for the other's touch.

In that poignant moment, the realization washed over her—the truth she had been blind to for all those years revealed, — Aegnor loved her with all his heart, and his absence was not of his own choice.

Her heart swelled with love once more. Revitalising her as it did in the days of her youth. Hearts beating as one once more. As if carried upon the wind, her feä voice reached the ears of her beloved elf beneath the shower of stars, across the vast terrain that separated them. "I love you, always,"

Aegnor raised his head toward the heavens from his anguished stupor, and his extreme sadness gave way to unparalleled joy that flowed from him, and he smiled toward the wind. The same throws of joy burst through her also. As the wind dared to knock her down, Andreth was unyielding like a statue. The strength she felt from his feä pouring into her in a fleeting moment of connection after so long apart, and Aegnor felt the comfort from hers.

Like a fleeting ghost, the winds subsided, and all returned as though it never was. But both Andreth and Aegnor shared one final moment of their love. Though fleeting, it revitalised them and reassured them. Their love ever strong and never fading.

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Ladros

454 A.D

Immersed in a state of bedridden suffering, Andreth laid upon her back, nestled in the embrace of her bed, basking in the depths of a deep slumber. Her vigour had waned completely, leaving her bereft of all strength. Only the gentle rise and fall of her chest betrayed any semblance of vitality within her frail form. As her life dwindled to a thread, her cherished memories followed suit, fading into oblivion. Within the confines of the chamber, the firelight danced with spectral ardour, casting undulating shadows that shielded against the night's wintry chill. She found solace within the realm of her dreams. There, the shackles of age and pain relinquished their hold. Having embraced life's fullness, contentment washed over her as she awaited the imminent arrival of her eternal end.

Amidst the stillness of warm bed chambers, a dark, cloaked figure loomed at the window's threshold, casting a silhouette upon the room. With an ethereal grace belonging only to the Eldar, he ascended over the pane, descending upon the ground. His elven boot landing with a silent footfall, as if treading upon sacred ground.

Once within the chamber, a sense of unease manifested in each deliberate movement. With a measured intent, the figure drew back his hood. unveiling the beauty of the face concealed within. Fixated upon Andreth, his expression bore the burdens of many mournful regrets. Driven by a need to see his beloved lady one last time.

With measured, respectful steps, Aegnor drew near, his gaze unwavering as it fell upon the fragile and elderly woman before him. Her pale, veiny hands lay tenderly upon her chest. Aegnor reached and gently took her icy hand. But she did not stir, only the faint rising and falling of her chest offered him some assurance that she still drew breath. He sagged down sadly beside her upon the bed where she lay. His eyes poured into her, taking in every detail of her features. Her hair, once black and beautiful, grew white like pure snow. Her face, old and gaunt. Though Aegnor saw not the wrinkles on her face, or the weathering tides of time. He saw only her beauty, as flawless as stars.

"Andreth?" his gentle whisper called to her. Yet not even his voice could rouse her. His shaking breath escaped him. His numb heart beaten by the years her separation has inflicted upon him.

He continued, "I sense an impending doom upon my horizon. My time in this world is coming to an end," a pause lingered heavy with deep sadness, "This, I pledge as my final goodbye to you. My sweetest love and my most cherished friend," he croaked.

Slowly, Aegnor untied the cross lace at his neck and reached within. From his clothing, he removed his silver, pendant necklace, a gift from his mother, and had never parted from his skin henceforth. He gently placed it on her breast upon her heart. With these final gifts, he surrendered all his earthly possessions that had once held deep significance to him.

As his tears fell, he leaned forward, lowering his lips to her face. His lips touched hers as she lay beneath him. He lingered. The sweet kiss unbreaking between them. The bittersweet farewell to his saviour, and his true love. Reluctantly, Aegnor rose, his hood casting a shadow over his tense face. His gaze lingered upon Andreth's still form one last time.

Silently slipping away through the window, his movements as soft as a whisper in the night, Aegnor left behind the santuary of his heart, close to his beloved. Never to lay eyes upon her again.

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Angband

Dagor Bragollach

455 A.D.

The ears of the elves were violated by the sudden deafening explosion eliciting a piercing scream to all unfortunate enough to hear it. A pillar of flames mixed with gas surged thousands of feet into the air. Alerted, Aegnor and Angrod made their way to the vantage point upon the wall only to be faced with a harrowing sight, the lifeless bodies of their fallen comrades, poisoned by the toxic fumes that had breached their defences. Coughing violently from the gasses, the brothers retreated into the sanctuary within the walls and readied for battle. Sending a messenger to Nargothrond, they called for Finrod's aid for Morgoth had returned. The messenger galloped with speed, hastening in his mission as Angrod and Aegnor prepared their soldiers for a great and foreboding battle.

Orcs surged forth from the fiery crater, swarming across the vast plain of Angband, marching in their thousands toward the elven wall that guarded Dorthonion. The resounding roars and rhythmic thumping of metal created a terrifying spectacle, but Aegnor and Angrod stood firm, rallying their army. At their side, packs of ferocious, trained wolves barked furiously at the coming hordes, held back by lines of chains, their loyal companions throughout the siege. They instilled order in their ranks and bolstered the spirits of their warriors.

The clash erupted with a ferocity that was both violent and brutal. Malevolent black fireballs, akin to torpedoes, hurtled towards the majestic walls, shattering their defences into heaps of rubble and dust. A relentless tide of orcs surged into the realm, leaving a trail of elven slaughter in their wake. However, amidst the chaos, the fear that Aegnor instilled in the hearts of the orcs held them at bay. He fought tirelessly, driven by a blazing inferno of determination. Valiantly, he shielded his soldiers from the first of the onslaught.

The elf prince stood urging the elven warriors onward. He pushed them back against the overwhelming forces arrayed against them. Having triumphed over the first wave of orcs, the elven lords rallied their brethren to the vast expanse of the open plain. In a display of unison, the elven army swiftly regained their disciplined formation, aligning their ranks with precision. Guided by the formidable leadership of the princes charged together in a mighty display of defiance of Morgoth and all he stood for.

In the dark lord's ultimatum of submission or death, the elves of Dorthonion had chosen death, standing united in their undeterred resolve to meet their end as one. Arrows and searing torrents of fire mercilessly descended upon them, unleashed by the soaring dragons ominously dominating the skies. Towering abominations, accompanied by Balrogs and enslaved trolls, bore witness to Morgoth's meticulous preparations as he readied himself to shatter the fiery shackles that held him captive. Fully cognizant of the dire situation, Aegnor adamantly rejected surrendering his life without a valiant fight, especially while his beloved still drew breath within her lungs. He vowed to defend her existence with unwavering resolve, even if it meant his own demise.

As the war raged on, elves, orcs, and trolls alike were consumed by fire and smoke as the dragons and balrogs showed no partiality. Scaling the crumbling remnants of the walls, Aegnor bounded onto the back of a thundering dragon in a swift flight, tightly gripping its rugged, scaled hide. The dragon's fury blazed as it executed daring aerial manoeuvres, defying gravity with powerful mock dives and twirls, attempting to dislodge the elf from its massive frame. Yet Aegnor tenaciously clung to the beast, perched atop its mighty head. with a swift, precise motion, he simultaneously drove his twin knives into the beast's eyes, rendering it blind, panicked and unable to see, the Dragon lost momentum and went plummeting toward the ground in a full-scale dive. It careened into another dragon in mid-air, their wings and tails entwined. Together, they plummeted to the earth in a cataclysmic collision, their impact heralded by a deafening thunder.

Aegnor was not spared from the devastating blow. Enveloped by towering walls of raging dragon flame, he mustered a feeble attempt to rise, only to be seized by searing agony coursing through his shattered form, forbidding him completely of movement. The encroaching horde of orcs closed in upon him, their overwhelming numbers threatening to snuff out his very existence. Aegnor steeled himself to confront his ultimate demise. In the depths of his soul, a well of strength ran dry, leaving only a haunting calmness, as he prepared to face the abyss.

Just as he surrendered his last vestige of resolve, a figure soared over his prone body, a beacon of righteous fury. Raising his weary head. Without hesitation, Angrod launched himself at the advancing army, ruthlessly dispatching any who dared draw near, shielding his brother. Helpless, Aegnor bore witness to Angrod's valiant efforts, his heart torn asunder, until, with a single sneaky thrust, an orc plunged a blade into Angrod's back, ripping forth a resounding cry of fierce anguish. Aegnor, his voice raised in a desperate plea for his brother, tried to rise from the ground, but his own shattered body betrayed him.

Angrod, overwhelmed by the horde, was swiftly engulfed, his form disappearing into the bloodthirsty mob, revelling in the spoils of an elf prince at their mercy. The orcs, devoid of sorrow, unleashed a frenzied storm of blades upon him, an unholy ritual of slaughter. Aegnor's anguished screams mingled with his grief as he borne witness to it all by the fiery depths that blazed within his eyes. With his body broken and his brother, his last source of strength, wrested from him, the once mighty prince now lay helpless and broken in every sense.

Finally, the orcs ceased their butchery. Covered in Angrod's blood, their lusty eyes now turned to his brother. Who lay motionless upon the grass like a helpless lamb. The orcs advanced upon him, bringing forth the cruel and merciless demise that awaited him. Releasing a trembling sigh, Aegnor slowly rolled onto his back, his form sinking into the earth. With his gaze fixed steadfastly upon the heavens, his eyes beheld the brilliance of the stars, a radiant splendour amidst a moment plagued by chaos. In that tranquil peace, he captured the memory within his mind, shutting out all sound and sensation. Even as blow after blow was rained upon his body by the savage orcs, destroying it completely, Aegnor smiled, refusing to relinquish his consciousness. He would not grant the orcs the satisfaction of witnessing his life extinguished by their hands.

The ebony expanse of the sky shimmered with a brilliance surpassing any he had witnessed before. He lay sprawled upon the verdant, blood-stained grass, solitary and serenely at peace. The relentless horde had long since wearied of their pursuit, abandoning the wounded elf to his fate. Crimson rivulets adorned his form. Yet, in his final moments, pain, anguish, and fear were but distant echoes. Fixing his heavy gaze upon the celestial tapestry above, he felt a slight comfort in its splendour. I

As his last tethered breath whispered its farewell, a silent, tearful plea resonated within his mind, to the Valar, beseeching them to remember him and his undying love for Andreth. That they might be reunited once more at the end of this world and the awakening of the new, ushering in the end of time. Their union fulfilled anew within a world untainted by the constraints of this world—a love that had been unjustly denied to them. Finally, with a soft flicker of lashes, Aegnor surrendered his earthly existence, his essence ascending from his broken vessel in an iridescent azure of radiance, ascending skyward into the realm of the night.

As news reached Finrod's ears, he swiftly made his way to Dorthonion, only to be intercepted on his journey by yet more orcs, having almost lost his life, saved by Barahir, Bregor's own grandson, he sent a messenger who returned bearing grave tidings. The messenger brought with him a single witness to the great battle. He relayed the harrowing news of the catastrophic fight. Aegnor and Angrod fought with valiant might, defending their soldiers and one another, and had successfully pushed back. Alas, their efforts had been in vain. Dorthonion had fallen to the Dark Lord, and with a heavy heart, delivered the news of the fates of his brothers whose remains now lay still, lifeless upon the battlefield.

Overwhelmed by grief, the weight of the messenger's final words brought Finrod to his knees. In response, with utmost reverence, his soldiers journeyed onward and dutifully retrieved the broken bodies of Angrod and Aegnor and carried them to Finrod. Side by side, Finrod carefully laid his brothers bodies down, his sorrowful gaze fixed upon Aegnor's face. His eyes closed in a peaceful sleep. His ashen grey lips, curved in a delicate, eternal smile. His lifeless countenance bore an expression of serene tranquillity. Devoid of pain and anguish. An expression of utter peace.

Finrod's tears flowed with the sorrow that his heart could not bear as he pressed his lips upon Aegnor's icy, solid forehead. Never again would he hear Aegnor's voice or witness the fire within his eyes. His brother was gone, his vibrant flame snuffed out, never to be rekindled. Finrod's refined facade crumbled into mournful sobs, a poignant testament to love he bore for Aegnor.

At that very moment, Andreth, warm in her bed, drew her final breath. Her memories of Aegnor, extinguished with her life. Within her thin, pale hands tightly clasped her treasured gifts as she embarked upon her journey to the grave. it stood as a poignant proclamation to Illuvatar, affirming that the love between Andreth and Aegnor was legitimate and transcended the boundaries of elven and mortal fates—a testament to their enduring, true love

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An eternity has passed since the death of Aegnor. While his body remained in Beleriand long swallowed by the sea, his fëa went to the Halls of Mandos, to receive healing and judgement. Though a millennium has came and gone, the fëa of Aegnor resisted the gift of rebirth, honouring his vows to never commend his soul to return, choosing to remain there until the end of time.

Halls of Mandos

The lonely halls bathed in a grey mist. An otherworldly realm of silence and peace. Arched pillars seemed to reach upward to eternity, supporting a roof that seemed too far to exist. Spectral orbs of light floated at random intervals only to fade once more. These were the feäs of elves lost throughout the ages of Middle Earth, awaiting judgement by Mandos and rebirth. It had been a millennia since Aegnor had felt wind or grass. A particular orb that had sank to the low ground confined itself to the bottom of a hollowed, decadent alcove. It gave off a sightly blue aura, different to the rest but no less fading. It's light dim from a hope, long burned out.

It was at this moment that the orb was touched by another ethereal light that descended from the void above. Verily, the mysterious, brilliant light compelled the dimmed orb to follow. A summoning at last! Life burst into the orb, and it twinkled and danced upon the spot, grateful for the recognition and, subsequently, a chance to plead its case. Stilling with a trembling flicker, it gently floated upward into the vast expanse of the grey emptiness.

Following the guiding light, the grey void surrounding them got darker, becoming blackness. The light from the large spectre was their only torch. Soon, the blackness gave way to many floating lights that looked like stars as they shot past, propelled by an individual will of their own. The dim orb suddenly slowed to a stop and twinkled loudly, commanding attention from its guide. The orb twinkled and vibrated profusely, overcome by an intense sense of fear. Knowing that they had passed the court of Mandos, where the case for each feä was heard and judged accordingly.

"Follow me, and fear not," the guiding light replied, insistent that the orb not resist the pull. 

They continued their journey through the silent tunnel of swirling tails of light. Eventually, They came to a large, oval room. Around them, shooting stars arranged their light to form a platform of immense spectral glory. Swirling beneath an invisible circular plate that formed a floor, the glittering spectre of a being came into form, seated upon a throne formed of dazzling light, as if both sun and stars glistened in a spectral dance.

The guide had brought the orb to the centre of the plate and took its leave. Slowly gliding to join the whirlpool of shooting tails of light that surrounded them. As the form's features took shape, the orb trembled with terror and wonder as it beheld the sight before it. Erú Illuvatar, the creator of all life, stared serenely upon it.

"Pray speak! To whom doth this fëa rightfully belong?" Illuvatar spoke, his words a deep, thunderous rumble.

The orb faltered, for it had not spoken words in a very long time.

"A-Aegnor," a weakened voice whispered from its ghostly light.

"Aegnor, Aikanár, Aikanáro. These are the names given to thee. The progeny of Finarfin and Ëarwen," Erú replied, "You have spurned your rebirth. Why have you rejected my gift to the Eldar?" Illuvatar asked.

Trembling with great fear, the weakened voice responded,  "I stand by a covenant I tendered in my life, unto Andreth, the Beörean woman. She is my true love," it whispered. A still moment passed as Illuvatar paused, the shadow upon his face shifting and his spectral head inclined slightly.

"Not sworn together are eldar and mortals. Not permitted in love nor vow. Therefore I, Erú Illuvatar, absolve your solemn vow. Depart from the Halls of Mandos, where you have tarried within for far too long and return to your birth place. Your release is granted."

With resplendent brilliance, the orb erupted anew in a luminous cascade, yet now its movement appeared jagged and untamed, as though in vehement dissent.

"I shall not sever my vow to Andreth! I have sworn to tread never again amidst the valleys of fair Valinor without my love!" It proclaimed ardently, his voice resounding with building strength.

"Andreth's life... has long passed into the hallowed realm of the mortal dead. She has been ordained to depart this coil, nevermore to return unto the physical world! This is the order I have made," Ilúvatar uttered, his words firm but sad. "Where she is, you are not permitted to follow as eldar,"

The light of the orb dimmed to a fading ember yet, still flickering wildly. The twinkling from it seemed to repeat a pattern of loud ringing. Like the desperate sobbing of a breaking heart in great despair. Illuvatar watched from his thrown as the orb sank lower to the ground, its ghostly grey light almost dimming completely.

"It is true so...." Illuvatar remarked curiously, "your feä's have chosen one another! Verily, I declare unto you, you shall never again know peace alone. Fated your fëa's are as forever mates, but your hroä's still languish apart, unjoined in consumation. It is therefore incomplete. I, Erú, cannot endorse the sanctity of the vow you made unto her, for it exists not in truth." Illuvatar explained.

From the orbs sobbing, their echoes permeated the space. "I beseech you! I implore you! O my creator, show mercy! Do not force me to forsake her again! I would not endure it a second time!"

A gaze of sincere compassion eclipsed in Èru's white, sparking eyes, his thunderous voice, turning soft.

"My fair child, I am not able to legitimise a love that was never meant to exist."

As if by some unforeseen power, the orb blasted a light so powerful, it drowned out all others, Aegnor's own voice, strong and fierce, sprung loudly from its spiritual prison.

"You ARE able! You have demonstrated such power with Lúthien and Beren the mortal, Andreth's own kin; and again in Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Arwen of Rivendell! If love between elves and men was never destined to be, why then, was there union and legitimacy for them but I and Andreth must languish apart forever?!"

He pleaded his case before Illuvatar, the almighty creator, fervently fighting for the love he discerned to be true. Gradually, his flame rekindled within him. Silence ensued, his passion subsided, and his light dimmed to a calm glow, seemingly regretting his impassioned tone.

Èru leaned forward from his thrown. His every movement followed by an eerie, ghostly blur.

"Offspring of Finwé, do thou willingly yield all thine estate for this fervent yearning? To secure but a transient span at Andreth's side, wherein love finds fulfilment in feä and hroä, only to be plagued once more by the cruel anguish of parting to the realm of death?"

"I do," Aegnor replied without hesitation. "Though I know the winds of my elven heritage do not change, I am fated to be alone regardless of what I choose," the orb confessed, his voice quivering with emotions of profound intensity. "I willingly surrender all that is gifted to me, O elven, and embrace a life with Andreth by my side,"

"So be it," Erù spoke, his voice resolute. "A new home I shall create for you and your love, I shall pass unto Andreth a new body, the boon of your rebirth, fashioning your form from the very bones of your former body. You shall bear the weight of agony, for your body has suffered severely in battle. It shall afflict you ceaselessly, day and night and serve as an eternal reminder to all you have forsaken... for the sake of your love, and for Andreth," Erù proclaimed, his words infused with a profound elegance befitting the ethereal realm.

With a sweeping grace, Illuvatar extended his arm. A spirited gust of wind seized the glowing orb, propelling it into a spiralling descent from the heights. Its journey, unfettered by earthly constraints, shot like a comet across the celestial space, leaving a resplendent trail of light in its wake. It flew over Middle-Earth and beyond, embarking upon an odyssey through uncharted skies where time and space could not hold it.

The shooting light pierced the heavens of its new world, illuminating the dawning sky in a magnificent blanket of fiery light. Guided towards a sandy expanse, where ocean waves crashed into a vast beach. The tiny radiant sphere slowed its descent, gradually halting just above the sandy shore and gently floated downward, sinking beneath the white grains. Underneath the shifting sand, began to stir a form, as if awakened from a shroud. From the falling granules, slowly lifted a hand. Its fingers stretched out and trembling as the wind brushed between the fingers. Then followed by a long forearm and robust bicep. It reached upward to the sky, as if grasping for a star. Suddenly, from the blanket of white sand, a torso rose up. Tendrils of sand rolled like waterfalls cascading from silky skin and a face, elven fair. He breathed, like it was the first time he ever drew air.

His whipping hair like liquid gold blew around his head and into the perfect angles of his beautiful face. Aegnor, his brilliant eyes blinked lingeringly, as if woken from an eternal sleep. He gazed down at his palms and placed the upon his muscular chest and abdomen, feeling warm flesh again, his body had been returned to him after so long apart. He raised his eyes to the heavens as dawn ascended and from his throat came a piercing cry or unadulterated joy. tears of gratitude and awe filled his eyes as he could not hold back his heartfelt sobs.

At last he could feel again. He could hear again. He had returned to the physical world where life could be lived again.

Summoning his strength, he gently eased himself out if his sandy grave. The granule  rolled from his long, athletic legs. He was completely nude, though, he did not care. A sudden jolt of agony seized his joints and he fell back down. He screamed. Every movement was like strikes of lightning to his bones. Though crippling, the sensation was comforting, proving to him that it was real. He lay there on the sand unable to move. Then, finding his courage, defied the violent surges pain and through gritted teeth, rose to his unsteady feet but fell at the first hurdle. He was like a babe walking for the first time, for he had long lost the memory of how to. Upon his hands and knees, he began crawling toward the lapping waves of the sea. He had not even the strength to lift his hands and slid them along the sand. Every languid motion was accompanied by a searing ache. His limbs shaking, Aegnor pushed himself on.

He felt the cold ocean water on his hands as its rolling swishes engulfed it with every ebb and flow. Then, it touched his knees as he waded deeper until the elf was completely submerged by the tide. The cold water enveloped his skin, the sensations washing away his agony. Beneath the surface of the sea, the elf surrendered to utter reverie in a weightless silence. He drifted motionless within its watery sanctuary for a long while, the pain in his body fading with its weightless embrace. Almost forgetting he needed air, Aegnor shot to the surface. He burst from its depths and took a deep exuberant breath. The waves lapped and retreated, washing over him, and he relished every moment. His vibrant life restored, he dived into the swells. Cries of joy and happiness burst from his lungs rekindling his fire and love for life. The memories of bygone sorrows faded. At last, he could feel again, his fëa reunited with his body, however fragile it was, it was his. All his own.

As the sun ascended in the sky, heralding a new and first beginning, Aegnor emerged from the waves. He walked onto the beach, his every graceful stride bearing the mark befitting a royal prince. The water drops trickled down his glistening wet skin, and trickling drops from his fingertips. A long curtain of wet hair clung around his body accentuating every sleek tone of his athletic frame.

His eyes suddenly took note of a small chest partially submerged in the sand. He stared at it curiously, why had he not noticed it before? He knelt before it and attempted to open it, only to be met with a sudden, unexpected resistance. It was locked. A soft, chuckle bubbled from his throat.

"Surely Illuvatar is playing devious tricks. What is the point in gifting me a chest I can not open?" He thought cleverly to himself.

He pulled it out of the sand and there, placed beneath it was the key. It unlocked with a clear clicketing of the mechanism, and he pried the lid open. A wide humorous grin crept onto his beautiful face.

Within its contents lay a few simple items. Clothing of a simple thin tunic and black leggings that laced at the front and silver capped boots. Inside also lay various items and tools for hunting and to make a shelter with.

"Well atar, you were wrong..." He smirked to himself, recalling a tale of a certain empty chest from his youth.

He took the folded garments and put them on. As he was yet lacing up at the front of his leggings. His eyes were drawn to a soft lavender blanket folded inside. He gasped softly and traced his finger over the beads, shimmering in the low sun expertly threaded into the design of a dove. A masterful craftmanship that could have only been made by the skilled hands of an elf. Carefully, he pulled out the precious artifact and brought its fabric to his nose. Her scent filled his nostrils, the sweet fragrance that surrendered all his defences. He stared down longingly at his creation. The same blanket he had sent to her as a babe still laying in her cradle. A lump caught in his throat. His heart sank as he thought of Andreth, his ancient memories of her flooding back to him.

In the depths of his thoughts, Aegnor sensed an inexplicable stir within. His very fëa suddenly burst, leaping with inexplicable joy, its motive shrouded in mystery, yet its ardour undeniable. He felt its whisper in his ear, an impassioned plea beseeching his hroä to obey its command.

Yielding to its demands, he turned his head around to witness a lone figure traversing along the distance, walking toward him.

Adorning her elegant neck, Aegnor's silver pendant necklace glimmered in the low sun. Long, unbound ebony tresses billowed gracefully behind her as she glided toward him, adorned in pure white. Andreth, his true love had returned to him. With a beautiful smile brimming with unbridled elation, she extended her arms toward him, an ethereal invitation to embrace the long-awaited reunion.

A tremor coursed through his entire being, expelling every ounce of breath from his body as she came closer. He stared silently, the low suns kiss illuminating his face and sparkling eyes, like two glittering jewels, watched her approach from afar. Slowly, almost cautiously, he walked toward her. Yet, as he approached, his body failed him, suddenly inflicting him with its curse as searing pain erupted within him again and he fell into the soft embrace of sand, he cried out in anger and agony, reminded of the heavy price love has cost him. As he collapsed, he accidently released the cherished blanket, a gust of wind snatching it easily from his weak hand. In that moment, an overwhelming wave of despair surged through him, as he realized the extent to which his body was broken, robbed of the strength he once possessed. Weakened and consumed by the anguish that tore at him, he surrendered to a torrent of weeping, sobbing loudly into the soft comfort of the sand.

Yet, before him, Andreth gracefully knelt. In one slender hand, she cradled the very blanket he had lost to the wind. With fingers as delicate as moonbeams, she unfolded her touch beneath his face, gently lifting his chin to meet her gaze, and in that sacred moment, she whispered words that was heard within the deepest recesses of his mighty fëa.

"Aegnor... my love, well met." she muttered

That voice... her voice. The voice he had not heard in eons of time. Tears of joy cascaded, washing away the remnants of despair. Raising his hand, he placed it tenderly almost disbelievingly upon her face. She smiled, allowing his fingers to explore her face. Slipping down her neck and lovingly tracing the necklace down to the pendant. He gasped softly, releasing with a trembling sigh, his watery eyes darted back to hers.

"Is this truly real?" He whispered.

Smiling still, she gently caressed his face, and he unravelled completely in her soft hand as the fragile tears poured silently from his eyes.

"You have returned to me, Aegnor. By the grace of Erú himself, we have been made anew, dawning of a new age. At last... you are mine," she placed both hands upon his tear stained face.

"Aegnor..." she murmured, "my Aegnor... I love you."

Once he heard those words, Aegnor's last reserve shattered, and his heart melted into unbridled happiness. He embraced Andreth. Her laughter bubbled into the air as he pushed her backwards, his body falling down upon her. They held one another close, their melodious laughing harmonising in the song of the distant crashing waves and their bodies entwined upon the sand rolling is blissful, elated happiness. Fëa's and hröa's together once again, never to be separated.

"Íre mel tye, tenna' ent' elea." he whispered.

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The New World
Date Unknown.

Aegnor and Andreth drifted along the expanse of the shore. They talked for what seemed like an eternity. Aegnor eagerly explained why he did not return, why he could not keep all he had promised, and Andreth patiently listened to every word and, with understanding in her heart, she readily forgave her beloved elf. Friendship renewed, they laughed and embraced as the waves rolled at their feet and the warm sun of the day shrouded them in new life, never leaving one anothers side and as the dusk settled beyond the horizon, painting the sky in a beautiful crimson orange, they found a comfortable spot by the long reeds. They embraced one another. Aegnor clung to Andreths body, pulling her close as though she could never leave. She stroked his hair as his face lay upon her chest, listening to her heart beating. He clung to consciousness for as long as he could until the throws of sleep eventually caught his tired eyes and he slipped away in her arms to the world of slumber, where time or pain had no hold on him.

As the stars ascended above, she gently lay his limp body down upon the soft, warm sand. Though his eyes did not close, Andreth could tell he was deep in the throws of a beautiful dream. No longer held back by the fear that plagued her as a child, she plucked a lock of his long hair and stroked down its coiled length. It shimmered like golden silk in her fingers. A treasure she had long desired to possess. Her eyes then captured the exposed flesh of his back and in a temptation she could not resist, began to trace her hand up along its surface. Beneath the gentle touch of naked fingers, warm, elven skin yielded like soft velvet. Her body quivered with desire. How he stole her breath.

She then rose from her place beside him and headed toward the flowing water. The stars above shined their light upon her as the cold water kissed her feet. Staring down into the glassy surface of each wave, she saw her reflection. A shimmering star from the night sky caught in her hair, and she watched it sparkle. She had never looked so beautiful. As her mind drifted in her reflection at her feet, she saw Aegnor's head appearing behind her shoulder in the glassy surface,

"You have awakened so soon, Aegnor?" She whispered dreamily.

Then she felt hands encircling around her slender waist from behind. She felt his solid body press into her back and the sensation of warm lips folding into her ear. She breathed heavily as his hand encircled her throat, commanding her head to yield.

"Aegn...." she whispered breathlessly into the air, her entire body surrendering to his firm and possessive hold. Deep breaths of pleasure ghosted from her mouth as he whispered elven words of raw desire. She felt the rush of warm breath in her blushing ear, the heat from his body upon her back. His hold on her, undeniable. This was real. She spun around to claim his lips, yet as she did, she was met with the sight of Aegnor laying in the exact same spot she left him. She stood alone upon the shore. All the sensations she felt, gone like the passing wind. Afraid and confused, she shivered, for she had not known who had touched her, someone with the appearance of Aegnor, yet it was not.

She lay next to Aegnor for the remainder of that night, though no sleep came to her.

●●●

The sound of gulls mixed with the ocean's soft rhythmic song. Glittering water from the late morning sun greeted Aegnor as he finally stirred from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, the brightness of the day seemed potent. From the shore, he heard laughter. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a delicate figure dancing between the swells. Her long unbound sleek hair billowed and her broad grin of sheer delight welcomed his gaze. Her white dress removed, she was clad in only her thin shift. She held it high, her shapely legs whirling and splashing between the waves. Aegnor could not look away.

She noticed him staring at her from the sandy reeds and waving her hand, Andreth beckoned him to join her. Aegnor, like a parched puppy to a bowl of water, could not resist such an invitation. He slowly rose, his bones protesting every movement. He dusted the sand granules from his black leggings and bare chest. He slowly waded toward the water, toward Andreth. She waited, her hands still clutching the hem of her wet shift, her bare thighs withstanding every swell of cold wave. She tempted him deeper, till the water soaked his leggings at his muscular thighs. She placed her hand on his bare chest and he stopped, understanding her command. With a coy smile, she circled behind him, her hand sliding delicately around his arched shoulder and down the biceps of his robust arm. Suddenly without warning, Andreth placed two flat hands on his back and playfully pushed him into the oncoming wave. He tumbled into it and the water enveloped him. His form disappearing completely. Andreth's broad, playful grin soon died as he did not resurface.

"Aegnor?" She called, her face filling with concern.

There was no answer, just as panic seized her, Aegnor burst from the surface behind her and grabbed her. She screamed in surprise and excitement. Laughing heartfully, she tried to wriggle free, but his grib was absolute as he dragged her toward the waves. She resorted to begging for mercy before she was hurled into the cold splash of the ocean followed by Aegnor sardonic roars of melodic laughter rang out as she ran out toward the sand, drenched and chilled to the bone. She lifted up her soaked shift high and rang it out just as Aegnor joined her on the sand. His eyes were drawn to her beautiful, shapely legs as he approached her, a gaze she acknowledged with a coy smile.

"You have won, Aegnor. I can not best you," she confessed with a coy smile as he came towards her.

"Let us lay in the sun for a while, it will dry our garments much quicker," he replied softly and led her back to the spot by the reeds.

Aegnor pulled an exquisite blanket of deep purple out of the wooden box and flattened it upon the sand and he reclined back openly in the centre, gazing up at Andreth. There was a tense pause and, slowly, he placed his hand down beside him, inviting her to take the space next to him. She hesitated, something Aegnor picked up on immediately.

"Are you afraid, Andreth?" He murmured.

The intensity in his gaze made her tremble.

"I am a little... but not of you, Aegnor. Something happened last night... something I feel I can not explain," His expression softened and his gaze cooled. She slowly came and nestled down beside him. "Once you had surrendered to your exhaustion, I waded alone into the water, for I have never seen the ocean before. I saw you reflected within the pool, behind me," she paused and blushed, rather shy to explain further, "I felt you touch me, it was so real, but when I turned around... there was not but the wind behind me, and there right where I left you, you lay still. Silent as a sleeping bird,"

As he listened carefully, understanding washed over him. A thin smile stretched on his lips, "I know of what you speak of, there is no need to fear, Andreth,"

Her eyes lifted to him to see his smile reassuring her, "from the moment an elf is conceived within the womb, their fëa is created from that union, seperated from the body. We learn to harness its power even before our birth, it is the most intimate gift we share. When our needs are strongest, it may even take form of its own in our likeness and act on our desires. What touched you was not me, but my fëa, desiring to be near you." He explained as best he could.

"Do you mean to tell me that what I saw reflected in the water... was a spirit? Your spirit!?" She gasped.

"If that is the term men have for them...yes," He shrugged

She thought about it for a minute, though it unnerved her. A wave trembled through her as she remembered that night. How it held her and the whispers of longings in her ear. So intense and filled with desire.

"Do all elves have this ability?" She asked curiously.

"Yes!" He laughed softly, "for it to take such a manifestation as the one you have described is rare, it is an aspect of elven love that is reserved only between spouses... once they are joined," he concluded.

Her curiosity fully sparked, she could not help her excitement to learn more.

"Do you mean through matrimony? Is that how elves wed one another?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with extreme wonder. Aegnor hesitated before answering, as if unsure of her question.

"It is the lifeblood of all elven marriages. A bond so intense and intimate, it can never be felt with another. Once joined, it binds them together for a lifetime. No other force in the world can rival its strength, nor sever its connection," he answered evenly.

"But how is it done, Aegnor?" She asked more impatiently than she realised, "what must be done to attain such a transient bonding? Is it by some ritual preformed during the marriage ceremony?"

Aegnor shifted slightly, leaning forward.

"An elven wedding ceremony is an important step in bringing two elves together, yes... but it is not the avenue that binds them, no. It is merely a formality, not governed by any law nor requirement. Elven mates can seek to bind themselves without ceremony, but doing so brings a degree of shame and disgrace to their kin."

Her smile slowly faded, as she grappled with the seriousness in his tone. Through controlled slow breaths, he steadied is voice and looked directly into her eyes, speaking softly "It is only through the shared embrace of our intimate bodies can our feäs bind to one another," 

Though still confused at his words, Andreth could not help but quiver at the proximity of their faces, and the deep, rich purrs of his tone. After a long, tense pause, he stroked her face, her breath stopped and he slowly continued, "the final act... losing ourselves completely to the bliss of shared pleasure between the sheets, binding us eternally as mates,"

A ghostly breath caught in her throat. Her lips relaxed as her intense eyes focused on him. Finally, she understood. She was suddenly aware of her blushing cheeks and turned shy, her body tensing.

"I see....," she stuttered, unsure of how to respond, she tucked her hair behind her ear, blushing profusely under his intense gaze, "For my people... marriage is a vital step before such things, it is what opens the doors to it. To forgo it is taboo, and judged accordingly... I always assumed it was the same for elves," she muttered.

A lingering pause followed, Andreths gaze followed the sparkle upon the vast blue ocean as Aegnor's lingered on her. The softness of her face, illuminated in the sun. The blush in her cheeks and the redness of her ears. Her shyness intrigued him. Her beauty hypnotised him. Finally, she spoke.

"It is a custom of the strictest expectations... never to indulge the pleasures of the body until marriage is first in place..." Finally her eyes dropped to her hands in her lap, a look of sincere uncertainty darkened her expression "I do not know if I can let go of such principles,"

The heavy silence lingered there between them, filled with the crashing of waves. Andreth, her shoulders tense, deep in her thoughts, felt a warm hand on hers. Aegnor slowly brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. A tender smile and warm gaze soothed her nerves and calmed her racing thoughts

"My lady," he whispered gently. His eyes filled with affection and tender love. She had almost forgotten he was her closest friend. One who would never compromise her. A short while later, they rose from the spot to set off on their journey to explore their new land together, leaving the beach behind. They walked a long distance through trees and forests. Neither complaining of the effort, for too in love were they to care.

Within a forest of tall trees and Andreth could not resist but initiate playful game of hide and seek with Aegnor. Laughing as though they were children playing together, they dived behind trees and evaded the other. As Andreth was hiding behind a very large oak tree, she poked her head out to check if he was looking for her. Suddenly, Aegnor appeared and seized her from behind a tree. She squealed and chortled and tried to untangle herself from his grasp. The symphony of their melded laughter harmonised in the sweet air. No longer held back by the walls that once stopped them. Finally, Aegnor pinned her laughing body to the tree, pressing against her and she surrendered, proclaiming him the victor.

In that moment, their gazes locked and the laughter died and the smiles faded. It no longer seemed a game to them. Aegnor's palms steadily melded with hers, and their breathing shifted. His eyes, intense and dark fixed upon her with almost predatory focus. Racing hearts leaped, the vibration from her chest, pressed against his. A deep sigh from Andreth betrayed her rising desire. Suddenly without a word, Aegnors grip on her arms loosened and he let go, stepping back. He then picked up their things, and threw them over his shoulder and walked on, leaving Andreth to follow.

Utterly torn between her head and her heart, a tormented Andreth slowly rose from the tree and followed a short distance. Aegnor looked up between the parting of tree branches overhead and saw a puffs of steam from behind the forests edge. He beckoned Andreth to come closer an showed her his findings. Weary from the long journey on foot, they were both intrigued by the steam. It took them half the day to reach the edge and there, secluded in a clearing surrounded by blossom trees, a hidden spring. Andreth gasped at the beauty before her. Pink blossom petals rained down upon them and the spring. Blanketing the surface in a thick coat of pink petals. Taking his hand, she pulled the limping Aegnor up so he may inspect the large, deep pool for himself.

"It is just as the healing springs in Tirion," he remarked, "we would bathe in them as children, my siblings and I," he added.

He dipped his hand in and pulled it out. Steam rolled off his fingers, curling into the air. The water was perfect. He removed his tunic, Andreth watched as the soft fabric slid off his skin and onto the stone lips of the spring. Every muscle and tendon bulged and strained beneath his skin. Scars from many battles long faught and won. His body told one of experience and endurance. He slowly descended into the pool. His leggings soaked up the steamy water. The petals rippling with every movement. Andreth watched him from the edge. Aegnor floated weightlessly into the centre, soaked in the steam. He unravelled completely in its melting embrace. He turned around to see her still form on the edge. Her thin white shift billowing gently. Smiling, he raised his hand to her. An invitation to share this experience with him.

Clutching her netted bag of small belongings, she hesitated. After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly removed her bag and placed it down. Carefully, she descended the lip and slipped one foot into the deep cerulean spring. She gasped as the water kissed her skin, it was divine. Tingles of delight rippled through her body, inviting her further into its well. Aegnor watched with devouring eyes as she lifted her shift higher, the steaming water traveling further up her thighs until the bottom half of her body was completely submerged as she drifted toward him. She was transfixed by Aegnor's hardened stare and intense smoulder as she approached. His wet skin and hair highlighting every angle in his face, as steam swirled between them. Feeling exposed in her wet thin shift clinging to her body, she pulled her arms into her chest as she stopped before him. Blushing heavily, she could not meet his gaze. She turned around, turning her back to him, her fear taking over her. He stood behind her, still as an unmoving statue. She felt his breath upon her neck. She trembled violently, panic and passion warring within her.

She wanted him, she wanted him for so long. They had been given a second chance. All she ever desired was in her grasp. Would she now let some miniscule ruling made by men stand in their way?

Slowly, her arms fell from her chest and hung at her sides. She had made her decision.

With careful measure, she turned around to face him again. Their gaze lingered, each searching the other. Then, pale trembling hands lifted from the water and onto Aegnor's bare chest. The solid curves of his muscular torso glided beneath her feather light hands and they drifted upwards and towards his neck and encircled it's thick column. Aegnor surrendered to her caress, closing his eyes, he slowly bent to her touch. Steam rolled from their skin as their faces inched closer. Beneath the rain of blossom petals, lips touched in a searing kiss. In the war of passion and panic, passion claimed its victory within her and she released the tension she had bottled in. She pulled Aegnor in, her breath rising with heat, she welcomed him to taste her deeper. Their bodies half submerged in the steaming water pressed together as each fell deeper into the other. Her heart pounded furiously as lips and tongues melded with fervour. Aegnor kissed Andreth with a consuming hunger, the like of which she had never known. A searing promise of pleasures soon to come.

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The red fox scurried along the grass with Aegnor and Andreth on its trail. They followed it from the spring where their brief embrace still lingered fresh in their minds. Their kiss interrupted by the creature staring curiously at them. Aegnor however was rather agitated at the intervention as he trailed behind Andreth who excitedly urged him to join her in pursuing it. Much to his annoyance

"Beloved," he said as lightly as he could, "you entice me with your feminine wiles to suddenly insist we follow the tail of a wondering fox..." he complained, "the spring gets were we embraced gets further away with each step," he added. Andreth spun around, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"For the last and final time, Aegnor!" she scolded "it is a well known fact that if you follow a fox, it will lead to somewhere wonderful! Atleast it was true among my people,"

"We were already in a-" he stopped, adjusting his tone. He placed his hands on his hips, mirroring her annoyance, "a wonderful place... Are you never satisfied!?" He uttered.

"It seems the elf has lost his sense of excitement. You have not stopped complaining since we left that spring behind, what is it you desire so much that can not wait?" She teased.

"I just miss the warmth... my lady," he grumbled.

 Smirking, she turned back and continued. An agitated breath blew from his lips and he resigned himself to this. They followed the creature up a hill. The moon light illuminated their path and the fox dived through a wall of vines and Andreth eagerly followed. When Aegnor peered through he gasped. There before his eyes, a vast and spacious valley welcomed him. A large waterfall ran down the mountains into a nearby lake that split the ground. The air danced with fireflies and there, in the centre of the valley, his eyes were drawn to a cosy round pavilion, shrouded in thick white curtain swaying in the gentle breeze.

Utterly enchanted, Aegnor waded through the soft, long grass, his hands held out as the fireflies danced between his fingers. He watched the fox dash back through the wall of vine and out again, its red coat having an unusual glow as it went. He entered the pavilion, pulling the curtain back. He felt warm air envelope him, keeping out the cold. His eyes were drawn immediately to Andreths slender figure as she crouched over a large trunk, inspecting its contents.

"Do you see now, my love..." she turned her head to him and smiled, "wonderful places,"

He gazed down at her, his lips curled into a sultry smirk. She rose and turned to him. Her eyes drawn to the beautiful structure surrounding them, "this is our home Aegnor, yours and mine, a home all our own" she breathed.

She whirled around to face him, her thin airy shift swirling gracefully around her slender feet. He was silent. His gentle eyes witnessing her reverie. In the centre on the spacious pavilion, he pulled some scattered pillows on the ground and arranged them around his feet. He then seized the swirling maiden and scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck and their bodies pressed close. Aegnor hoisted her feet off the ground and carried her to the spot amongst the pillows. With all the ethereal grace of a regal elven lord, he sank to the ground taking her with him. He placed her beside him, their bodies remaining close. There, their hands touched, their palms and fingers melding. Their eyes entwined in a gaze so deep and loving.

"Is this your choice?" He whispered slowly, his soft ragged breaths filled the space between their mouths, betraying his restraint.

"Yes....," she breathed heavily. A nervous smile creeped along his mouth and he swallowed hard, and his smile dropped, replaced with a smoulder of intense desire.

The silence held its breath, their rising breaths melding as Aegnor's hand slowly traced up the delicate curve of Andreth's thigh, lifting her shift with it. Her heart pounded as he slid it down again to her folded knee, the hissing of naked flesh entwined with ragged breaths of rising heat. Then, with his eyes locked in hers, in a sudden bold move, Aegnor mounted Andreth upon his lap, drawing one sleek leg across his body, he perched her on top of him.

She blushed heavily at the intimate position and his boldness in taking it. Lifting his shoulders from the ground, he stretched his neck and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, hungry with desire. Caught between hesitation and desire, Andreth trembled as he kissed her lips and neck, his firm hands stroking her thighs, he boldly claimed the space between them. She had never known the touch of a man, nor the strength of his ardour, it was an experience never felt by her before. Fear and passion reached fever pitch inside Andreth. Aegnor's searing desire for her robbing her of thought or word. Seeing she was overwhelmed, Aegnor stopped, his eyes seeking understanding in hers.

"I am sorry Andreth..." he panted through slow, controlled breaths, "at times I do not realise you are not of the eldar," he smiled softly through red cheeks, his eyes once dark, now a tender gaze. Andreth laughed a flustered chuckle and blurted.

"Is it typical among your kind for the sex to be this fervid right from the beginning?!" She giggled

Aegnor laughed, his melodic voice enchanting the room, breaking the tension. His laughter was followed by Andreths melding with his.

"Oh Andreth, how I adore you!" Aegnor cried tenderly, "I often forget the weakness of mortals when compared to the likes of us. You are but a tiny songbird in a sky full of eagles," he teased her.

"A little songbird am I?" She crossed her arms in defiance, "I will have you know elf, we are equally passionate beings!"

Her answer made him laugh even harder.

"Child, you forget I have been around mortals for far longer than your own existence three times over!" He vaunted arrogantly, "I have seen with my own eyes the weakness of men in passion and pleasure. To the likes of elves, there is no comparison! You simply aren't capable of pleasure to the heights we experience it. You should not be surprised by this," he added, his haughty smirk challenging her indignant gaze.

Leaning forward, she placed a fingertip on the solid lump of his apple. She traced a winding line down his solid chest and along the line of his stomach. She felt a shift in his breathing as she travelled further and drew a slow, teasing circle around his navel and, with an agonising measurement, she caressed down the solid planes of his lower abdomen. She felt rhythmic waves of vibration from his body as she lingered there, teasing him with callous cruelty. Then, in an unexpected and bold move, she dived upon him and drew her slick tongue upward along his lower abdomen and over his navel.

Aegnor coiled, his fingers clenching the sheet, his back arching. From his lips, a rich, velvet moan of unadulterated pleasure and abandon sang. A sound so enticing it set a light to Andreths womanhood, sending tingles shooting through her body.

"Lo, elf! I have broken you!" She cried victoriously. Her wide, flushed grin growing wider as she devoured his spent form, utterly compromised beneath her, "for all your vaunted elven pride, you share a common trait with mortals that vexes all men" she gloated and lean down, bringing her quaking lips to his sensitive ear, she whispered, "you all crumble to dust beneath the soft hands of a woman,"

Aegnor's eyes fluttered open, revealing glassy orbs of blackness. His chest heaving, his face flushed. With a loud, ragged hiss, one strong arm secured her neck while the other claimed her splayed leg and with a effortless roll, Aegnor flipped her onto her back and rolled on top, pinning her beneath him. He kissed her, releasing all previous restraint to the wind. They kissed with matching fervour, passion rising. The scorch of each touch and kiss to their bodies, a mark to how long they had awaited for one another. Andreths legs wrapped around his back, while Aegnors stomach pressed upon hers. She anchored her elven lover to her, desiring to have him fully. His taut hands roamed her thighs as her fingers entangled in his lustrous, thick tresses.

She remembered every day in that moment. Every word he spoke to her, every day she desired him. Every moment of pain, every fleeting passion. The day he fought the troll and saved her, their eyes lingering for the very first time. The moment by the lake, when he did not remember her. The moment she first reached for his lips and he ran away from their love. The smell of him, the beauty yet cruel coldness in his demeanour that enchanted her all the more. Now he was hers, all her own. A lifetime of heartbreak, for this one moment. She would do it all over again.

"You once said you had known this kind of pleasure before Aegnor...with a certain elf maiden from your past," she panted loudly, "will you now reveal her name beloved... or will you forever keep me guessing... I feel I owe her thank you!" She grinned victoriously.

Aegnor lifted her body off the ground and onto his lap, sitting on his knees.

"The past does not matter, Andreth," came his breathless reply as his hands roamed the sleek curves of her slender waist beneath her shift, "her name carries no meaning for me now," he panted.

Andreth wanted to push, but she did not want to distract from the moment, she arched into his touch, the beautiful curve in her back bending to the will of his hands upon her. Then, a sharp squeak of sheer pleasure burst forth from her throat as she felt her breasts enclosed in warm hands and fondled worshipfully. She blushed profusely as Aegnors lightning like caress claimed her soft womanly orbs, like he was the potter, and she his clay.

Aah, Andreth...," Aegnor moaned, deep and rich, "how I crave you,"

"I too, Aegnor," she purred.

Holding her, he buried his face into her chest, kissing her heart. She stroked his muscular back, lightly tracing his heeled battle scars. She realised that some dark lines looked like flog marks, from a whip. Had he been a prisoner at some point? Captured and tortured by some ferocious evil and escaped? So many untold stories, all written on one body. How this beautiful elf intrigued her!

"Andreth..." he muttered, looking up at her, "are you ready to enter into this first joining with me, it's completion bonding us as forever mates in hröa to hröa?" The trembling of lingering desire echoed in his voice made her tingle. Then slowly, she began unlacing the front of her shift, her eyes never leaving his. Once untied, she pulled the lace cord out and the fabric loosened and parted. It slowly fell down her shoulders and down her arms, uncovering her torso and the supple mounds of her naked breasts. She placed his hand upon one round breast and held it there. Her thick smoulder framed by her unbound black hair voiced her desire.

 He brought her breast to his parted lips. The warm, soft flesh yielded to his kiss. Deep breaths of pleasure ghosted from his throat, hissing onto her skin. Slowly taking the stiff rose bud in his warm mouth and releasing it again. He kissed her heart again and after he took some long drawn out breaths, for the steadiness that he felt not at all, he lifted his eyes to hers once again.

"Bring us to the culmination of our joining, my love and lay within me all your hopes and fears, as my lord and my love... I warmly invite you," she whispered

He removed her shift, lifting it over her head. She sat upon him, baring her body in all its natural glory. With great care, he lay her down upon her back like she was a most precious and fragile possession and gently unlaced himself. He kissed her feet to her knee, and along the tender flesh if her splayed thigh. Then, with precise measurement, drew his soft tongue along the silky flesh of her lower abdomen. She arched and moaned delicately, and he crawled upon her, leaving a trail of scorching kisses up her soft belly. He took the sensitive peak of one pinkish breast in his mouth and suckled it delicately, eliciting a high pitched moan of sheer delight from her. He rained kisses upon the elegant curve of her long neck. He guided her lips toward his and with his beautiful mouth, he seduced his lady to full surrender.

He entered her. He felt a resistance within her he did not expect. He broke through it and it yielded effortlessly with a soft pop. A sudden sharp cry of agony burst from Andreths mouth, directly into Aegnors sensitive ears. Aegnor jumped, the fright she elicited from him made him withdraw and leap onto his side beside her blocking his ears with his hands.

"Oh Aegnor! Oh no!" She yelped grabbing his hands, "Aegnor I am sorry! Please forgive me..." she pleaded.

"Andreth... why??" He cried

"Aegnor... it is alright... you have taken my maiden head," she responded gently. He released his ears and looked at her directly, annoyed.

"What maiden!? And why does she not have a head!?" He barked

Peels of sudden laughter erupted from Andreth, she collapsed upon the spread pillows, her unclad form rolling.

"You scared the Mandos out of me, Andreth!" Aegnor yelled, his eyes demanding an explanation. His glare turned to fear as he saw red stains of blood upon the ground, dripping from between her legs, "Andreth, this is no laughing matter! Look! You are bleeding!" he cried, now deeply concerned. She sat up, shocked.

"Aegnor, do you not know what a maiden head is?" She asked. "It is the seal that guards my virginity. It stands as a gateway... a testament that I have laid with no man before you, and that it was your privilege alone to take. A minor wounding...that is all," her voice shook with both desire and fear. Aegnor's confused expression only grew.

"Why lady, would I need evidence of such a fact? The Eldar do not put such an importance on such trivial things! It seems pointless and intrusive beyond all acceptable reason!! Is this purely a Mortal concern?!" He asked, bewildered

"Then how DO you know that an elf maiden is pure before you lay with her?" She asked, equally bewildered

"What are you talking about!?" Aegnor replied, even more confused

"You said elves do not require a wedding to be married, correct? So how do you know she has not bonded with another before engaging in sexual relations with her?"

"Once bonded, elves do not seek that kind of pleasure with anyone other than their spouse," Aegnor explained, "when we bond for the first time and that bond is completed, it forms a connection with that one and it is never severed. Therefore elf maidens do not need to prove their purity, for it is in our nature never to bed another we do not seek a mate with,"

She blinked, confused,

"If this is the case and if all you tell me is true, then what of the confession you made to me, regarding the mysterious elf maiden who knew you intimately, the very one who you refuse to release her name," she retorted

"It never reached its full fulfilment. It was incomplete. I never allowed it to go that far," he responded. "Purity among the eldar is protected by our minds, not our bodies," he added

"Well that sounds just wonderful," she quipped, sinking, "among my kind, men may take as many female partners as they see fit before marriage, but a woman must remain pure. Even still, there are extra marital affairs. Some even would pay for such services," she sighed, "my father did all he could to banish such behaviour in our menfolk, but he was powerless to stop it entirely" she said sadly

"I know," Aegnor replied, "your father was an honourable man, that is why I do not carry such concerns for you."

He settled beside her. He kissed her forehead and she melted into his embrace. She plucked a lock of his hair and played with its shimmering tress.

"So beautiful you are Aegnor," she uttered "every inch of you, worthy of praise, I think about the moments I almost never had you, so uncertain the world was back them,"

"You have me Andreth, our fates are entwined. Destined to cross paths,"

"Perhaps... with this first bonding... there will be a new hope for us. A child of our own... nestled in the sanctuary of my womb, " she mused. There was a tremble in his breath, a deep yearning in his heart.

"That would be wonderful.... Andreth....," he whispered

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. The lingering gaze grew intense. Then, Aegnor bent his neck and released a trembling breath, before laying his lips upon hers. They kissed one another with sweet, gentleness. Her pleasure rose as Aegnor caressed her nude body. She took his hand and placed it on her bare breast.

"I was brought forth into this world with this new body,  and so it is all I have to offer to you, take it," she purred into his ear, her desire rising, "put your hands on me... Aegnor,"

Aegnor readily succumbed. He laid her back down, comfortably sprawled upon the pillowed he had laid around. He kissed her knees, and gently parted them. He kissed her inner thigh and lower abdomen. He lingered there, his lips trempling upon her skin. Then, he kissed her soft belly and both of her breasts. Breathing deeply, he entered her again, this time meeting no obstructions. Andreth tensed as pain shot through her. But she would not dare scream this time. Aegnor moaned with intense pleasure as he entered her fully. Andreth watched him, the sheer unguarded beauty in his face made the pain worth enduring. She had never seen a creature so breath-taking as Aegnor and never would she. Finally he opened his eyes and he was greeted with his mortal bride, gazing at him, silent.

"She is so beautiful..." His thoughts overwhelmed him as he gazed down upon every inch of her unguarded form.

She captured his lips, claiming them passionately and Aegnor was all to happy to oblige. Andreth trembled and shook as the last vestiges of pain faded replaced with an undeniable, intense pleasure. With unhurried delight, Aegnor claimed her body fully. Any lingering concerns in his mind where swiftly dispensed as Andreth surrendered herself. With building rapture, he penetrated deep inside her, her comforting warmth welcoming him deeper with every passionate thrust. The burning sting of her claws dragging red lines down his back, the delicious mix of intense pain and pleasure rocketed him to further heights, he edged ever closer to the limits of his last restraint.

It was in that defining moment a cresting wave consumed Andreth. Her body buckled and her mind collapsed as she was engulfed in a torrent surge of ecstasy. Her skin flushed a soft shade of pink, she lay there utterly surrendered beneath him. Their eyes met in that eclipsing moment. Seeing her so compromised by the sheer power of her release, the state of which he caused, a delicious, half smile creeped along the plump curves of his mouth, basking in the sight of her full surrender.

"Fair Andreth... queen of my guarded heart. With this gift, I bind us as one... within your hroä, I surrender mine..." he whispered heavily.

Arching, he pinned her hands to the ground. Andreth braced, her back arching into it, fully submitting. His muscles bulging and strong neck tensing, Aegnor reached the pinnacle, rimming on the edge of total release. Then, with a shuddering last breath, he tipped into the torrent waves of ecstasy, engulfing him and washing him away with its current. Andreth watched, robbed of her breath and voice. His skin glowed like gems encrusted every inch of him. His elven beauty transcended to angelic heights.

The curtains whipped around them as his powerful fëa surged into Andreth. She gasped deeply, her eyes pinned to the sky. Her heart overflowed with love and an intense joy never known to her. Andreth wept tears of every emotion she could have, her heart racing within her chest. She shuddered as she felt Aegnor release his seed within her.

Deep, slow breaths from Aegnor filled the silence, his body shaking violently in the afterglow. Finally, he lifted from her and gently kissed her wet cheeks, pulling her shaking hand from her mouth. He stared down at her, their eyes locking in a moment of sheer, naked love.

His lips pulled into a blissful, partial smile. Tendrils of damp stray hair clung to his eyes and face, as he stared down into her eyes, filled with love. His deep, quivering breaths rushing into her face. "Welcome... my beloved wife,"

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VALINOR

(YEAR OF THE TREES)

The beautiful city was adorned with colourful shimmering glint shrouded in the blackness of night. The trees shimmered lights of beautiful purple and yellow, and the flow of silky lakes of city canals veined the grounds. The lanterns of celebrations lined the streets of the Tirion as its residents celebrated a royal wedding. Within its enclosed walls, the magnificent palace was adorned in jubilation and song. Banners and flags decorated its structure, and waterfalls danced in the silvery glow of Telperion.

Upon the roof of the palace of the king, one solitary elf sat alone. Clasped in his hand was a silver chalice of rich wine. A shimmering circlet decorated his noble brow, befitting the royal status of a prince of the realm. His countenance cast in a distant melancholy, he took a lingering sip from his golden chalice and let the comforting elixir slip down his throat, numbing the sorrows buried deep within him. His eyes swamped in a well of sadness.

("There you are, I saw you slipping away into the shadows") Angrod, draped in a long, splendid mantle of white silk called to his brother softly from the entrance door He glided toward him. His every step mirrored the movements of a weightless spectre upon a glassy lake. ("Should you not be attending the wedding as my esteemed guest of honour?")

("Should you not be getting married?") Aegnor replied steadily. Angrod dropped down beside him, drawing his knee to his chest.

("Ah, was that today?") Angrod jested, their soft, harmonious chuckled fluttering. Aegnor smiled warmly at Angrod. His smile soon faded as he witnessed a darkness cloud his brothers eyes.

(What burdens do you wish to unload upon me, brother?") Aegnor asked. His elvish words danced fluently from his lips. Angrod released a troubled sigh.

("The crowned prince, our 'revered' uncle Feänor harbours a venomous suspicion and is loath to return to the celebration until the culprit of has been discovered,") he muttered.

("What burdens do you wish to unload upon me, brother?") Aegnor asked. His elvish words danced fluently from his lips. Angrod released a troubled sigh.

("The crowned prince Feänor, our 'revered' uncle harbours a venomous suspicion and is loath to return to the celebration until the culprit of has been discovered,") he muttered.

(What could it be this time?") Aegnor mumbled. ("Did some poor, overburdened servant breathe in his general direction?")

("Nay, it was not for any cause say for his coveted 'golden wine' from his own private supply, which he selfishly hordes and flaunts before us. Amidst the joyous festivities, in full view of all, along with his son drank a generous draught in view of all in an unabashed display of his utter contempt for me, he and Curufin. Only to swiftly expel it from their mouths and recoil fiercely from its contents and are retching even still,")

Faint echoes of Curufin's violent retches mixed with Feänors powerful voice yelling elvish words of heated rage ghosted from outside the palace behind them, drawing Aegnor's attention.

("I am not spared from his taunts even on my own wedding day! Will he never cease in his efforts to humiliate me at every turn?") Angrod sighed sadly.

Aegnor's gaze lingered in thought. His sparkling eyes alight with colour in the reflective glow of the city's lights. A flashback ran through his mind of a certain translucent crystal vase, the luxurious golden wine resting within it to be seen by all who would see it and know what it held within and he remembered the moment his hands slipped around it and carrying it away beneath his clothing, away from the festivities and into the quiet of the night.

("Did he drink straight from the crystal vase?") Aegnor prodded slowly ("The one adorned with glittering gemstones and rimmed with fine gold. The one that he has cherishes so possessively?")

("Indeed... though now he suspects I had tainted his supply I gather, I did not touch his precious draught!") Angrod grumbled.

Another flashback in Aegnors mind as he stood on the wall of the palace, alone with the vase of his uncles precious wine. Looking around, he opened the seal of the vase with a clicking pop and sniffed it, the fumes of the wine melted into the back of his throat and he moaned softly with the sheer pleasure the smell of such a fragrance brought him. Then after stealing one more last look over his shoulder, Aegnor remembered pouring the honey coloured liquid out over the wall and it hit the ground far below with a soft hiss. With a wicked smirk, Aegnor gazed down into the now empty crystal vase, his tongue clamping tightly around his bottom lip. Grinning maliciously, his sickening plan for his intolerant uncles now empty vase was about to come into fruition. Returning once again to the present, Aegnor nodded slowly. 

 ("There is no cause to be concerned.") He replied candidly, casually bringing his cup to his lips.

("Aegnor... did you poison his vintage!?")

("Come now, Angrod! If I wanted to poison that miserable, sour faced rat bastard, I would have done it in plain sight of everyone!") Aegnor retorted, his eyes flashing. His rich voice flowing smoothly. ("The vessel that contained the so-called 'exquisite vintage,' which they so gluttonously partook of before the gathered throng, did not hold golden wine at all,") he declared, his voice laced with disdain.

Angrod, brow furrowed in perplexity, inquired, ("Then what manner of drink was in the vase?")

Aegnor's gaze fixed on Angrod, his eyes filled with a sinister glint. Suddenly, a wicked smirk curled the corners of his mouth. In a moment of realization, Angrod's face contorted with disgust and horror as the truth gripped him. The weight of the revelation crashed upon him,

("Nay... Aegnor! Tell me not that you did!") Androd exclaimed, his hands covering his mouth in revulsion. Aegnor's smirk stretched into a demonic grin, marrying his beautiful face with the sinister crescent. Moonlight cast an eerie glow upon his gleaming teeth and intense, unyielding eyes.

A chilling cackle escaped Aegnor's lips, a sound laced with wicked delight. Angrod's twisted expression shattered and laughter burst from him. Followed by Aegnors victorious cry.

(It was MY PISS!!") His boisterous roar cracked the air, his head wiping around, toward the echoes behind them. cracked through the air, his head whirling behind him. His loud voice projected toward the distant voices of Curufin and Feänor behind him that had since ceased. Angrod's laughter swelled, harmonizing with Aegnor's jubilant, dark mirth.

("Aegnor, Why would you commit such a vulgar prank!?Feanor will string from the walls himself when he catches you!") Angrod chided, his red face flushing behind his hands

("Do not worry about Feänor, he can not touch me!") Aegnor replied, his haughty expression challenging the night. ("Did you not speak these very words to me, Angrod? He seeks to humiliate you at every turn, so I return the favour, an eye for an eye. No one makes a laughing stock of my family, Androd... not while I still draw breath!")

(Though I do not condone the foul thoughts you oft conjure in your twisted mind, I am non the less thankful to have you, brother. Though now, I am sworn to my bride, there is no one who can hold the place you have in my heart, little brother,") Androd smiled warmly

There was a shift in Aegnors previous confident demeanour. His eyes turned sad and his lips tightened and he drew his knees into his chest. A flicker of anger and shame darkened his brow.

("There is no maiden like Eldalótë... my brother.) He mused. His glassy eyes met his brothers, filled with well of unspoken emotion, Their agonising depths betraying a secret hatred and anguish. ("Cherish her, Angrod,")

("Dear brother, without your relentless efforts in persuading me to court her, this day would have never come. Her beauty surpasses even the finest bred maidens, and her body, divine. I owe this all to you, Aegnor")

Aegnor's lips tensed, and he looked away. His brow tightened. Then, immediately shifting his expression, without another word, Aegnor smiled and raised his cup to, his shimmering mantle of silver, blanketed by his thick curled locks, caught the glint of moonlight in the motion of his robust arm. ("Drink with me, Angrod, and raise our goblets to this fine hour!") Smiling, Androd lifted his cup aloft, mirroring Aegnor.

("To the days of our youth, filled with much laughter,") Angrod declared with pride.

("To the pleasure of maidens...") Aegnor raised his cup, flashing his eyebrows. A sly grin creeping onto his lips. Eliciting a laugh from Angrod.

("And to the delights of their soft, supple bodies") Angrod cried

They cheered in unison, their jubilant voices rising in harmony. In perfect synchrony, they both lifted their goblets and succumbed to the allure of the rich wine. It slid down their throats like divine honey.

("Will you tarry a while with me, Angrod, or is there a need for you to return to your bride with haste?") Aegnor asked,

("I have always a moment for you, Aegnor").

Aegnor gracefully rose from the floor of the roof top, his robust, lean figure accentuated by the elegant movement. With a swift motion, he shed his embellished formal elvish attire. He turned to Angrod and held out his arm

("Hand it over,") Aegnor commanded. Confused, Angrod hesitated but complied, unclasping his white mantle and passing it to Aegnor as he also rose to full height.

Aegnor tied both coats together, and then, grabbing a banner, he quickly fashioned a long chord, tying the mantles to a rock he picked up. Angrod watched silently, his confusion growing. His silent expression shifted into wide eyes alarm as he witnessed Aegnor set their mantles ablaze from a nearby torch. The flames licked the fabric, transforming it into a mesmerizing pyre.

("Aegnor!" Angrod protested as his priceless wedding attire was consumed in flames in Aegnor's hand. ("What are you -!?")

Angrod's protests where over shadowed by Aegnor's exhilarated grin, his face aglow in red, hot light.

("Tiss not a celebration, brother, not to me, not until I see something burn!") Aegnor cried, his excitement growing.

Without another word, he launched the flaming coats over the edge of the roof. Like a blazing fireball of  brilliance, it soared through the open air, descending upon the vast expanse of the open courtyard. The burning mantles landed in the large open courtyard onto a colossal pyre of discarded wooden boxes and cloth that had been 'mysteriously' doused in oil. within moments, the pyre burst into a pillar of hungry flames that reached toward the heavens in a breath-taking inferno. Angrod recoiled in surprise and a hint of terror, throwing his arm up in the sudden blazing wave of heat and light. But his fear was swiftly eclipsed by Aegnor's unbridled delight at the blazing, fiery spectre.

"WOOO!" Aegnor's vigorous, boisterous howls of mixed with the thunderous roar of the flaming pillar. Its destructive power, a thrilling display that excited him.

Angrod's initial fear had melted, replaced with a delighted grin of wide-eyed amazement as he watched his brother's raw jubilation in the face of such destructive beauty. Utterly fearless was Aegnor in that moment and bold beyond all measure. Holding his chalice up to the roaring flames, he invited Angrod to join him. Angrod laughed, the bright fiery light reflecting off their forms as together, they raised their cups in a toast to the bygone days of their youth. Heralding in the age with shared anticipation of countless more adventures to come.

●●●

The New World

(Year: unknown)

Andreth rose early. Her scant clad form gleamed in the early glow of the rising sun. Nestled peacefully beside her, her sleeping elf lay upon his front. Only a thin sheet pooled around his hips. His broad, muscular back illuminated by the morning light, the defined planes of his shoulders and the indent of his spine, a breath-taking sight. His messy hair gathered around his head. A light sheen of moisture glistened his locks. Damp strands clung softly to his elven features. Remnants of a passionate night freshly sated.

Tucking her tousled hair behind her ear, she bent over him, her face hovering above his ear. His deep breaths ghosted from his throat, remnants of an elf deep in his sleep. Still and silent as a sleeping angel. She fought against the desire to reach out and touch him and disrupt this beautiful moment.

Draping her body in a discarded blue cloth, his scent filled into her nose, intoxicating her. A dreamy smile crept onto her face as she remembered the events of their previous night and the many others that it had followed after. Gentle as to not wake him, she rose steadily from the sandy ground within the homely shelter they had built together.

As she took but a single step, she stopped suddenly and gasped. The tickle of a familiar sensation slipped down the soft flesh of her inner thigh. The intimate evidence of his passion. A precious gift from her beloved. Blushing, she tenderly wiped it away. Her gleeful, playful grin lingering.

After cleaning up and dressing in simple attire made for her by her loving husband. She slipped out of the hanging curtains of their abode to the welcome warmth of the sun. The distant song of the ocean waves echoed softly, and the gentle morning wind played with her hair. Her eyes closed, and she stretched, breathing in the sweet morning air. As she opened them, her eyes drew wide with alarm, and her mouth opened in shock and awe.

"Aegnor!" She cried joyously and ran back into the pavilion, "Aegnor!! Come quickly!!"

They appeared from the closed hanging sheets that billowed gently in the breeze. Aegnor leapt out first, followed by Andreth. Aegnor gasped, his wide eyes fixed on the being before him. A stallion, black as night stood before them. Snorting happily.

"My love! Eru has blessed us yet again!" Andreth cried. "Sorna has been returned to you from the mortal realm of death, to be your noble steed yet again!"

Aegnor stood silently, his teary eyes fixed on the beast. "Could it truly be you, my loyal companion?" Aegnor whispered as he slowly approached. The horse outstretched his neck as Aegnor outstretched his hand. It sniffed his arm, and with a brief hesitation, it came to him, pulling his body into its chest with his head. Aegnor wrapped his arms around Sorna's neck and sobbed tears of joy. Andreth smiled widely as she witnessed the touching moment.

"I have not ridden in so long!" Aegnor whispered, dropping his arms. Overwhelmed by his emotions. Andreth came and encircled her arms around his slim waist from behind. Her lips spilling loving kisses upon his back as his quiet sobs echoed forth.

"It will find you, my love. Just like everything before," she whispered, her soothing voice a balm in his sensitive ears. He released a shuddering sigh. His fingers entwining with the long tendrils of Sorna's mane.

"Andreth, will you go quickly and fetch my clothing?" He murmured. She obeyed and ran back to their dwelling to fetch his garments.

After a shaky start, Aegnor soon found his stride upon Sorna's back. With his wife seated behind, he rode with vigour along the plains, exploring their new world together. They hunted larger game that filled their bellies with satisfaction, and at night, Andreth would submit herself to Aegnor's passionate desires many more times. Their forms rolling in blissful surrender before the comforting glow of a warm fire.

●●●●

Upon the hill of a flowery field, Andreth slept in Aegnors arms. The sweet smell of blooms lulled her into a reverent dream. Rest against a tree, his back supported by its trunk, Aegnor encircled Andreth in his arms. Her body nested between the open space in his legs, her back resting against his strong body. The sun beamed its full glory. But they were protected by the generous shade of the tree above their heads, the shadow of the leaves dancing upon the ground.

Aegnor stirred slightly and kissed the back of her head. The scent of her hair sent tingles of delight running through him. After he was sure she was fast asleep, Aegnor slid his hand down her stomach. His palm is coming to stop upon her lower abdomen, just below her navel. He stilled completely and held it there. As if searching for something deep within her. The flickering of a new feä, one that has been made from their passion. The wind wisped around as he lay in silent repose. Daring not to even breathe. Yet, a deep sadness overwhelmed him as he felt nothing and removed his hand.

Sensing the deep emotions that plagued her beloved through their feä bond, Andreth awoke, her eyes fluttering open, and immediately she turned to face her beloved. Her eyes filled with concern. Seeing his fragile gaze, she cradled his face in both her palms.

"My love... what deep sadness troubled your heart?" She whispered. Confronted, he had no choice but to reveal his deed to Andreth.

"I had hoped to feel the faint flicker of a feä within you" he said sadly, "but I felt not a flicker of life. The eldar know the moment a babe is conceived, but with you, I can not be sure...," his head sank, his gaze falling to the ground.

"Oh my husband," Andreth moaned softly, "Is that all that has vexed you? Surely, we can not forsee such things until they are made known to me first. Do elves not concieve in such a way?" She asked

His bright eyes found hers again, their depths brimming with fragile hope, he shook his head, "Nay, a day is chosen by the couple. A sacred ritual is performed on the elf maiden by her husband before the act takes place. Once completed, the feä of the young conceived within her womb is felt almost immediately." A long pause followed. Andreth listened patiently as a deeply troubled Aegnor gathered his words and released a heavy trembling sigh. "Since my union with you, I've come to realise the differences between women of mortal and elven lineage is great, to say the least. Alas, I lack the knowledge or skill on how to navigate this pool of uncertainty or what to expect. I believe we are never to be blessed with a babe of our own, Andreth... And it greatly saddens me." His fragile whisper hung between them like a lead cloud.

Andreth gracefully took his hand and placed on her breast, smiling weakly. "You asked me once why my kind commemorates the birth of our infants, and not the conception. Do you remember what I said?"

"It is a draw of mere chance. Unknown to both the father and the mother until the moment of certainty arrives." He replied frailly

She smiled, "Beloved, you must exercise patience. The walls of my womb is saturated with your intimate release. No one knows the day nor the hour," she blushed, her soft smile growing. She placed her hand on her lower abdomen and beamed, her eyes regarding his, "perhaps, a babe has already been concieved, and the gentle rise of my belly will and cease of my flow has already began. She trembled with the thought, she secretly knew within her heart.

"How do you live with such uncertainty!?" Aegnor cried, utterly bemused. "It is a torment beyond any i've suffered!"

She tingled with pleasure and desire and smiled upon her emotionally exasperated elf. She untied her dress and pulled it off her shoulders. It pooled and rippled around her waist, revealing her beautiful plump breasts. She climbed upon his lap, straddling his hips tightly

"You are in need of a distraction, my love... perhaps my body can help clear your mind of weighty thoughts,"

With his face buried within the warmth and comfort of her body, she surrendered to his caress

"Aegnor....," she breathed, "I must make a confession to you," He lifted his head, his eyes fluttering open. "I have kept this from you, I beg your forgiveness for my secrecy. For too great is its revelation," he gazed at her, his eyes filled with curious wonder, awaiting her confession. She took his hand and placed it upon her belly, there was a very gentle swell in her abdomen, a subtle hardened rise upon her flat stomach. His brow furrowed with confusion for a moment, lost in contemplation. Then, his eyes darted to hers. A wide, elated grin met his widened gaze,

"You will be atar, my love!" she whispered a gentle cry

Tears pooled in his eyes, welling in glistening streams. A joyous cry burst from his mouth and he embraced her. Weeping tears into her neck. All his pain, his desires and his loss, released from his fragile heart. At last, a child. A child all his own. He deepest yearning. Finally fulfilled.

○○○

Andreth roused from her slumber yet again. Clad in a sheer gown adorned with a front slit, designed by Aegnor to grant him easy access to caress her stomach as he pleased. She slowly ascended from their bed, fashioned from the exquisite, warm pelts of white wolves claimed by Aegnor's successful hunts. She carefully manoeuvred her body to find a position of greater comfort. The arduous and wearisome stages of her pregnancy had taken their toll, rendering her unable to traverse more than a few feet at a time. She emitted a contented sigh as her hands tenderly caressed her enlarge, swollen abdomen.

Anticipation for the imminent birth now occupied her every thought, though it was not devoid of trepidation that she concealed from Aegnor's gaze. Nevertheless, the discomfort she endured was an almost unbearable burden, and she yearned for the day when it would be alleviated. Aegnor, still motionless from slumber, slid his hand from her belly to her breast, swollen with milk. He still desired her, even in his sleep. Yet no peaceful sleep was granted to her as she again was struck by her lively burden, this time making her jump. She groaned with frustration and sat up. As she glanced over at her beautiful elf. Her admiration for his beauty even in his sleep never wavering. What a prize he was. She couldn't help but notice the signs of exhaustion etched on his face.

She understood the challenges he faced in taking care of a pregnant woman on his own. Aegnor often reminded her that during the final stages of an elven pregnancy, the mother drew strength from the entire family. In her quiet moments, she wondered if Aegnor's unease stemmed from a longing for his brother Angrod. The weight of his absence weighed heavily on his heart. Though he tried to hide it, it was clear to her how much he missed him.

Gingerly, she rose to her feet. Her breath quickly ran out, her exhausted body protesting even the slightest movement. The journey to the entrance of the pavilion was only a few strides, yet it felt like a vigorous battle. Her back ached, and her feet, swollen and throbbing, plagued her relentlessly. Nevertheless, her determination propelled her forward, driven by the urgent need to relieve herself. The toils of pregnancy became a burdensome price for her ecstasy with Aegnor, long awaited.

Moaning in discomfort, she at last found a secluded spot. She gathered her dress, lifting it high above her wide, parted knees, and crouched ungracefully. She soon found the relief she desperately needed. Her senses suddenly attuned to the haunting howls of the wolves in the nearby woods. A glimmer of relief washed over her as the ominous howls transformed into a sword, cutting the air and sharp whelps and cries of distress following. Convinced that Aegnor had followed her and was keeping watch over her safety.

Fearing nothing, she cleaned herself off and ventured back. Waddling with great effort, pausing to rest at every few steps, until she once again reached the sanctuary of their home. However, as she entered, she was immediately gripped with alarm. Aegnor's form lay before her. Still lost in the depths of peaceful slumber. He had not moved. Fear surged through her being. If it wasn't Aegnor who had vanquished the wolves, then who had? Andreth's urgent cries roused Aegnor from his slumber with immediate alarm. Seeing the gravity of her distress, Aegnor swiftly grasped his blade. He urged Andreth to remain while he ventured out to confront the intruder.

He raced into the darkness. His keen elven ears picked up faint sounds in the distance, guiding his path. With his blade at the ready, he followed the call that beckoned him deeper into the shadows. Employing a mastery of stealth, he moved closer, careful not to alert the figure before him. Draped in a long black cloak and cowl, invisible with the darkness of the forest, the form stood, with weapon unsheathed, piercing the bodies of the motionless wolves that lay around, ensuring their demise. Aegnor discerned the mysterious figure to be female. Her back turned to him, and she was unaware of his sneaky approach from behind.

He swung at her. But swift as light, she parried with him, the swords clanking loudly. Though her face was hidden in the shadows of her cowls, she was none the less a fearsome dualist as she unleashed an aggressive attack in a flurry of deadly strikes, he parried everyone, their weapons slashing loudly between them, His weakened body proves its hindrance upon his skill. A brief respite allowed them some ground, and they circled one another.

"Identify yourself!" Aegnor yelled with fierce anger. His words carrying an undisputed authority, his venomous eyes burning with ire. She remained silent, her face veiled from his sight. His eyes blazed with intense ire.

"You are not welcome here! Reveal your name, or I will tear you apart, piece by agonising piece!" He hissed, raising his blade to her.

The chill kiss of a sword touched his cheek from behind him. Another figure, tall and imposing loomed. Clad in matching cloak, mask and cowl as his female counterpart. Aegnor stilled, every muscle in his body tensing. Slowly, he raised his hands and dropped his weapon, folding his arms behind his head in traditional sign of surrender.

"What is it you want?" He asked to the mysterious pair who are invading his home. "There is no one on this island but I, and I do not recall sending a written invitation for company!"

The large figure behind him approached slowly, Aegnor tried to turn around but a flick of the sharp blade on his cheek reminded him he was in no position to negotiate. A black gloved hand searched Aegnor's body for hidden weapons in his thin clothing. Satisfied he was not armed, he returned to his threatening position.

"Failing to check your surroundings before engaging in a fight... I expected more from you, Aegnor," the voice, undeniably male, spoke from behind.

Aegnor stilled at the voice. His eyes widened, his breath left his body. The voice behind him resonated with an unmistakable clarity and undeniable familiarity. In that critical moment, Aegnor was left in no doubt of the identity of the looming figure who stood behind him.

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Aegnor whirled around, his lithe form coming face to face with the figure. His features obscured by a hood and a mask, only his eyes could be seen. Aegnor stared, his eyes wide with alarm and confusion. His heavy breaths ghosting in the tense silence as they stared one another down. Staggering restlessly, Aegnor put his trembling hand to his lips, his voice faltering.

"It can not be.....," he trembled.

He took a step closer to him, their eyes boring into one another.

".....Angrod?"

Blinking softly, the mysterious figure broke their gaze and pulled back his hood to reveal straight golden hair, and pulled down his mask. Angrod stood before him. His head decorated in a golden circlet and his bright eyes mirroring Aegnors tears. Staring at his brother, Angrod smiled. Like he had found a long lost friend.

"It has been to long...my brother," Angrod finally said, holding out his arms. Aegnor did not respond. He did not move. Frozen to the spot, the white in his eyes on full display, tears or every emotion streaming from his glowing orbs.

"Do I not even merit a welcome embrace from a brother lost now found?" Angrod chuckled.

Aegnor burst to life and lunged. He grabbed his older brother, nearly knocking him to the ground and buried his tears into his strong shoulders. Sobbing uncontrollably Aegnor clung to Angrod with all the strength he had. When he eventually let go, Angrod held Aegnors face and placed his forehead against his as Aegnor continued to weep.

"Brother... my brother," Angrod whispered calmly holding Aegnor as he fell apart. "How I have missed you, Aegnor,"

"I watched you die.... ," Aegnor finally summoned the strength to mutter, his eyes heavy with emotion.

"I dwelt in the Halls of Mandos for a while, but I was re-embodied and returned to the blessed realm. There I learned from Finrod you had chosen to remain there and never return," replied the steady voice of his protective sibling.

"What else did Finrod tell you...?" Aegnor finally asked, lifting his eyes.

"Enough," was Androd's simple answer. It was enough to let Aegnor realise he knew everything.

Aegnor released a trembling sigh and wiped his tears. He stepped away, seeking some distance to process his thoughts.

"I am happy to see you again, Angrod. But I fear the reason you have come. This world was given to us... in a divine pact I made with Illuvatar. Therefore, you have been sent here only by his hand....," he turned and faced Angrod's still form sincerely "why have you come?" He added slowly.

Angrod's face shifted, his gaze turned to his female partner, who stood majestically and silently. Her face and head stilled obscured by her garments. Angrod's face then dropped and he turned sad.

"We know of your wife, Andreth. She is with child," a voice like smooth silk spoke from the female elf. Aegnor stared at her, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to recover a long lost memory of the owner of such a voice. She then slowly removed her mask, her icy eyes fixed on Aegnor. Snow white skin glowed over her delicate features. Her face angel fair and soft lips, a hue of violet frost. Her eyes seemed to hold an icy chill, that froze all who gazed into them. A shudder erupted through Aegnor as he recognized her face and those eyes. She regarded him with a coldness that chilled to the bone. Her steady, unblinking gaze haunting him.

"Eldalótë...," Aegnor finally muttered with feigned warmth, "wife of my brother, and sister to my house, It has been long," bowing his head, he crossed his hand over his chest, greeting her formally yet no less tensely.

"Forgive me, noble lady. I did not know it was you," Aegnor continued, trying to build some rapport with her. She stepped closer, her icy gaze never leaving him. Aegnor backed away slightly as she approached, his gaze fixed to the ground.

"If you dare try to strike me from the shadows like that again, Aegnor... I will take your head and deliver it to her myself. Do you understand?" She snarled. Finally, his eyes met hers in a challenging silent exchange and lingered there.

"What of my wife, Eldalótë....is she in danger?" He hissed slowly, holding back his anger.

It was dawn by the time they arrived back at the pavilion. Aegnor disappeared behind the cascading veils, blowing slightly in the breeze. After a few anticipated moments, he emerged again with Andreth clasped in his arm. Her full and enlarged belly, providing the undisputed evidence of her marriage to Aegnor in their eyes. Finally, Andreth caught sight of Angrod standing before her only a few throws away. She stared curiously. Her innocent gaze drinking in the being before her

"Aegnor... beloved..., It is back! Only in the form of Angrod! What is this trickery?!" she trembled as she squeezed his hand. Her fear gripping her, "be gone you ghostly spectrum! Go back to the void from whence you came! Taunt us no more with your image of my husband's brother!" She yelled as strongly as she could, yet her trembles betrayed her terror.

"Beloved... do not be alarmed, it is no feä that you see, but Angrod! He has come to visit you," Aegnor quickly responded, stilling her. Her eyes burst to life and her lips stretched to a grin so wide it passed her ears.

"Angrod!" She cried, her laughter dancing. Her unadulterated joy was insatiable, she jumped on the spot with infectious jubilance, holding her abdomen for support. They approached her, Angrod smiling affectionately.

"Lady Andreth. My heart rejoices to see your face again," he replied sincerely, his eyes then fell to her swollen belly, "And this... is the progeny of my brother. I have come to formally acknowledge this union and the legitimacy of this offspring. Long may it prosper," He bowed politely, choosing to hide the real reason for his arrival from Andreth.

"Oh Angrod, how my heart leaps to see you again. I am elated, yet this burden is weary on me," she laughed, caressing her abdomen proudly. Her skin glowing with maternal radiance. Her eyes then regarded the elf lady. Her hood lowered, showing her silvery golden hair of divine glory. Glittering jewels sprinkled in her long locks that stopped at her knees. The rising sun behind her revealing a being of almost divine beauty. The sheer sight of such an angelic face stole the breath from Andreth's very body.

"Aegnor... I feel as though I am standing in the presence of a Valar. I have never seen such a beautiful maiden in all my days!" She gasped, her eyes fixed on Eldalótë. Slowly, she approached the lowly mortal woman, her steely gaze seemed to soften, and a small smile curled the edge of her mouth.

"I am the wife of Angrod, I have come to assist you in the birthing process. I am Eldalótë of the Goldenflower," she bowed and put her hands upon Andreth's abdomen, "elven mothers possess a profound connection to the essences of our offspring. The prediction is known down to the very hour, " Eldalótë continued, "when is the day of expectation?"

Confused, she turned to Aegnor who was standing beside her, her pillar of strength,

"Such knowledge is not known to Andreth, she does not possess a fëa bond with her unborn, as we do. She will not know the day nor the hour until it is upon her," Aegnor replied. Eldalotë carefully slid her hands over Andreths stomach, pressing gently. Finally, Eldalótë's eyes fluttered open.

"Might I request examining you internally?" She enquired.

"Umm.... well...," Andreth stuttered, turning to Aegnor again for guidance in what to say, but he said nothing.

"I am unable to predict the arrival from the feä of your youngling Andreth. I must determine the precise moment so I may prepare," Eldalótë explained on.

"Yes...of course, please follow me." Andreth replied frailly and turned toward the pavilion. Eldalótë followed, leaving Aegnor and Andreth outside.

Angrod noticed Aegnor visably shaking. A very concerned expression fixed upon the women as they headed inside.

"She will be alright Aegnor, there is no reason to be afraid," Angrod reassured him with a tender hand in his shoulder.

"It is not for Andreth that I am worried at this moment..." Aegnor murmured, "I could have delivered the babe myself, with only you to aid me alone, my brother,"

"You know as well as I do the mastery of Eldalótë's skills in this field. It is too great a risk to leave to chance, Andreth's life hangs in the balance," Angrod responded with seriousness. Aegnor's jaw tensed, his eyes fixed on the pavilion. Secluded within, Eldalótë fastened the curtains together for extra privacy as Andreth turned, her fingers curled upon her mouth, her nervousness apparent.

"Eldalótë, I am not ignorant of my husbands fears. He is in great distress. What is to become of my baby?" She asked.

"Do not fear, Andreth," Eldalótë replied to her anxious plea, "no harm will come to you nor your offspring. I will not allow that to happen, you have my word," she reassured her. She fetched some pillows and spread them around Andreth's feet upon the ground.

"Please lay down and recline upon your back. I will commence the examination," She spoke with a graceful sweep of her slender arm. Andreth did so, submitting herself to Eldalótë's command. Eldalótë kneeled at her feet and lifted her dress, pooling it around her hips. Andreth breathed nervously.

"With your permission, my lady. I will begin now," Eldalótë said. With that, Eldalótë placed her hands upon the balls of Andreth's knees and gently spread them open. Andreth, her hands cradling her swollen belly, consciously surrendered herself to the moment, allowing the weight of her worries to dissipate in the gentle air within the pavilion. Eldalótë slowly inserted her finger inside her and began the examination. Andreth did her best to think of other things other than the fact there was a strange woman in her home with her fingers inside her intimate parts.

"This pregnancy has taken much out of me, I shall be glad when it is finally over!" Andreth exclaimed softly. "But my worry is not in my condition, nor the coming of the birth. It is in Aegnor. I did not know a pregnancy could be so taxing on the impending fathers among your kind," she added, doing her best to ease her discomfort.

"It is expected among the eldar. The father draws strength from the family during such times. My beloved, Angrod, was equally as vexed at the birth of our own cherished joy, though that was eons ago now. Aegnor was a great source of strength for him then. It is a pity for him to have done this alone without the aid of his loved ones. However, that is the price he has paid for his love," Eldalótë replied indifferently.

"Tell me Eldalótë... what was Aegnor like....afore? Before he left the Blessed Realm and travelled to Middle Earth?"

A long pause followed as Eldalótë contemplated her question.

“Angrod, my beloved husband, is a paragon of nobility, steadfast, strong and disciplined. He has been my stable source of reliance and resolve since the day I wed him. In sharp contrast was Aegnor," her voice trailed off in a moment of softness, "within him burned a fire that consumed all things, unchecked and ungovernable. He was the champion of athletic games, unbeatable and utterly ferocious. There was many a beautiful she-maiden who sighed for the affection for such a prince, drawn to him like ducklings to the lake. Alas, none could capture his affection, for he was as an untamed stallion, released into the wind. A feä, so wild and free," Eldalótë mused.

"I must say, I did not expect that explanation. But I do believe such words!" Andreth replied, her sparkling gaze fixed to the roof, "alas, I am not one to complain! Aegnor's insatiable hunger for passion has ended in punishing me with this cumbersome load!" she chuckled softly, caressing her swollen belly with glee.

The innocent comment from Andreth made Eldalótë pause. A chill had overtaken the moment. Andreth could hardly stand it.

"Let us refrain from speaking further." Eldalótë responded with icy coldness, a stark contradiction to her sudden warmth afore.

Eldalótë continued her thorough examination. Her astute scrutiny revealed the proximity of the impending childbirth, the weight of responsibility, and the gravity of the situation settling upon her shoulders. Sensing the urgency, she swiftly directed Andreth to retire to her bed without delay. "Go and prepare for the impending birth. You must not eat any suppliments nor exert any effort whatsoever. Go now!" She ordered. Her tone firm yet soft.

Yielding to Eldalótë's sence of urgency, Andreth made no resistance. She moved towards her bed, excitement and dread warring like a violent storm within her. Eldalótë swiftly departed to relay her findings to Aegnor and Angrod, who waited patiently outside. They soon discerned Eldalótë's form racing toward them. "The hour is upon us now! In but a breath's whisper, Andreth shall succumb! We must hasten our preparations, hurry now!"

Aegnor strode forth, his gait heavy with purpose as he crossed the threshold into the pavilion. There, he took his rightful place at Andreth’s side, kneeling beside her. In that moment, he drew her close, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that spoke of love and hope, pure and beautiful. Reluctantly, they parted just as Eldalótë entered, bearing fresh blankets. Angrod came and rested upon his knees, behind her head, placing it down on his lap. As Eldalótë worked, preparing Andreth for the approaching birth, Andreth smiled up into the faces of the elves and broke into a gentle laugh.

"Once upon a winter morning, so very long ago, I happened upon two Noldorin elves, little did I know that chance meeting would lead us all here! Together again, like the very day of our first meeting!"

Angrod smiled softly upon her, a tender glance of endearing love for this sweet, sweet child.

Andreth was suddenly jolted fromtgat tender moment. A gush of warm liquid poured from her. Eldalótë was quick to act, she lifted her dress and bundled it around her abdomen. She then lifted her knees and spread them as wide as she could as the brothers looked on.

It is time," she said, her eyes lifting to her husband and to Aegnor.

"Do you have a prediction?" Angrod asked his wife.

She regarded him honestly, "she is mortal. Her offspring will be elven. She will not have the strength to pull through. You must carry her there,"

"Understood...," Angrod nodded

"Understood...," repeated Aegnor

It was at that moment Andreth endured a cresting wave of intense pain. It engulfed her entire body. Her jaw clenched tightly, her body shaking. Finally, it passed, and she reclined with relief. Her head landed back into Angrod's lap.

"That was bitterly unpleasant!" She cried. Barely as she caught her breath another surge of sharp pain gripped her tightly. She screamed with agony, the deafening cry shattering Aegnors very core. Her body shook with fear

"Should it be this intense so soon!?" She screeched.

"The child within you is of eldar blood, Andreth...to see it through, you will require far more endurance than this!" Eldalótë replied, almost stupified.

"Enough! Those are not helpful words Eldalótë!" Aegnor snapped.

"Aegnor! You must not break focus now! I can not do this alone!" Angrod retorted

Another wave of agony struck her. This one is far more intense than the last few. Andreth groaned loudly. The contraction seemed to last forever, crippling her.

Aegnor watched as his beloved endured wave after wave of excruciating torment, drawing on his strength through their feä bond.

Through the night, Andreth toiled, pushing with all she had, her face and hair soaked with sweat and tears. By her side, her champions, Angrod and Aegnor, lent their boundless strength to her as she fought tirelessly in the battle for life. After a long and arduous struggle, as the morning sun ascended from behind the horizon, Eldalótë urged her on, Andreth faltered in utter despair and hopeless desperation, she had no strength left.

"I can not! I can give no more!" She wailed. Aegnor leaned in and spoke words of encouragement into Andreth's wet ear.

"My love, you have already given so much. Draw upon our strength and bring our precious babe into the safety of my waiting arms," he spoke with unwavering steadiness. His velvet voice melted like butter in her ear.

Andreth remembered Variel in that moment and her parting words to her. The hope she had lost, the love she had missed. She was not content to suffer the same fate and braced herself for yet another surge, the final battle. With a scream that rattled the heavens, she pushed with a force fuelled by undying love. It was an agony that surpassed any mortal's imagining. Drawing from the brothers, with a final mighty push, her loud cries for relief quelled into a nail-biting quiet.

A tense hush descended upon the room, a silence held in a breathless stillness. Then, suddenly, the soft sound of a wailing infant broke through as Eldalótë cleaned the babe and wrapped it in soft blankets. Aegnor and Angrods silence was deafening. Eldalótë then rose and brought it to its fathers waiting arms.

"Behold, a son," she whispered, her words barely more than a gentle breeze, as she delicately placed him against Aegnor's chest. Besotted with the precious bundle now wrapped in his arms, Aegnor stared down at him, hardly believing his teary eyes.

A tuft of dark, wet hair crowned the babes little head, and his watery grey eyes, innocent and searching, stared up at the face of his elven father for the first time. Tiny outstretched hands felt the air, reaching up. As if drawn by an invisible thread, the infants hand brushed against Aegnor's face. That tender touch shattered the last vestiges of his composure, and Aegnor surrendered to a wellspring of sobs, his heart overflowing with love.

A large, steady hand found its place upon Aegnor's trembling shoulder. Angrod, ever steadfast, congratulated him in a silent gesture of fraternal love. Trembling, he surrendered his precious child into Angrod's loving hold. The babe came to him readily, Angrod cradled his nephew protectively and with a gentle strength.

Amidst the glow, Andreth stirred, her eyes fluttering. Weak and utterly exhausted, she barely had enough strength to lift her head, and she beheld the breathtaking tableau before her. Angrod, transfixed on his nephew, while Aegnor's tears poured. He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss upon her moist forehead, his tears mingling with and outpouring of praise and adoration. Angrod then carefully passed the babe into his mother's embrace, where a beautiful bond ignited. She immediately brought it to her breast, finding solace in the familiar warmth and the rhythm of her heartbeat, the infant cooed softly in her arms. Andreth sighed, her heart pouring with love. Not a breath could be heard as the baby suckled.

"What shall be his name, my love?" Andreth asked her husband. Angrod leaned over and chimed in her ear.

"Among our kind, the naming of a child is a shared endeavour, a babe is given both a mother name and a father name, a gift from both parents," he explained. Andreth's gaze shifted to her son, her eyes filled with tranquil contemplation

"What name do you see fit to bestow upon our son, beloved?" Aegnor inquired gently

The memory of her brother Bregor came to her, and all he meant to her. More than anything, she wished to honour his legacy and cherish his beloved memory.

"His mother name.... shall be Bregolas, in memory of the firstborn son of Bregor, my dear brother. I name this child in honour of him," she declared, her voice tinged with bittersweet memories.

"Then Bregolas he shall be called, Until the moment I shall pick a name for him," Aegnor spoke. "He carries within him both the gentleness of his mother and the flame of his father, I do not think it shall take too long,"

"Eldalótë, thank you," Andreth whispered, her exhausted smile glowing.

"Come my husband, let us leave them to this moment," Eldalótë spoke steadily as she gracefully rose to her feet. Smiling proudly, Angrod followed suit, and together, they left the confines of the pavilion. Leaving Aegnor and Andreth alone with their treasured joy.

"He is so beautiful," She sniffed

"He is ours," Aegnor whispered, kissing her tenderly. Belly full, the babe soon drifted into a peaceful sleep. Aegnor tenderly cradled the babes soft head as it slept in his mother's arms. "Upon my life, I will guard him from all danger and provide a home for him, filled with love, peace, and joy." Then he turned to Andreth, his hand filled with gentle love shifted to her moist cheek.

"Melinyel Amin, Meldaquendë," she whispered, her nose caressing his as his breath softened to trembling sighs. "Will you take him for a while?" She asked with a gentle smile. "I must rest now,"

She passed the sleeping infant to Aegnor and with one graceful motion, he stood up. She watched as he sang softly to his infant son, his movements like a graceful dance toward the outside. Showering him with gentle kisses, leaving Andreth behind in the still silence of an empty chamber. With a shuddering sigh, she fell back upon the blankets and comfortable wolf skins surrounding her and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

As Aegnor emerged from the pavilion, cradling his new son safely in his protective embrace, he saw the serene figure of Eldalótë standing alone. Aegnor paused, looking for his brother.

"Where is Angrod?" He asked

"He has ventured forth into the forest to procure a meal for Andreth," Eldalótë replied evenly ("May I?") she asked, extending her arms toward the babe.

Slowly, Aegnor stepped closer, his movements tense and tenderly passed the child to her arms. The babe settled comfortably into her full bosom and she swayed gently as it slept. A silence thickened as Aegnors apprehension grew. Eldalótë senced his growing unease alone in her presence.

"You need not fear, Aegnor. I will not divulge your sordid little secrets to Andreths ear," Eldalótë spoke softly, bouncing the babe gently as she rocked, "I have managed to keep it from even Angrod's own ears,"

"What do you want from me, Eldalótë?" He asked curtly

Her eyes regarded him. Her gaze chilling the air around them. "You have made my unwelcome here apparantly clear. You never were one for polite courtesy, even if it was expected of you to feign such a pretence, Aegnor. So I will speak now, and you will listen!" She hissed.

The song of the birds was the only sound in the heavy silence between them.

"Do you think I had forgotten?" She muttered, her eyes narrowing with intense icy hatred. "do not think my union with Angrod undoes the mark you branded upon my heart. Not a day passed in those early days where I did not cry. All the passionate nights in our marriage, where Angrod devoted himself to ensuring my complete satisfaction...he did so all while the scent of you still lingered on me." She taunted him.

Aegnor sighed loudly, his agitation growing.

"Did you truly think you could just walk free from all this?" She laughed. It was a chilling laugh. "Do you still run from your fears? All the memories between us, laid bare. I still taste the wine... and I still hear the sounds,"

He cradled his wrinkled brow, as if trying to erase her words from his mind. She passed the infant back to his father, her frosty gaze staring him down.

"Remember my words, Aegnor." She spoke softly and lifted her cowl over her head with a measured grace. Her violet eyes freezing his blood with venomous poison. He watched her silently as she turned from him, gliding toward the forest, seeking solitude among its vast, lonely embrace. Slowly he slinked back, returning to the comfort of the pavilion and to the sleeping Andreth. With a gentle kiss upon her forehead, Aegnor settled at her side. He understood the need for caution now more than ever.

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VALINOR

(YEAR OF THE TREES)

 The silvery water glittered in the pale light, a spectacular fountain took the centre of a vast and breath taking courtyard in the palace of Tirion. The flowers glowed with swarms of fireflies. Their pale green lanterns dancing like glittering emeralds in the cool night air. A lone figure stood between gossamer sheets that swayed in the gentle wind. His long floor length hair shined with gold and silver hues decorated in fine braids and jewels.

Finarfin took in the whole his kingdom, perched within a palace window. Tirion had never seemed so quiet. In his large ringed hands, a chalice sat snuggly. Steam swirled from its brim and he lifted it to his full, smooth lips and sipped. Behind him, an elven lady appeared, draped in fine white silk. A thin, gossamer hood sat loosely over her head. Her face, more perfect and beautiful than all the stars in the night sky. Serenely, she approached her husband and stood beside him. Her voice, like summer rain upon a thread of silk.

("The night calls forth the shadows to dance. Even the owls halt their voices in reverence.")

Eärwen turned to her beloved. Her eyes shimmered like stars in the Telperion's ghostly glow. ("Sorrow weighs heavy upon our sons, my heart fears that fate will devide their paths forever,") she murmured, her voice a gentle lament.

("Finrod possesses wisdom, Angrod bears resolve, and Aegnor wields strength. We must place our trust in their choices now. No longer can we steer their fates,") Finarfin replied, his voice tender, as soothing as the first snowfall of winter.

("It is not Finrod or Angrod that troubles my spirit, beloved,") Eärwen said, her starlit visage turning once more to the window's embrace. Slowly, Finarfin's gaze followed, his head tilting with grace to regard her.

("How long shall I endure the torment of watching our son Aegnor returned to us, escorted by a barrage of guards? These nightly absences grow heavier upon my heart, a burden too great to bear. Where he ventures, we know not. When I dare to inquire, his words elude my grasp. This wound festers within me, a sorrow I can scarcely endure. The path before him will be filled with pain and suffering, I feel it in my heart, I read it in the stars. Aegnor will be far from our grasp... and nigh return to us forever more!")

Gently, he pulled his beloved wife into a tender embrace and she nestled her head into his sculpted shoulder. His eyes bore into the distance. Silently praying to the Valar to reveal the answer. Their siluetes, bathed in the light if the Telperion, locked in a serene embrace as the wind swayed the shimmering fabric of their mantles.

The land shook with the rumble of hooves. A horse flew through the air like a spectral spirit. Atop its back, its hooded elven rider draped all in black soared with ferocious speed in an effort to evade the guards hot on his pursuit. This had become a regular dance of familiar pattern. Always they would loose him for to swift and clean he was upon horseback. When the echoes of voices and clanking of armour had faded to a silence, only then did he slow to silent trot. Careful to only stick to grassy pastures. A familiar path he had mapped out only in his memory, hidden away and most importantly, deathly quiet. Silently, he made it to his destination. A large house met his gaze. His eyes scoped every window and crevice, all shut firmly closed say for only one, perched at the very top floor. Its beautiful, elven decorated shutters unlatched and wide open. 

He removed his thick hood and quietly dismounted. His silver capped elven boots meeting the ground with a soft crunch. His eyes fixed intently on the opened window. Slowly he picked up a pebble and with deadly accuracy, he hurled it into the open space and waited, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. Finally, after a while of silent tension a figure appeared in the window, draped in a long modest house cloak that covered every inch of her skin and tied around her curvaceous figure. She gazed down at her night time elven visitor with silent curiosity. Then without a word, she turned. Returning to the comfort of her home with indifference. He smiled and began to climb the wall of the manor, knowing exactly where to put his feet so not to make any sound. Reaching the window, he swooped one leg over the windowsill and into the room, quietly closing the shutters behind him. Giving the couple complete privacy.

("Tonight is not the night, you should go before you are seen here,") she spoke to him with indifference as she poured herself a drink, not turning to him.

("You do not wish my company? Is that what you said to me the last night?") he smirked. His voice laced with seductive, dark mirth. Finally, she turned and met his gaze, her serene expression toying with him.

("My father will find you...")

("Your father is not here. His horse is missing.") He smouldered, stepping closer. She turned away again.

("Why have you come, Aegnor?") She asked coldly, ("you know this will lead to no good deed, how many more times must I watch as you flee my home after the palace guards come looking for you,")

("They do not dictate my step! I go where it pleases me!") He scoffed.

("Then you are a fool to come here,") she replied coldly as she plumped down upon her golden vanity desk and picked up her hair comb.

Slowly he approached her as she gazed into her mirror. He plucked the comb from her fine hand and placed it down. He gently collected her luscious golded hair and pulled it back, exposing the fine curves of her long neck. Warm fingers encircled the pale elegant column with a velvet touch. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head and gasped softly. Her resolve quickly melting.

("Shall I go?") He murmured.

Quickly, she stood and turned. The force of her sudden movement knocking the chair over as it thudded upon the floor. Their eyes locked with electric tension. She parted her gown from her shoulders. The soft material fell gracefully to the stone floor, wrinkling around her feet, revealing nothing beneath. As she stood naked before him, tension in their smouldering gaze rose. Then, they suddenly seized one another, locking in a heated and rapid kiss. They gasped and breathed, soft tongues melding between yielding lips and they tasted each others kiss.

Aegnor hoisted her up upon him, spreading her thighs wide to straddle his waist, he pressed her against the wall. Ornaments fell and crashed upon the floor as if bowing to their searing passion. With nimble fingers, she pulled at his clothes, yanking the burdensome fabric from his skin, desperate to feel it's touch upon hers. Suddenly there was a loud rattle at the door.

("Lady Eldalótë! We were alerted by the disturbance! Are you in need of assistance?") An alarmed voice of a servant called from behind the door.

Utterly unphased by the interruption, Aegnor grabbed her naked body and carried her to the bed, throwing the elf maiden upon it, but she was one one to be directed and she pulled him down but his loosened threads, swiftly mounting Aegnor like a steed to be ridden, pinning him down between her splayed thighs.

("All is well, return to your task!") She called out breathlessly to the voice.

The light from beneath the door disapeared and once more, the room was cloaked in the soft, pale glow. Slowly, with unhurried delight, she began rocking, moving upon him with rising desire. She flicked her long, golden hair.

("O' beautiful prince! Your throbbing member... it makes me tremble... how may I please it?") She moaned, licking her lips.

He lifted his arms and curled them around his head in a relaxed pose, ("Fair lady... your lips are soft as the rose and your tongue, a velvet stroke. I trust you know know what I need,") he murmured in reply.

Her grin widened with electrifying delight and readily, she fulfilled his desires.

....

The first morning rays of Laurelin peered in through the canopy. Aegnor and Eldalótë moved between the sheets, their naked bodies melding together with unhurried comfort and leisurely pleasure. Sheets bundled from a night spent in blissful heat, the pleasure from their sated carnal tryst still lingering.

As the golden light from the great tree illuminated the room, Eldalótë lay upon her back in an open and comfortable pose as Aegnor sprawled upon her. His fingers folding around her yielding, voluptuous breasts. Soft, low rumbles of comfort and pleasure vibrated from his throat as he suckled lazily on her warm, moistened teet. Yet, Eldalótë's mind was far elsewhere. Her gaze distant and hollow as she listened to the songs of the birds outside.

("Ah Eldalótë,") He sighed, deep and fully gratified, ("Your body is a delight from the devine... your breasts alone enthrall me!") Eldalótë sighed longingly. The sound was enough to pull Aegnor from his carnal feast. His eyes searching hers as he looked up.

("What is wrong?") He huffed.

("Tis nothing,") she grumbled.

With one finger on her face, he pulled her gaze back to meet his. ("It is more than nothing. Tell me what has upset you,") he purred softly. The gentle song of the birds flirted with the air outside, she passed him a soft, yet tense look.

("The celebrational gathering on the betrothal of Prince Turgon. All the high Noldorin society of Tirion will be attending, seeing that he is your cousin, I assume you also will be going?") She mumbled quietly.

("How did you learn of that?") He asked slowly, his eyes staring down at her.

("It matters not, however... It is my desire that I attend also... as your formal companion,") She replied hopefully

Aegnor laughed, his mirth filling the room.

("What amuses you?") She retorted

("I am sorry!") He chortled, ("I am sorry Eldalótë, I mean not to laugh only... you are not Noldorin! The idea that you should be seen mingling with the nobles of high Noldorin society, for a Vanyarin, it is simply not done!") He chirped.

("Is not the bride to be also of the Vanyar? Why is her presence welcome while mine is not?") She argued.

("She is the bride, and the future wife to Turgon! How would her presence not be welcome?") Aegnor countered.

With a pensive sigh, she turned away. Her hardened gaze searching the sunlight.

("Eldalótë,") Aegnor purred his voice like velvet, ("you are beautiful beyond words, you need not burden yourself with official presentations. As a prince of the realm I am forced to attend. However, I'd much prefer to be here, conversing with this icy beauty while her mouth sets my body aflame,")

Bending in, his lips pressed against her sensitive ear and down the fine curve of her slender neck. Her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing deepened.

"Mmmnh" she moaned hungrily as his warm, moist tongue licked her ear with sultry lust.

("Then... perhaps we can... come to a mutual agreement,") she huffed through breathless sighs. Aegnor stopped and saught her gaze again.

("Mutual agreement?") He repeated, his brow furrowed with subtle suspicion and a hint of curiousity. ("If you think I am going to honor the wager I lost and ride to the palace, drunk and utterly unclad, I beg you think again!") He uttered

She laughed maniacally.

("Do not laugh at me!") Aegnor cried.

("Nay, Nay! Though nothing would bring me more delight, it is not what I intend to ask!") She giggled

("Then speak and be done with it, or I leave right this moment!") Aegnor grumbled.

She stretched out before him invitingly, teasing him with her sensual body.

("Since the moment we met, many, many nights we spent in this way. Though I have enjoyed every one, I now am ready to embrace it to the full,") she murmured softly, inviting him in.

("I do not understand what you are asking of me,") he replied, his eyes narrowing.

("Join your hroä with mine, this very moment Aegnor. Enter within me and merge our feäs together as husband and wife. I am ready to embrace this new chapter with you in marital union,") she purred, her fingers messaging his lower back.

Aegnor immediately straightened up, looming over her sprawled form.

("Join hroäs with you!? Without wedded ceremony and familial witnesses!?") He exclaimed, shocked, "do you even understand what it is you are asking!?"

("I am no longer content to linger in the shadows as your side conquer, Aegnor! Too long I have waited for you to make the announcement and I tire of your dismissal every time I speak of this wanton need!") She cried, ("can you not see how I ache for you, how I long to be consumed by you.. why wait when we can have it all now, in this moment!") She murmured.

Her hands stroked his narrow hips. A silent plea to bring them closer to hers. Aegnor pushed her hands away with one swipe, his eyes boring into her.

("Eldalótë, it is forbidden! The shame it would bring to my family will be too great, knowing I surrendered myself to this without seeking their council or giving formal announcement!") He said firmly.

("Then announce it!") She retorted,("proclaim our betrothal and publicly acknowledge our intention to wed this very day!")

("No!") He barked and slipped off the rumbled sheets, his feet finding the cold stone ground and began to dress. His muscles rippled with every pull at his clothing. Eldalótë rose, covering her body with the wrinkled sheets and sat beside him.

("Aegnor... My feä has called out to you. I am powerless to stop it. My feelings for you are beyond mere fancy. I am drawn to you with powers beyond all control,") she muttered.

("You desired me, remember that!") Aegnor sneered,("your feelings, I do not decide nor control!")

("Nor do I! Why must you be so selfish?")

("Selfish?!") Aegnor yelled, shooting to his feet, ("are you not the one who flaunts your beauty as some weapon to bewitch me  only to make demands I am incapable of honouring?! Do you not willingly surrender to the heat between us time and again, when you have every power and opportunity to send me away?! How dare you defame my character when you are no better than I!")

("My beauty is to flaunt as I desire! You also wanted me! We were both like moths to each others flame and so quickly we were consumed! You are no innocent in this! At first I was content with this secret arrangement, the thrill of being the object of your scorching passion, for I held on to a promise of recieving your undying affections, merging our hroä's and feäs as one in marital union! You are not the only one who seeks me Aegnor! I have many suitors eager to court me in the proper manner!")

Aegnor scoffed brazenly.

("Oh I am aware of them Eldalótë! I watch as they come with gifts and prophetic words in the hopes that your feä reaches for them, yet every night when I come, you submit your body to me readily and with little persuasion! Granting your delights to my eyes as you would a willing husband! So why should it matter to me?") He boasted

("Because one such is your own brother, Angrod!") She barked out, as if unable to halt her words. Aegnor paused, his eyes glowing an ominous light.

("What did you say?") He asked slowly.

Her breaths trembling quietly, she continued, ("Angrod... he has sent word to my father seeking permission to court me, and my father has agreed. He has arranged for me to meet with him this very day,")

There was another tense silence. Aegnor's hands slowly tightened into a pensive fist. His graze dropped to the floor, his brow furrowing with deep hurt.

("Angrod... Angrod desires you...,") he muttered helplessly, as if his own mind could not process the very words he was speaking.

("Aegnor... do you see now the urgency of our predicament? If you do not join with me in hroä to hröa now, or make an announcement by mid day this very morning, or you will lose me forever! For Angrod is a worthy match for someone as I, and your own brother. I would be foolish to reject his affections.")

Seeing his heartbreaking expression, she slowly stood and tenderly touched his arm.

("I understand this is difficult for you, Aegnor. I know that within your heart, you will choose me. We can resist this path,") she whispered.

She dropped the bed sheets that she held around her. Her glistening skin and unclad form standing in the golden light, as if to pursuade him into surrender. Then, in a gentle hold, she took his palm in her soft hand and held it to her breast. His fingers encircled the yielding, soft flesh.

("Put your hands upon me Aegnor, Feel how my hröa trembles for your touch. Let us join in ecstacy, my love, and release within my body, at last. Merging our feäs and Hroäs in blissful union,") She whispered softly.

She leaned in, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her violet lips touched his, melding into a kiss. Slowly, as if controlled by a force not in his command, Aegnor's arms vained around her back. His lips taut and unyielding as his pensive kiss slowly responded to her soft and surrendered mouth, eager for him to succumb to their lust only for Aegnor to suddenly he yanked himself free from her seductive spell and violently pushed her away.

("Get away from me! Do not trespass upon me ever!") He screamed

His loud roar alerted the servants who footsteps echoed closer from outside the chamber.

("You will regret this!") She scorned him, her voice laced with righteous venom. She screamed, her pitched, ear piercing shrill cracked the air. Aegnor swiftly unlatched the shutters and leaped through without any care to planning his route down. He fell from a height, landing painfully upon the ground with a heavy thump. His sharp, bellowing cry of agony alerted yet more servants, eager to sieze the intruder. Ignoring the shooting agony in his body, Aegnor leapt to his feet with agility only capable of the eldar and grabbed his horse, awaiting patiently on its master. He rode with furious speed, escaping the servants in hot pursuit. With his superior riding skills, he swiftly outpaced them and gained a lengthy distance. By the bright rays of Laurelin, Aegnor made his journey home, his mind deeply troubled by the events of the previous night.

("Angrod... my brother. I will not compete with you nor will I deny you the happiness you deserve. The Valar know... I am I am deserving of none of it, and never shall I be,") His voice echoed in his ears as his heart sank deep within. 

The New World

In the weeks that followed the welcoming of Aegnor and Andreth's newborn son, there was much to be celebrated, and Angrod and Eldalótë stayed close by to render their assistance when needed. Their experience in raising their own son Orodreth was of great use to Andreth, who was frail from the events following the birth, but none the less joyful. Aegnor tended to her every need. Every morning, she would wake up to the song of the morning birds, wrapped in her husbands arms. She had never felt so cherished, loved, and utterly content. He would comb her long hair while she fed their cooing babe from her breast. It was a ritual that had become a daily part of their lives.

Aegnor was merry and filled with joy at having his brother by his side once more. They would leave together to go on long rides, just as they once did in Dorthonion, exploring the new world together and would not return until dawn on some days. It did not go unnoticed by Andreth the shift in Aegnor's mood when Eldalótë would appear unaccompanied by Angrod. Switching suddenly from warm and gentle to cold and distant. Well attuned to Aegnor's shifting moods, Andreth suspected some tainted history between them. But she knew better than to question him on it and would speak, not a word to him on the matter. Choosing to focus on her precious child. the evidence of her Union with Aegnor.

Still, As the night drew in, she would miss the carefree nights of blissful passion with Aegnor, surrendering to their desire for one another, wild and unhindered. His possessive touches, his intoxicating kiss. As he lay sleeping beside her, she gazed into his face. Their noses barely graze. Her fingertip caressed the delicate curves of his soft lips, tracing a line along their plump, velvet surface, desiring them always. His eyes, opened in a waking dream, stared into hers. But his mind was lost, deep in his elvish dreams, fast asleep. She sighed quietly and longingly, rolling onto her back. Her arms stretched around her head, her mind unsettled.

Upon the verdant banks of the flowing stream, Eldalótë, clad in a mantle of refined, silvery splendour, glided forth with the regal bearing of an Elven queen adorned in grace and finery. There she espied Angrod, her beloved, reclining at ease after a triumphant night of the hunt alongside Aegnor. Sensing her approach through their fëa-bond, he turned and met her gaze, the golden strands of his smoothed hair shimmering in the dappled sunlight that danced upon the water's surface behind him. A sweet, tender smile blossomed upon his countenance, beckoning her to draw nearer.

With gentle poise, Angrod shifted from the blanket on which he reclined, settling himself upon the earthy ground beside it, that Eldalótë might take her place at his side. In an aura of serene tranquillity, she approached and nestled close to him.

"Aegnor is the finest hunter I have ever known, far surpassing even mine own skill," Angrod remarked with pride. "The bounty he has brought for his son is a true feast!" Yet his joyful words met with a wall of cold silence from Eldalótë.

"Beloved, why does your fair face bear a gloomy mien this morn?" he queried gently.

"The air of this strange place has laid a foul burden upon my ever-restless thoughts," she whispered, her firm yet fragile gaze locked within his own. "Our purpose here is now fulfilled - how much longer do you intend to linger?"

Angrod corrected her tenderly, "Aegnor has need of me still. I do not mean to abandon him now, as you knew ere we departed the fair lands of Valinor."

A sigh escaped Eldalótë's lips, her breath clouding the morning mist. "Forgive me, my husband. My mind wanders far from this place." Her voice was timid and soft. "Often do I stray amidst the trees, seeking a peace that eludes me. Though this humble abode possesses a certain charm and simplicity, it is hardly befitting the dwelling of nobility. Yet my distress is fleeting, for it is the gentle, kind Andreth who has welcomed me into her home with open arms. For her sake, I am content to remain here awhile longer."

Angrod's visage bore a tender expression, and their eyes locked in a timeless gaze brimming with an effusion of love that seemed to transcend the bounds of their mortal existence. In that moment, as Eldalótë beheld his face, uncertain emotions unfolded within her. His countenance mirrored that of Aegnor, a reflection so strikingly similar that it stirred her heart like a raging storm that was both angry, yet... wanting. Unearthing wounds long-buried.

In Aegnor - a wildfire coursed through his veins, a manner so unbecoming of their kind, a raw and unrefined aspect that had once pulled her in so deeply.

Her violet lips trembled, laden with unspoken longings. Ere long, she broke free of his spell. Yet she could never shake such an elf from her mind so easily.

Angrod sensed a distress in her through their feä-bond and tenderly, he reached out to his beloved wife. Soothing her with a comforting caress on her snow white cheek. She past him a serene smile, her eyes studying every part of his features.

("Kiss me, my husband...") she murmured ("Let me feel your lips again. Like the kiss we shared during the rainstorm. The moment my feä leapt for you!")

With measured refinement, Angrod inclined his head toward hers. His lips, warm and tender, closed around hers in a serene, gentle kiss. She tingled with love as they lingered. It was sweet and chaste. Far removed from a likeness of Aegnor. This she had come to greatly love in Angrod. She savoured the sweetness shared between them.

Slowly, their lips parted, and her eyes opened. She feigned a smile that masked her deep sadness. He bore Aegnors memorable lips, but spark that set her ablaze was not there. The velvet caress, nor the lingering taste of rich wine.

She sighed, unable to hide her frustration.

"Thank you... Angrod" she muttered and stood to leave.

"Andreth has came to me, requesting I take her on our next hunt!" He called out.

Not turning back, Eldalótë's cold hands clenched into tight balls. "You will keep Aegnor and the babe company for a while in that time."

Without offering a response, she left him by the bank. Storming off into the trees for a long reconciliation with herself.

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Aegnor sat upon the floor in the pavilion. His robust body leaning against one of the pillars. In his arms, his infant son nestled comfortably. His cute tuff of dark curls had come to be Aegnors favourite feature on him. Suddenly Aegnors silent reverie was stopped with the burst of soft laughter the bubbled from his throat as he felt his son latch to his nipple and try to suckle.

"The nourishment you seek, my son, I lack the ability to provide," Aegnor giggled. He blessed the child with a tender kiss upon his head as the infant cooed and yawned and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

"Astaldanor... your name is, my son. For this land will make you valiant," he whispered.

It was in this intimate moment that Eldalótë entered, carrying fresh blankets in her hands. Her eyes fell upon Aegnor with his son in his arms. She stared quietly as she watched the tender exchange. Aegnor, who hadn't noticed her, was indifferent to her presence, and the sadness in her eyes.

"Where is Andreth?" she spoke quietly, the tension palpable in her voice. Aegnor lifted his head and looked at her. For a silent moment, there was a lingering gaze of softness, "I must check on her," She quickly added.

"My brother has taken her on a hunt. If you wish to see her, you must wait." Aegnor replied candidly, returning his focus to his precious burden.

She sighed and briskly entered the inner bed chamber, throwing the sheets upon the wolfskins. Behind her, Aegnor entered and placed his son down in his crib. She tensed, she listened quietly to his soft voice and velvet timbre as he showered his love upon his son. She whirled around and left the sectioned off part of the pavilion. Not immune to her obvious pain, Aegnor followed her out. She stood alone in the centre of the pavilion. Her soft weeping ghosting from her.

"It could have been us...," she murmured softly, wiping her tears as he slowly approached her from behind, "I could have fulfilled all you desired. "You chose to forsake me, yet embrace her...?" Her voice crumbled, her usual icy resolve cracking in a moment of utter vulnerability, like of which he had never seen in her before. Slowly, she turned to face him. Her eyes filled with hopeless betrayal, "why...? What could Andreth give you that I couldn't?"

Aegnor sighed loudly.

"It was an eon ago, Eldalótë... we were both too young, and careless to the consequences of our actions... It is not time we let go?" he muttered.

Her eyes turned cold, and her breath an icy chill.

"Is that suppose to bring me any comfort?" she spat, "I was the most desirable maiden of the Vanyar. Thousands ate right from my hand, yet from all I would withhold my favour. Then the day came... the day my father brought me to Tirion. I was infatuated with the land, a singing bird, a glowing river..." She turned from him, her hand clutching her abdomen, "a Noldorin prince entering the arena... for a fleeting moment my eyes deceived me as though I gazed upon the great Oromë himself... a champion, unbeaten... riding as though the Arena was his playground, and the crowd, his followers. How they roared your name, Aegnor.... I knew my heart belonged to you...,"

She turned back again, a slight smile lifting the corner of her lip, her weepy eyes sparkling with wonder, "how you captivated me, Aegnor...,"

He breathed, exhaling defeatedly. He licked his lips softly, his eyes averting hers.

"You took my brother as your husband, Eldalótë, and you are his wife," he replied slowly, unwillingly, "As for me... before you both were wed, I was full of fire... and I chased only my own desires," he admitted sadly, as he continued, "though I cared very deeply for you.... I could never give you what you seek. I do not love you Eldalótë. Truth be told, I never did, yet I could not bring myself to give you away either. My selfishness has caused you a great deal of pain. I understand that now. I beg you will one day forgive me," he muttered. She laughed, a menacing cackle that filled the air.

"Forgive you!?" She cried, "Do not insult me, Aegnor! I have come to assist you but do not take my duty to your wife as affirmation of my forgiveness! You were never worthy of a maiden such as me! I hope you are happy with the path you have chosen with a mortal! You will die as you have lived. Alone, unloved and desperately lost!" She hissed before whirling around, she left him standing in silence. With only the distant birds to serenade this moment.

Far from the pavilion, Andreth stood with Angrod upon a lofty cliff, the sun's golden rays cascading upon her as she beheld the vast, azure expanse of the ocean. Beneath the watchful gaze of Angrod, she had just completed a successful hunt, having captured a young and spirited stag. The serene beauty of their home, nestled amidst the verdant embrace of nature, filled her heart with quiet joy. The cries of gulls mingled with the rhythmic crash of waves against the rocks below, crafting a symphony of peace. With her eyes closed, a gentle smile graced her lips, and her dark hair danced in the breeze, framing her visage with an ethereal glow.

Angrod marvelled at her angelic beauty, illuminated by the light of a love so profound. “I see you now in the radiance that my brother Aegnor cherishes, and I understand the depths of his yearning for you, fair lady,” he spoke, his voice soft yet resonant. Andreths eyes softly fluttered open, they sparkled with life and warmth.

“There is a tranquillity within you, pure and untainted. A calmness that commands even the tides to bend to its will. Aegnor has not known such peace, yet in you, he has discovered it,” he smiled warmly

"I am just a woman, my lord,” she smiled softly in reply. “I seek not greatness, or grandeur. I am in deep love with Aegnor, and my heart has never desired more,”

"Our time here is coming to an end. The day is drawing near when I must leave him behind for the final and last time," Angrod’s smile faded, replaced by a shadow of sorrow..

“I too had a brother, once," she responded sadly, "Goodbye...is never an easy word to say,” her voice trembled softly as a warm tear of profound sadness pooled in her eyes, yet, she smiled through her pain.

“Your brother, Bregor... you loved him dearly," Angrod picked up, "I appreciate your efforts to comfort me lady... yet it cannot convey the depths of my sorrow. When your brother passed on to the next world... you did not bare the agony of separation... twice,"

"I understand," she nodded. The silence enveloped them, broken only by the wild hiss of the wind and the relentless crashing of the waves. At last, Andreth spoke again, "your bond as brothers will always endure, Angrod. Though separated by realms, that love you share is eternal, and always it will remain,”

"Aegnors heart is fragile...," Angrod replied, "It is the key to his utter ruin. When we were children, our atar had sworn me to protect him, but I failed in my duty," his sad eyes shifted to hers, she witnessed a single tear of heartbreak spilling from them, "this mantle I now pass to you, Andreth. Please... take care of him,”

With a somber nod, she accepted the weight of his words. Angrod turned his gaze back to the ocean, where the white foam reached for them, ever striving yet forever denied, "his naivety has always been his greatest weakness, believing that I remain blissfully unaware the secrets he guards... and the truth that lies in between him and Eldalótë,” he murmured.

Andreth’s expression hardened, her brow furrowing as her eyes fixed on him, pondering the meaning of those words. Angrod’s calm smile persisted, a blend of affection and sorrow.

“He will reveal it to you in his own time,” he added.

As the sun set upon that day and dusk settled in, Angrod returned with Andreth to the pavilion where Aegnor was eagerly awaiting the embrace of his wife. His need for her closeness palpable. As she dismounted, before her feet even touched the ground, he swept her up in his arms and whirled her in a circle, cradling her as though she had been gone for a lifetime. Her laughter and joy rang out, a happiness that caused the very air to dance. Angrod watched them silently. Eldalótë stood fixed upon them from a distance. Standing serenely atop a hill. Her eyes sunken and deep with sorrow.

"Beloved, I feel you have been gone for a lifetime!" Andreth heard Aegnor's voice inside her head as their eyes locked in an eternal gaze. His feä was speaking to hers.

"A lifetime... is not long enough, my lord," She whispered in reply, proving she heard him through their fëa bond.

("Take your wife and depart for the night, brother, just as tge sun beckons the starts to yield,") Angrods rich, composed voice broke through. The elvish words flowing effortlessly from his lips.

("What of my son?")  Asked Aegnor.

("I am more than qualified to watch over my own nephew!") Angrod insisted. ("Take her, and do not return until the morning. I command it!")

Confused, Andreth turned to Aegnor, "Beloved, you know I am not versed in the Quenya tongue. What is it you and Angrod are discussing that need not reach my ears?" She asked, rather concerned.

"Angrod was simply expressing his desire for some quality time with his nephew, and that for the remainder of the evening, it appears we are no longer welcome within our own home!" Aegnor replied with a gentle smile.

"Well then, who are we to refuse the wishes of a nurturing uncle," She laughed playfully and pulled at Aegnor's arms leading him back on to Sorna. As Andreth mounted up behind her husband, a tender gaze lingered between the brothers, whose tender bond had withstood many trials. Angrod, his eyes welling with unshed tears, crossed his fist over his chest and lowered his head in elven fashion. A bow of remarkable respect and love. Aegnor straight and stiff, mirrored his brothers gesture returning the affection with equal elven grace. Angrod watched as Aegnor rode off into the darkness with Andreth, their shadows fading into the ebony night as darkness fell. His time with Aegnor seemed to flash in his mind. All the memories made in tears and joy. He knew this time was precious and he would soon need to say goodbye, for the last time. Yet, he was not yet ready, and never would he be.

As the low sunlight streamed through the shifting leaves, casting dancing shadows upon the ground, Aegnor and Andreth sat together, their bodies entwined among a bed of wildflowers in an open field upon a cliff. Their silhouettes illumined only by the pale glow of moonlight as the stars above sparkled with such glory as never seen afore. Andreth, utterly swept away in the magical spectre of this night, alone with Aegnor, opened her heart completely basking in the tender affection of her husband. It had been so long since she last felt a moment like this. Aegnor's beauty,  ever the object of her ardent admiration, never seemed to waver. As though his very flesh was made of stone. Suddenly, she turned sad. Aegnor stopped nuzzling her and saught her gaze.

"I have seen the light in your eyes diminish and your smile scarecely return since the birth of our son, why are you so gloomy these days?" He asked, cupping her chin.

"It is only because my love for you is so great," she replied, whispering with deep reverence, "sometimes I fear... I no longer have your affection,"

"You will always have my love, Andreth, always," he trembled, his hand shaking against her supple cheek.

"Do you still desire my body, Aegnor?" She asked quietly, "like the way you did our first night in the pavilion... when we cast aside all inhibitions and embraced our liberating pleasure?"

There was a long pause, Aegnor was confused.

"Beloved, I know not what to say, other than I have only felt desire for you, like my body desires the very air I need to breath."

Seeing that her elven husband simply could not understand, she unlaced the front of her dress and uncovered one tender breast, its round surface glistened in the moon, full and swollen with milk.

"Behold, the breast that sustains the very life of your own son, yet afore that, it was the object that sent your heart aflame. I have longed to feel your touch upon it again," her voice shook with desire and a hint of apprehension.

Aegnor stared at her exposed breast, the velvet ball of warm flesh glistened like silk in the pale moonlight. She gasped softly as a light pressure encompassed around her sensitive rosy bud. He gently pinched her nipple and a single drop of nourishing milk leaked onto his fingers.

"They serve a far greater purpose now. They are the life support to my precious son. I would not dare come between that. Your breasts are the source of a newfound happiness to me, beloved, one much greater than simple pleasure," He whispered tenderly.

Andreth sighed disappointedly. Her eyes falling to the ground.

"You seem displeased with me," Aegnor spoke, desperate to understand the cause of her distress.

"Do you love her?" She bluntky asked. Aegnor's brow furrowed, his eyes straining, he stared at her, utterly confused, "Please Aegnor, speak only the truth to me. Does Eldalótë still stir in your heart?"

The soft crashing of the waves beneath mingled with the rhythmic chirps of crickets, the sound of the nights lonely song filled the silence between them as Aegnor stared at her. His expression never shifting. Finally, Aegnor drew a long breath and released it. His mind haunted by his own thoughts.

"It is time you knew, Andreth," Aegnor conceded slowly, "Eldalótë and I... share a past. Filled with hopeless dreams... and bitter regret,"

She adjusted her seating position to a more comfortable one, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Yes, we were once intimately involved, a very long time ago. In those bygone days, our spirits, wild and unleashed saught to claim the other. Our insatiable hearts, indulging in pleasure forbidden to us, so we kept it a deeply guarded secret," he paused, allowing her to absorb his words before continuing with a much more serious tone, "We drank to intoxication, then we would sleep together. It was a dance of passion we rehearsed many, many times," he mumbled.

"What happened?"

"Though I cared deeply for her... my care was possessive and toxic. I would not commit to her, neither did I want to stop. When she pushed me to complete our full consummation, binding us as husband and wife, It would bring shame to my house who knew not even of her, so I fled,"

Finally, he lifted his sunken head, his brow wrinkled with shame.

"Now you know.... I beg you never bring it up again...," he whispered. His breath shaking with heavy emotions. A comforting hand found its place on his arm. A gesture of tender compassion ans understanding

"Thank you, Aegnor," was the soft whisper that followed. "I understand completely now, and that I have nothing to fear. I truly believed that I was losing you, now I see it is not your desire for another, but the painful haunt of a ghost long buried that drives your affections away. I was deeply wrong to ever cast doubt in your love for me,"

"Is that truly what you thought, Andreth? Unlike men, elves do not seek another after they have joined in union with their beloved. You have me, my love. For now and the end of time, and now with this new babe, we can build our own legacy, far from the eyes of others," he smiled.

"I still miss your touch, Aegnor. Your intoxicating kiss, searing upon my skin, I have not felt this in so long," she trembled.

A warm palm gently held her swollen, tender breast, careful to not cause her any pain. The worshipful way he touched the body that brought his son into the world, akin to the likeness of a gentle doe.

"I am yours Andreth, and you are mine. You are my wife, and all I have in this vast world," he whispered.

She gasped, surrendering to his touch.

"Make love to me, Aegnor... surrender to me once again beneath the stars, just as the fist night of our cherished union,"

Slowly, he closed in and lay a kiss upon his lady's lips. Andreth eagerly succumbed. He lowered her down upon the ground, her back sprawling upon the soft meadow of flowers. Her excitement grew quickly and she soon found herself wrapped in blissful pleasure, pinned beneath her immortal lover. Before long, Andreth was in the throes of rapture as Aegnor entered her once more, fulfilling his mortal wife's desires deep within her body. For a fleeting moment, she had almost forgotten what a trophy he was, selflessly pleasuring her body while his beauty pleasured her eyes. She silently praised the Valar in gratitude for his ardent love.

Finally, she surrendered, joined by Aegnor, sheathed deep within her comforting warmth. Their shared ecstasy bringing cherished memories and fulfilment. Aegnor shuddered, his body vibrating with lingering primal desire before melting upon her. Andreth held him, their bodies melding as one. Soft, trembling breaths joined, carried away in the gentle air. His eyes finally fluttered opened revealing a deep well of satiated desire and primal love. He sank upon her. His deep huffs ghosting between their joined bodies, nuzzling into her moist neck. She held him as though he was a babe in her arms. The familiarity of their touch and scent cocooning them in a bubble of their own.

As dawn broke above the pavilion, heralding a new day, Aegnor and Andreth returned home to Angrod and Eldalótë who waited for them. The hour had come for Angrod and Eldalótë to depart. While Angrod bid a long farewell to his nephew and the fair Andreth in the pavilion, Aegnor lingered alone within the shadows of the trees with Eldalótë. His gaze fell upon her serene form, her violet lips and beautiful face partially obscured by the hood of her mantle. Aegnor's trembling sigh echoed between them, laden with unspoken sorrow.

"Eldalótë, there are no words I can utter to unmake the past, this I know," he confessed, the weight of regret heavy in his heart. "Know within your heart that my actions toward you were never born of malice, nor intention to cause you pain. I hope you have found the happiness you seek in my brother, knowing he is far more deserving of you than I ever was,"

She gazed at him, her eyes as cold as the winter moon, and turned to face him fully. "Save your breath; I care not for your hollow words!" she hissed, her frosty gaze narrowing in contempt. "When you entered into hröa to hröa with Andreth, did your mind ere go to the place that was ours?" She stepped closer, he backed away, evading her eyes. Her voice softened to a whisper. A crooked grin bent the corners of her lips, revelling in his retreat from her. "Yes... you have! For that is your nature! A feral hound.... always lusting, never satisfied!" Aegnor's eyes finally met hers, burning with a mix of fury and pain, as if to taunt him, she placed her hand upon his chest, "Did you truly believe you would escape the consequences of this?"

A tense silence enveloped them. His eyes searching hers. His simple reply delivered in a cold tone cemented their exchange.

"Nay, Eldalótë. It is you who never stopped in your pursuit of me, since the day you wedded my brother, and I distanced myself. You are jealous of Andreth and her kindness, her modestly and her grace. All I desired in you was your body and your beauty, for that was all you had to offer me. But Andreth holds reign over my very heart!"

Their eyes locked in a fiery glare, then a swift hand raised and swung for his face. He caught her arm in mid air his eyes blazing down at her. Then, Eldalótë's face contorted into a wicked grin and from her throat, a chilling laughter broke out

"Weak willed are the sons of Finarfin, all of you! Aegnor for his lies and Angrod, my own husband... for not putting an end to you once I divulged to him all your sordid secrets! He has known since the day we were wed, and lo! he would not confront you! Nor would reveal it to your insufferable house!" she hissed, her words dripping with twisted admiration and disgust "You Aegnor are not of noble blood! You are born from the mire, a drunken wild dog without a conscience, and to the mud to will always belong!

With chilling victorious smile and an icy glare, she gracefully departed from him. Aegnor stared silently as she glided away, visibly wounded by her cutting words. He turned and headed back toward the pavilion to seek solace in the company of his wife, son, and brother, longing to retreat to the comfort of his family's embrace.

Soon, the time came for Angrod to depart for the final and last time. The brothers embraced one another tenderly for their last moments together, while Eldalótë and Andreth bid their tearful goodbyes. Angrod's forehead lingered against Aegnor's. Angrod whispered his final goodbye to his brother, wishing him a lifetime of happiness with a heavy heart. Alas, Aegnor did not wish him to leave.

Together, they slowly turned and departed from their sight, their lingering figures gracefully disappearing into the trees like spirits caught in a gentle breeze. Until then, with a gentle breath, they were gone. Sensing the sadness in her husband's heart, Andreth brought their baby to him, gently placing him in his arms. The soft coos and chirps of his infant son melted Aegnor's troubles, pulling his lips into a beaming smile as he gazed down upon him.

"Behold, my love, your son desires your comforting touch," she smiled.

"How could this not be a dream... for I have long seen this moment much too often, my son," Aegnor croaked, his voice breaking. He gazed down at the sleeping babe in his arms as tears swelled in his eyes. "I vow to cherish you. With my own life, to see you grow, for you were my dream,"

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The crystal waters of the gentle stream flowed softly at the feet of the young half-elf, their tranquil murmurs enveloping him in a soothing symphony. Astaldanor's ebony locks, thick and wavy, framed his delicate features, a visage that bore the striking resemblance of his father, while his dark eyes and gentle countenance mirrored the kindly spirit of his mother.

As he sat in quiet meditation, the youth found himself lost in the play of sunlight upon the stream's surface, its gentle sparkling capturing his gaze. A pensive sigh escaped his lips, his heart filled with a yearning for adventure and the unknown beyond the confines of his sheltered home.

Suddenly, his heightened senses detected the distant approach of a steed, the rhythmic footfalls drawing ever nearer. Astaldanor stiffened, the tension palpable, until a tall figure dismounted and settled beside him. Though they exchanged no words, the mere presence of his father was a comfort.

"I know you are disappointed in me," Astaldanor spoke, his youthful voice soft and laden with remorse.

"Nay, ion nín, not in you. I am disappointed in the manner in which you fled your mother's presence, your heart filled with harsh words, forsaking who it was that gave you life," Aegnor replied, his tone measured and wise. "When the fire of your spirit compels you to speak, you must temper it with the counsel of your mind."

Astaldanor's brow furrowed, a conflicted expression crossing his features. "How can I find my own path if I am forever bound to the safety of our home? You have known adventures that I can scarcely imagine, dangers that lie beyond these sheltered walls. I long for such experiences to forge my own legend!"

Aegnor's lips curved in a gentle smile, his weathered hand coming to rest upon his son's shoulder. "It is true, ion nín, that I have walked roads fraught with peril, and I bear the scars of those burdens to this day. Yet, I would not wish that burden on you."

The youth's gaze fell, his youthful spirit still yearning for the unknown. "Then how shall I ever learn for myself if I am forever confined here?"

"Valour is not pursued, " Aegnor said, his voice soft yet unyielding. "It lies in the wisdom, to know when to wield one's tongue and when to sheathe it." He clasped Astaldanor's hand, his expression beseeching. "Your mother's tears are not a plea for your captivity, but a to consider the weight of your choices, for the path you seek is shrouded in uncertainty, and the risks are grave."

Astaldanor's eyes rose to meet his father's, the weight of those words settling upon his heart. Aegnor continued, his tone imploring. "Remain here, where you are loved and protected. In time, when the call grows too fierce to ignore, then you may venture forth and claim what you desire. But that day is not this day."

The youth nodded, his youthful spirit tempered by the counsel of one who had walked the paths he now yearned to tread. Aegnor smiled, reaching out to ruffle Astaldanor's dark locks affectionately. "Come, your mother awaits us," he said, rising to his feet.

With a renewed sense of understanding, Astaldanor rose, the gentle trickle of the stream accompanying their steps as they returned to the welcoming embrace of their home.

"Did you procure for us a deer atar? I am close to famished!" Astaldanor asked, his hungry eyes sparkling with hope,

"As my hunt was cut short, by the frantic cries of your mother, no, I did not manage to catch anything for our meal, my son," Aegnor replied

"Then, what shall we eat tonight?" Astaldanor cried, his voice curt with disappointment as he pulled himself upon Sorna, behind his father.

"We shall spear fish," Aegnor chirped, pulling on Sorna's reigns. The aged steed turned and merrily trotted away, Astaldanor's breathy voice echoing as they went.

"Hah! Then I shall catch the largest one and you tge smallest!" He laughed.

"You may certainly try, my son!" Aegnor scoffed. Their laughter echoed into the distance as their aged yet strong, loyal Sorna carried them away.

As many winters and summers came to pass, Aegnor and Andreth raised Astaldanor, and he grew ever stronger and wiser, excelling in music and poetry. He came to be a great singer and songwriter. He grew to be very beautiful with the likeness and strength of his father and the compassion and wisdom of his mother choosing to remain as an elf, joining his father's immortal lineage.

Finally leaving his parents and the comforts of their cherished home to traverse and explore the world around him, encountering many adventures of his own. Returning to his parents often for many happy visits and long rides with them along the beautiful beach and hunting game in the forest, reliving the happy memories of his childhood in their care. Andreth, under her husbands tutoring, became to be exceptional in the art of hunting, fulfilling her dreams to be a huntress and spend many long years with Aegnor, riding at his side even in her sadness at their sons absence her love for her husband grew ever stronger. Her equal companion and fierce lover.

○○○

Aegnor watched as Andreth brushed her hair on a polished silver mirror, his eyes soft as his heart filled with love. Slowly, he stood up and came to her, standing behind her seated form. Taking the brush in her hand, he gently pulled it through the length of her hair. A favourite pass time that had come to be his. The veil of long, pure white hair covered her head like a crown of glory. Each strand, a reminder of her passing days, spent in the cherished memories in her lover's embrace. Although her face bore very little signs of age, say for small lines on her eyes, her body, though still beautiful and slender, moved not as swiftly as once before.

She was not ashamed of growing old, for Aegnors boundless, unconditional love kept the life flowing within her. Andreth smiled and closed her eyes, unwinding completely in her husband's delicate fingers. Soon, he set the brush down, pulling her hair behind her back. He placed his fingertips upon her neck. She sighed contentedly.

"Do you know what my thoughts lingered upon today, my love," Aegnor smiled

"I dread to think," she smiled softly

Bending down, his head hovering beside her as his lips came to her ear "How beautiful you looked as you tended to the flowers," his fingers slid going the length of her arm and over the soft skin of her hand.  "Caressing those stems with your fingers," he whispered playfully

She tittered loudly and pushed him away in a playful manner, laughing with bashful splendour.

"Aegnor! I may be old, but do not think I am dull to your devious tricks! Be gone with you!" She giggled, Aegnor broke into bellows of laughter as he returned to his former task of sowing her a new dress "I am too old to indulge in those pleasures with you now," she sighed, her smile hiding her sadness in its truth. Slowly, she stood up and turned to face him. A sad gaze lingered in her eyes. "Aegnor, I am not the young woman you once knew. Each passing day age takes its toll upon me, and I grow weaker by its curse. While my son and my husband remain unchanged over time, alas, what can I do," She smiled sadly.

Aegnor came to her and embraced his cherished wife. He held her with such tenderness. Wrapped in Aegnors love, Andreth grieved the loss of her youthful body. At times where she could walk forever in her husband's arms as they explored the forest together. Now, only a journey to the ocean's front is all she could do, and although Aegnor remained by her side, the burden she felt on him greatly depressed her.

"No matter the time that has passed, Andreth, know that I shall forever remain yours, your own silly elf," he whispered with tender affection. With such loving words, Andreths sadness melted away and was replaced with warm love as she remembered what such a sentiment meant to her.

"Oh, Aegnor..." she sighed softly. "I do not regret the fading of my youth, for I have borne a son and have lived long enough to watch him grow." Her hands slid underneath his clothes and onto the smooth warm skin of his chest. "I have caressed your beautiful body and made a nest in your heart. I have weathered the storms with you and lived my life to the fullest at your side." She looked up at Aegnor, and he stroked his fingers through her hair as he gazed gently down as her. His fingers equally as gentle, caressing her cheek, "Make love to me, Aegnor, one last time. One last cherished memory of sensual pleasures...while my body still desires yours," she whispered.

Aegnor kissed her willingly. The taste of his lips melted her heart into gentle embers of desire. With his arm curled beneath her knees, he lifted her, carrying her to their shared bed of many intimate nights and warm memories. Sinking beside her, he gazed down lovingly into her eyes. He beheld the same youthful sparkle in them that she had had since her childhood. He smiled as he held back an emotional tear, for his love for her was greater than his will to live. Taking a moment, he caressed her face and kissed her once more. With all the dignity and tenderness befitting their love, Aegnor made love to Andreth. All their cares and worries laid bare, leaving them for one last night of passion. When it had reached its end, Andreth fell asleep wrapped in his arms, fully comforted and cherished in his warm embrace.

Aegnor, after checking she was in deep in the depths of a peaceful sleep, slowly rose from her side, with one last look at her sleeping form, he left the pavilion and journeyed to the beach but a short walk away, desiring a private moment to himself. There, standing alone, clad in a thin fabric made into a house coat, its gossamer material fluttered gracefully in the furious wind. His head bowed in a moment of inner reflection. His beauty utterly breath-taking stood in regal poise. The open spray of the dark crashing waves, echoing their rhythmic song in his ears. Aegnor broke from his stoic facąde. He wept bitterly into the wind. His cries were stifled by the gentle roar of the sea.

Privately, where no one could see, Aegnor grieved with a heart heavier than the weight of a world of burdens. He knew what drew every night, and once more, she would be taken from him, and he was powerless to prevent it. He had paid a high price for his love. Now, his despair threatened to consume him. Angrod was gone, Finrod was gone, and there was no one left to comfort him.

○○○

"Andreth? Your son wishes to give his greetings," Aegnor whispered, his voice barely audible amidst the stillness that enveloped the bed chamber. Andreth lay motionless in her bed, her fragile form resembling a tranquil pool, her breath rising and falling with rhythmic grace. Aegnor leaned in, his lips tenderly pressing against her warm forehead, a gesture of his burning love that has never quelled.

Astaldanor stood behind his father, awaiting his turn. His sorrowful gaze fixed upon her ever fading presence. His tall, robust frame mirrored Aegnor's own, emanating a quiet strength that seeped from his being. His long ebony locks cascaded down his back, akin to the darkness of a starless night, a reflection of his mother's ethereal beauty. A lump formed in his throat, an ache of grief that he struggled to contain. Aegnor stepped away, and slowly, Astaldanor approached his mother. The woman who had carried him into this world. His heart was heavy with grief and foreboding farewell. He gently placed a tender kiss upon her soft cheek.

"Mother..." he whispered, his voice deep and breathy, trembling with restrained anguish. "I have come to see you." His breathy voice caught with a trembling ache.

Yet, Andreth remained still, undisturbed by her son's presence. Astaldanor, with aching reluctance, gently squeezed her fragile hand before straightening his sleek, powerful form. Mother and child reunited once more. Aegnor could not bear to look anymore. He turned and left in a swift, graceful swirl. Astaldanor gently released his mother's warm hand and followed his father out of the pavillion.

"Atar!" Astaldanor called softly, his voice carrying a note of trembling concern. Aegnor stopped and slowly turned, his eyes flickering with an intensity that Astaldanor had never witnessed before. In that moment, without uttering a single word, Astaldanor threw himself into his embrace, their strong bodies colliding with a resounding thud. Matching Aegnor in height, Astaldanor held his father tightly as though the stars would fall from the very skies. Astaldanor's wet tears finding solace of Aegnor's broad shoulder.

"We knew the sun would rise on this day.., it is not wrong to grieve for her." Astaldanor murmured, his voice laced with pain. Aegnor, adamant in his resolve to not let a tear fall, had long prepared himself for this inevitable moment. Carefully, he drew his son away, his hands framing Astaldanor's tearful countenance, seeking his son's watery gaze.

In the depths of his soul, Aegnor grappled with the threat of a terrifying intensity. He battled to keep it hidden from his son. Buoyed by the love he held for his wife and son, guided by the memory of Andreth's unwavering love and the promise he had made to her.

"Astaldanor, I implore you to make me a solemn promise, for there exists for me, no anguish more profound than the loss of the woman I love. I beg you never permit it to destroy you as it has me, regardless of what lies before you forevermore, I beseech you, from the fathoms of your heart, promise me!" Aegnor pleaded, his voice strong with raw conviction and his eyes unwavering from his son's

"I will try, Atar, I will try," Astaldanor responded, his attention captured by the urgency in his father's voice. As their gazes locked, Aegnor exhaled a heavy sigh, his lips curving into a tender smile that carried a bittersweet blend of emotions.

"You have her eyes..." Aegnor smiled weakly, through the tears streamed forth. "I came so far for this single blessing, to have you, my son." His voice weakening to a fragile broken whisper as he felt his walls begin to collapse. "You were my only dream..." Aegnors tender hand held his sons face "Know that I am proud of you, my son. You will endure on, and you will not linger here long. Do you understand?"

Astaldanor could not hold the floodgates of his grief any longer. His heart heavy, he bubbled into sobs

"Bregolas?" A sweet, weary voice whispered faintly from the depths of the pavilion. Aegnor and Astaldanor swiftly made their way inside, their steps echoing with a sense of urgency in the place that had long been their cherished abode. With tender haste, they approached Andreth's side, where she stirred drowsily from her slumber. Stretching out a trembling hand, she gently caressed Astaldanor's face, her touch imbued with a lifetime of love and longing.

"My son," she murmured, her voice a delicate melody. "You have returned to me."

Tears welled in Astaldanor's eyes, glistening like shimmering dewdrops on a fragile leaf. He whispered, his voice filled with a mixture of joy and sorrow, "I love you, Mother."

Andreth's gaze then turned to her husband, who knelt beside her on the other side. His eyes, tender and steadfast, met hers as the weight of their shared history hung in the air. A wistful smile graced her lips, a testament to the enduring spirit of her youth.      "I know your face...my silly, silly elf," she smiled, her voice carrying the tenderness of a thousand bittersweet memories.

"We are together again, the three of us, just as I had prayed," she breathed, her words carrying a sense of profound peace. She pulled the blanket closer to her chest, her delicate hands embracing the frailty of her form. "My time has come," she whispered, her voice content. "I have reached the inevitable end, and I can go no further."

Her gaze shifted to Aegnor, her eyes filled with a depth of gratitude that words could not fully express. "My love, my precious love... You gave everything you had for this... this one chance," she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of a lifetime's worth of devotion. "I regret... not a single day. We have been on... quite a journey... my sweet."

Tears streamed down Aegnor's face, his countenance a mask of stoic resolve, desperately suppressing the tempest of emotions that threatened to consume him. With every fibre of his being, he fought to maintain composure to honour the quiet strength that had defined their love. Slowly, Andreth's eyes fluttered closed, her serene visage adorned with a gentle smile.

"Promise me..." she whispered, her voice a fragile thread. "Promise that you will find solace in this life and continue on this path for my sake. Though I may no longer be with you. Wherever you may go, know that my heart and my love go with you both, always." With a final gentle breath, Andreth's life slipped away, a gentle smile of tranquil peace upon her face.

Sobs of despair bubbled from Astaldanor as he mourned his mother. Aegnor, his gaze cast down, his face vacant of all emotion. Soon, Aegnor rose and left. As he stepped out of the pavilion, a pain within his heart burst forth as Andreth's feä being pulled from him. The fierce agony crippled him mercilessly as it tore at his feä and his hroä,

("Nay! You will not take her!") He screamed in elvish with all his might toward the heavens as Erú had come to claim his debt. He roared with all the strength in his lungs. ("SHE BELONGS TO ME!")

Rage and grief consumed him as he willingly warred with a god, who was taking the last part of Andreth he had. The strength of their bond pulled to a single remaining stand, the last chord that connected her to him pulled and strained as it threatened to rip him apart. It finally broke, snapping into two pieces, and suddenly, he felt her presence no more.

The pain it caused him was unbearable, her feä, carried away westward and forever separated from him. Aegnor collapsed to his knees, wails of grief, mixed with cries of anguish split the skies, the godly voice of Aegnors cry chased away storms as he screamed for his beloved return, but his cries went unanswered. He clenched the sand, raking it in his white knuckles, rocking back and forth, his mind fracturing and breaking, screaming with every ounce of strength he had. Astaldanor burst forth from the pavilion. He wrapped his arms around his father's body. Holding him as he wailed and sobbed. A protective sheild, a blanket of comfort. This was the price he paid for love.

Astaldanor remained by his father's side from that moment on. Offering him comfort and assistance in the months that followed, for he was greatly pained from life. He watched his father's strength slowly diminish, his will to live fade ever further away. For his fire had been snuffed out eternally, and none could bring it back.

○○○

On a day, crisp with the bright morning sun, the tranquil forest seemed a haven of piece and beauty as the birds sang their beautiful melody echoing a haunting symphony of eerie beauty that lingered through the sunbeams in the trees and the gentle flow of streams. It was on this day that Aegnor expressed his desire for Astaldanor to accompany him on a ride. For he wished to visit the river, near the grave of his love, Astaldanor was excited for it was the first time his father had expressed an interest in riding and brimming with delight, Astaldanor left the pavilion, their homely dwelling of many memories with his father and together, mounted their steeds.

The sun was bright as it shined through the trees, almost blessing their journey together. They made good conversation along the way. The life in his fathers eyes seemed to have slowly returned, and Astaldanor could not be happier, for he missed these rides with him. As they approached the tranquil river, the flowing rush sang its melody into their ears. The chirping songs of the birds fluttered in the trees around them. It was a most beautiful day for a ride, and Astaldanor wanted to soak in its every moment. As their horses drank, Aegnor and Astaldanor stood by the bank, taking in the site.

"Our love began with a river, your mother's and mine," Aegnor spoke, his voice a soft murmur laced with the weight of countless memories. "A morning amidst the mighty mountains of Dorthonion, I stumbled upon a small silver broach belonging to a child, gleaming at the bed. Little did I know then, that fateful hesitation would alter my course for all eternity," he continued, his gaze shifting to Astaldanor, who smiled through the veil of bittersweetness.

"Through every hardship and pain I have endured in every fibre of my being, there always remained a glimmer of light within me, but that light is fading fast," Aegnor confessed, his voice carrying the echoes of a lifetime of trials "and I no longer desire the light, for mine was taken from me."

Turning away, Aegnor gracefully sought solace beneath the sheltering branches of a nearby tree, leaning against its large trunk and drawing his cloak around him like a comforting blanket. Astaldanor, sensing his father's tiredness, sank down beside him, reaching into his satchel and retrieved his precious wooden flute. Opening his heavy eyes, Aegnor beheld the instrument cradled in his son's hands, and a weak smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

"Astaldanor, play for me a single melody. Something to lull my troubled mind into a realm of tranquillity, for I am weary, and I must rest now," Aegnor whispered, his eyes closing once more as he surrendered his sences to the air once more, hoping to find relief.

And from Astaldanor's flute, a symphony of beauty blossomed forth. With deft fingers and a soulful touch, he wove a tapestry of enchanting notes that danced upon the air, carrying Aegnor's beleaguered spirit to a place of profound respite. He played until the very breath within him ceased and his throat became dry, and as the final strains of the melody faded into the ether, Astaldanor exhaled a lingering sigh, allowing the moment of serenity to seep into his every pore.

"Do you wish to linger here or shall we press on for a spell?" Astaldanor inquired eventually, but Aegnor did not answer.

"Father?" Astaldanor repeated, His eyes searched his fathers face intensely. His head rested back against the tree, his eyes closed and his face vacant of life. Casting his cherished flute aside, Astaldanor stumbled to Aegnor's side.

"Father!" He cried. Clasping Aegnor's face, he gently turned it to him. His eyes welling with tears, his voice cracking into silent sobbing "atar?" A whisoer was all he coukd someone. A tender, desperate plee from a son to his father, but there was no comfort, there was no breath, and no tender glance. He was dead.

Astaldanor, his burst with wet tears, buried himself in grief. He pressed his tear-stained face into his father's shoulder and wailed, his sobs echoing through the desolate stillness and crackling the air with its might. That day, the flowers bore witness to his despair. For this world was all he had ever known and suddenly, he was utterly alone. He wailed and he screamed and he wept, but it could not bring Aegnor back. In that moment, he wanted to cut out his own heart and throw it away. His red, swollen eyes resting on Aegnor's own knife, for love was a force to heart-breaking to endure. In that moment, he did remember. He remembered what his father had told him and the promise he swore to keep. Aegnor had prepared him for this very moment for all this time. He had fulfilled his final duty and now, it was time for him to go.

"You knew!" Astaldanor cried, his dark head burrowed into his chest, sobbing. "You knew all along..." he raked at the sand in the similar fashion to his father "please don't leave me atar! Please!" Astaldanor begged, "I need you,"

Unbeknownst to him, ad he wept before the corpse of his father, a mysterious, distant light shimmered  gradually drawing closer, taking on the form of a majestic being. Radiant and ethereal, a tall and slender figure soon took form, materializing from the light as he glided towards them. His glorious, silvery golden locks cascaded down like strands of liquid sunlight framed a countenance so exquisitely beautiful the stars themselves retreat in shame. Within his other worldly beauty, he bore a look of profound sadness, casting a delicate melancholy over his flawless visage. Atop its head, a crown of supreme light emitted a captivating glow, illuminating the surrounding trees. Graceful as a mid-flight swan, every movement embodied elegance.

Astaldanor, finally lifting his gaze, beheld the figure approaching them and stopping directly in front, looming over him. Astaldanor was stunned and frightened into silence. He had never seen this stranger before who held the exact likeness of his father, though his poise was stiff, tall and his eyes kind and soft.

"W-who are you?" He trembled before this majestic being.

The stranger did not answer him. Only, with a slow motion of his head, he beheld the lifeless body of Aegnor and Astaldanor witnessed a deep shadow cloud his countenance. His gaze lingered silently upon him before once more, his focus shifting back to Astaldanor, revealing glistening eyes of shed tears that ran down his chiselled, flawless cheeks. For a moment, he had thought he was the feä of his father, returning to offer his comfort in his grief.

"Are you the feä of my father, returning to offer me solace upon this dark hour?" Astaldanor croaked through his tears. He beheld Astaldanor, his eyes twinkling with unshed tears.

"Do not be afraid," he replied, his gentle voice like the song of soft rain. "I am not what you claim me to be. For it is out of my love for my son that I have come."

"I don't understand," Astaldanor whimpered, wiping the tears from his face.

"My son Aegnor, has been lost to me for a very long time. I have come to bring him home. I am Finarfin, king of the blessed realm,"

With those words, he knelt beside the body of Aegnor. Astaldonor watched stunned as Finarfin placed his hand upon Aegnor's head. Closing his eyes, Finarfin wept quietly. His beloved son was truly no more.

Scooping him up in his arms, Finarfin lifted Aegnors lifeless body effortlessly from the ground, and his gaze shifted to Astaldanor. He stopped, gazing down at him with tear stained eyes "Please," he begged, his calm voice a balm to his racing thoughts, "Tell me where I may bury my son, a place where he would find eternal rest,"

"Next to my mother," Astaldanor croaked, rising to his feet. "On the gentle rise of the hill, not far from this sacred ground, we laid her to rest," he continued, his stature rising with a newfound strength. "I shall guide you to the hallowed place where my mother is, for he yearns to be reunited with her." Finarfin stared at him with gentle silence. Astaldanor continued. "I am of the noble lineage of the Edain, known to my mother as Bregolas. And to Aegnor, I was known as Astaldanor, gifting unto me all his Eldar lineage for I am his sire," he proclaimed, his voice resonating with unwavering pride. Finarfin nodded gently in recognition of his kin.

With a grace befitting their solemn purpose, Astaldanor led Finarfin, his revered grandfather, to the hill where the earthly remains of Andreth lay. Every step they took was imbued with dignity and reverence as if the very ground beneath their feet recognized the significance of their presence.

Upon reaching the crest of the hill, a panoramic vista unfolded before them sublime and beautiful beyond words. Astaldanor's voice, with steady grace and infused with deep respect, broke the silence that enveloped them.

"Here, upon this gentle rise, we laid my mother to her eternal slumber," he spoke, his words carrying a profound sense of reverence. "In this sacred place, beside her, we shall lay my father, his heart forever entwined with the one he cherished beyond all measure." As he voiced these sentiments, a bittersweet ache reverberated in his tone, an eloquent tribute to the love that had defined their lives. With tenderness and dignity befitting the final act of love, Astaldanor and Finarfin gently lowered Aegnor's lifeless body into the waiting earth. Their hands moved in perfect unity, guided by a sacred, unspoken understanding of the bond that had united their family.

As the soil embraced Aegnor's body, a profound stillness settled over the hilltop as if the very land held its breath. A gentle breeze, like a tender caress, whispered through the surrounding landscape, carrying with it a whispered secret of eternal devotion and fulfilled love. The legacy of Andreth and Aegnor, woven with threads of sacrifice and unwavering devotion, would forever echo through the expanse of time.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting its final golden rays upon the hill as if bidding a gentle farewell to the union fulfilled in eternal love. That very night, stars above wielded their glorious light across the vast celestial expanse. Mourning in unison. Among them, one star shined brighter than all. Reborn in the ebony darkness. Together, at last, were the feäs of Aegnor and Andreth. Never again to be separated.

Chapter End Notes

Thank you to everyone who has followed this journey. I hope you enjoyed this story and I want to give all credit to Tolkien l who was a great inspiration for me and this fanfiction. Please feel free to comment and share this with others. 

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