A Man Who Flies From His Fear May Find He Has Only Taken A Shortcut To Meet It by LadySternchen  

Everything- Elu Thingol

“Lúthien, I fear for you, can you not see that? I am afraid that-”

She laughs, a cold, derisive laugh.

“Yes, like you are afraid of everything. Everything. It is pathetic.“

With that, she withdraws from her window, leaving Elu at the foot of the tree, seething with mingled anger and grief.

And, she is not wrong with her accusation, fear.

The light of the glowing coals shimmers in the fast spreading pool of blood. It is beautiful, really, like lights glimmering on the smooth surface of a lake. The smiths stand around him, frozen in surprised terror. Elu can practically hear their brains working fast.

Serves them right.

Like it serves him right.

Then, as though the sword slices though his torso once more, the pain comes, comes with such ferocity that Elu wants to scream. He does not, though, because he cannot. Nothing leaves his mouth but a sickening gush of blood. He feels his body writhe, feels his fists clench without his command. He cannot breathe.

O Námo, let this be over!

The Silmaril still gleams within the Nauglamir, yet the Dwarf holding it does not whisk it away, does not cover it. Elu looks up at him, and thinks he can see something like pity flickering in the smith’s eyes. How curious, that they should now grant him such mercy.

Do they know, by some inexplicable chance, how much comfort there lies within this light?

Finwë gazing at the trees in awe, hope, excitement.

The light in Melian’s eyes.

Melian. Oh beloved.

His vision darkens, so that even the light of the Silmaril grows faint. Death is coming for him fast, and Elu welcomes it. He knows where he is going, he does not dread the Halls, he is not afraid.

Not everything, little one. Not everything.

Chapter End Notes

It wouldn’t be me if that was not my last chapter, would it? Embarrassingly, I didn’t even plan that.