Umbar by vulpeculi4r  

Umbar

Chapter End Notes

When Mairon had first taken the shape of Annatar, he had been curious to see whether his soul mark would vanish or remain.

The words on his forearm, written in Quenya, of all things, stayed unchanged. Even as his hair turned from spun gold to a silvery white, and his stature became softer and slighter, the ink on his arm, glinting like molten silver, endured his transformation.

Coanya ná coalya. Hantanyel an tulielya, it read. My home is your home. Thank you for coming.

A polite greeting, if Mairon had ever heard one. Once upon a time, in what felt like another lifetime by now, he had been disappointed when Melkor had approached him with wit and sharp humour instead of gentle courteousness.

But then again, perhaps Mairon should have known better than let himself be disappointed. After all, how could a Valar as great as his Lord ever be tied to someone so much lesser than himself?

Those old sorrows and grievances should not - could not - weigh Mairon down any longer, not now. Because now, he had a plan to execute.

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

Tyelpe always wondered who his soulmate might be. He knew only that it had to be someone he’d meet in a formal setting – maybe a diplomat, or foreign envoy, were his best guesses.

Nowhere else would he hear those words, the ones shining on his forearm in their aureate glow. Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo. A star shines upon the hour of our meeting.

Who could it be, who would feel such joy at meeting Celebrimbor? He wasn’t near as mighty or well known – yet, at least – as were his uncles, so it was difficult to fathom that someone would be so moved upon meeting him.

Maybe he was only deluding himself, and those pretty words would be all but empty, flattery to get in his good graces.

But that couldn’t be, Tyelpe thought. It was his soulmate, after all. And what kind of soulmate would they be, to greet him with falsehoods upon their very first meeting?