A Shared Grief
Daeron stared out towards the sea stretching out to meet the western sky. He did not want to look down from the cliffs and see the waves that now covered his home. The memories of the wild and beautiful forest swam through his mind, evoking a variety of emotions as wide as the field of blue overhead. Just when Daeron thought he could bear no more a slender hand reached for his and squeezed it gently. He turned to his right to see Alataya’s dark blue eyes filled with knowing and compassion. Her homeland of Númenor also rested at the bottom of the sea. Both of them had lost family and knew the pain that haunted the other. They came from royal houses in exile and would never be able to return to their rightful homes. Daeron had wondered the entire way here why Alataya wanted to do this, why she had begged him for years to come here. But now he began to understand, and Alataya was right that it was a way to open the wound in order to allow it to truly heal.
The words Daeron’s mother spoke to him long ago echoed in his mind. Melian had told him that she had foreseen his sister’s fate intertwined to his. For many years Daeron had blamed himself for what became of Lúthien, as well as his mother and father, along with their kingdom. He often wondered if his interest in the outside world had been the first steps upon a path that led those he loved into tragedy. Was it punishment for defying his father’s wishes and attending The Feast of Reuniting all those years ago? Was that where it began? Or was it when he had shared his invention of the Cirth that set it all in motion? Would things have turned out differently if he had not left Doriath?
Daeron pummeled himself with doubts and blame. For years he had told Alataya to not put herself at fault for what happened to her parents, Númenor, and a myriad of other unfortunate events, but all along Alataya had been showing him that he was free of guilt as well.
Together they stood at the edge of the tall cliff, watching the waves crest as they neared the shore. Daeron was certain they both breathed the crisp air a bit easier now that their shared burdens had begun to lift.
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