A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
Triggerwarning: Murder
Summary: Miriel had a sister, one who would kill for her.
She will not see her sister shamed in this manner. In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding, her resolve grows stronger everyday as the Vanyar-bitch attempts to rid Tirion’s palace of Míriel’s presence.
She can bring herself to feel no remorse, no shame and no guilt for what she will do.
During the discussions, where those opposing the wedding sit in sullen silence, she watches for a moment then rises. All eyes turn to her discretely; the black haired mirror of her sister and the feminine mirror of her nephew.
She leaves.
Whispers follow.
She believes at first that this is going to be a difficult task to undertake. That it might not succeed but then the opportunity is neatly placed in her hands.
“You wish for me to stand in place of your mother? At the wedding to replace my sister?”
Mírandel Tatyarþerindë stares at her brother-in-law in bemused disbelief. Finwë figits but before he can say anything, she inclines her head.
“Very well but do not expect me to smile.”
“Of course not sister,” Finwë withdraws from her rooms. She stares out the window for a long moment. Fëanáro will be mad at her but it will help.
She will seek his forgiveness later.
She makes sure the rooms are well cleaned, the food is ordered, that Indis’ wedding gown is laid out and inspected for any rips or tears in the cloth, or snags in the embroidery.
“Of dear the middle line of flowers is snagged,” she murmurs, fingering the undershift, “look, the entire line is now skewed and some of the gold beading has loosened. And right over the bodice at that.”
Indis begins to fret. The blue rose design goes with the rest of the cloth-of-gold-and-sapphire ornamented dress.
“I will fix it, do not worry.” She reassures the bride to be, smiling thinly at the slightly hopeful expression on Indis’ face.
She takes the shift, fixes the embroidery (she simply reverses what she did to the shift the night before and reaffixes the beading) and soaks the gown in poison all through the mingling of Laurelin giving way to Teleperion. The shift dries during Teleperion’s reign and she returns it, crisply white and untouched to the bride to be.
Indis is dressed, coiffed and is lead to the alter.
Laurelin shines her light weakly, still mingled with silver, as they arrive. The ceremony drags on, a weighty Mass full of ponderanes about Eru’s forgiveness and Manwë’s gentle majesty. Mírandel can feel Fëanáro’s gaze like a poker to her neck. She reaches for his hand and holds it despite his stiffness and his attempts to free himself.
The mass continues to drone on, Laurelin’s light is now undisturbed by silver, radiantly golden. It is too much for the poison which ignites beneath the heady, golden light.
Indis goes up like a beacon; a blaze of bloody red flames so intensely hot that the bottle of holy water the priest holds boils within minutes and shatters its confinement.
Finwë is yelling for more water, is trying to beat out the flames with his cloak but the poison will not be doused until it has devoured itself utterly.
He yells for his guards to arrest Mírandel for he is a fool but not stupid.
Mírandel Tatyarþerindë, first kinslayer of the Noldor, smiles grimly as they advance and lets go of her nephew’s hand.
On names:
Míriel - can be translated as both Jewel-woman and also Jewel-daughter
Mírandel - can be translated as Jewel-daughter also
Tatyarþerindë - the second þerindë
I couldn’t decide whether Mírandel is a older or younger sister. Oh well it doesn’t matter in a snipped this short.
Thoughts that ran through my head after rereading this:
- it runs in the family
- the Noldor have no naming creativity
- Well remarriage was controversial, so why not drive someone to murder in order to resolve the issue?