A Different Kind Of Peace by Tyelca

Visit in Ost-in-Edhil

Celebrimbor meets a certain Maia.

Alternative title: Stranger in the City

The stranger came at the breaking of dawn and the first rays of sunlight peaking through the mountaintops ignited fire in the golden hair and smoked in the shadow to the west. He traveled on foot and bore no supplies; the guards of Eregion had watched his approach carefully, but the stranger carried no visible weapons. When he arrived at the gate, he was allowed in without question; for many came to the Gwaith-i-Mírdain to study and learn. He was pointed to an inn and the headquarters of the guild. Celebrimbor later heard he had accepted these directions without a word.

The stranger did not head to the inn first but made his way directly to the forges. Here Celebrimbor first laid eyes on him, and could tell immediately this was no normal student seeking to be taught. He invited the stranger to his office and offered him a seat, while he himself sank down behind his large oaken desk.

“You are of the Maiar,” Celebrimbor stated calmly. A match sparked in the golden eyes of the being. “I am,” he confirmed. His voice was deep and clear, and possessed a melodious quality.

“What do you seek here?” Celebrimbor asked. In truth he did not wish to entangle himself in matters concerning the Ainur, but he remained courteous. He of all people should know the consequences of defying them. The being seated opposite his desk surprised him, however, when he answered “Knowledge, and to discover more knowledge, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

“Did the Valar send you?”

A small smile played around the stranger’s lips. “I am here of my own volition,” he stated. “Although one can say that the Vala I serve is in need of your legacy, Telpërinquar.”

Celebrimbor showed no outward reaction, but it had been a very long time since anyone uttered his fathername in the language it was meant to be spoken in. In his youth he had not met many of the Ainur and he was unaware of the extent of their powers; he supposed it was not impossible to find out his name, even without the use of special abilities. Still, he took the Maiar in again, making no effort to hide his scrutiny. The golden-haired being waited patiently.

“What about my legacy?” Celebrimbor said. This succession of subjects unsettled him, but he gave no sign of his discomfort. He had long since learned that if people thought they could not hurt you, they stopped trying. Still, he had thought he had gotten over his issues, but perhaps they had merely lain dormant. Celebrimbor reluctantly admitted that he might have pushed his problems away instead of dealing with them.

The Maiar laughed heartily and the sound was warm. “Do not be worried, Curufinwion, for I ask nothing I do not think you are prepared to give. Aulë, Lord of the Earth, has in earlier times been very fond of your ancestors; he thinks it is time for the Star of Fëanor to rise again. I volunteered to be the first to start mending the gaps that have divided us, and through you reach the entirety of this Middle-Earth.”

Celebrimbor was silent for a while, thinking. What the Maiar suggested was on the one hand all he’d ever wanted, but on the other hand he had spent the last millennium trying to release himself from chains of that legacy. “I shall think about your offer,” he decided finally. “You will hear from me within a fortnight. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable in this city.”

Remembering he had not yet gotten a name from his visitor, Celebrimbor shrewdly stood and said, “Forgive me my rudeness; I have quite forgotten to introduce myself. I am called Celebrimbor.” The Maiar laughed again but followed Celebrimbor’s example. “The fault is mine; as for my name, I carry many and go by even more; but you can call me Annatar.”

“Annatar,” Celebrimbor repeated, rolling the syllables over his tongue. “Lord of the Gifts. Fitting, seeing your purpose here.”

“Isn’t it?” reacted Annatar, and his eyes twinkled merrily.