Wow, this is wonderful! Not only is it a well-written story (is it really 2000-some words? It felt like it was done in a blink!), touching and bittersweet, but it introduces so many intriguing ideas. I love stories that give thoughtful consideration to the relationships that existed between the various cultures of Arda, so I enjoyed your look at the Naugrim and Sindar here. But, more than that, was the introduction of the Sindarin idea that "People who study such crafts do bad things." It does seem that way, and more than a few of us on this group have spent many hours discussing/griping about Tolkien's anti-science and anti-technology bias that often shows itself in his work. (If you haven't read it already, Doc Bushwell/Pandemonium's Tolkienian War on Science is an excellent essay on this idea.) But I thought it worked really well here, to show how the perceived realities of life on Arda (where people who craft often do in fact do terrible things) might contribute to attitudes that further ruin relationships between the races. Again, a wonderful piece, much enjoyed, and highly recommended to anyone stumbling upon this comment!

(Also, a belated welcome to SWG! :)

All the best,
Dawn

This was heart-breaking!

I really like Mûr. I think his characterization was fantastic, and seeing everything through his point of view made the story extremely interesting. Also, having someone who takes so much pride in his work there makes the ending and Oropher's reaction even more jarring.

That scene was truely tragic, though. For Thranduil to have put so much work into something, then have it tossed aside like garbage...and all over something much like a superstition, too. 

This story definitely casts an interesting light on Thranduil's fascination with jewels and gold...

Anyway, this was a really fascinating story!