The tragedy of Sirion by Aprilertuile

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1 - The message

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Elwing had been on the beach when the messenger of those accursed feanorians had found her. Her children had been playing nearby on the sand. Happy and innocent like only children could be.

She had taken the message and ordered the elf arrested.

She couldn't let a kinslayer enter her land unchecked.

As soon as Eärendil would come back, and surely he'd be back soon now, the feanorian would be judged and dealt with, and the letter would be... Well... They'd see what they'd do about the letter.

She really wanted Eärendil’s input on that.

She took a peak at the content of the letter and sneered at it. Why should she trust the very men responsible for the death of her family?

No, that had to be a trap. If she answered that, they'd take their jewel and kill her, or they'd attack anyway for having held the Silmaril. That was surely the reason why she dreamt of her children's death every night.

No. She'd discuss what to do with Eärendil. He'd have better ideas on how to arrange the city's defenses than she would.

He'd be back before anything would happen anyway. She just needed to warn her councilors.

"Mommy? Who was that man? Asked her younger twin, recognizable for his eyes were just a tad bluer than his brother.

-No one of import, my darling. He's no one of import, don't worry about it. I have something to do. Please, be nice to your nurse. Do not try to frighten her again.

-That wasn't me." The child answered primly.

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he ended up sporting a vaguely sorry smile.

"If we do it on accident, it won't be our fault, because it'll be an accident."

Elwing snorted at that, even as one of the guards around the area couldn't help a smile at the child's logic.

"Even if you do it accidentally, I'll be mad at you and you won't have the right to come back out here for days.

-What, but...

-3 days, my darling.

-Fine, but she's so easily spooked. The child pouted.

-I know my love, but she's a nice person who lived a difficult life and you need to be nice to her, alright?

-Fine. But she's boring.

-Little love...

-We'll be nice, mother." The calmer of the twins said finally, pulling his brother to his half-made sand castle.

She snorted at that but would let them deal with the punishment if it was needed. Like she had any illusion either twin would keep their words on that. Their poor nurse was really in over her head with them.

 

The meeting went about as well as Elwing had thought it would. No one wanted to surrender their Silmaril.

But they needed to delay the feanorians until Eärendil arrived. He surely would know what to do in the face of this threat.

He was naturally more able to deal with these things than she was. His people were all far more war-like after all, proof being the feanorians.

Some of her father's remaining councilors had difficulties working with Eärendil's councilors because of that, even if they had little choice on the matter.

She admitted freely that she didn't appreciate much Eärendil's councilors either.

The noldor never hesitated to speak their mind, even the women. They all had no sense of propriety whatsoever.

Just look at Galadriel. Speaking her mind, doing whatever she wanted, exploring the land... Celeborn should have put a stop to all that already. One could be an independent proud woman and not be that wild.

Well on that point the noldor were more similar to some of the avari tribes than to proper civilized beings.

But her couple worked well on that point. Eärendil could tackle his people and their apparent inability to do anything the proper way, and she could sooth her own people. So there was no doubt that Eärendil would be better at dealing with the feanorians than she was.

 

So the council had come to an agreement. They had decided to use the imprisoned messenger, to send a letter back, explaining the situation. Their lord was at sea and not available to treat their demands, but they would surely get an answer soon...

The messenger left on horse. Watching him leave, Elwing was shivering in sudden cold. Perhaps it was due to her mortal blood. Her nurse had once told her that mortals were more fragile and more susceptible to the weather and temperatures. So far, living in Sirion, she had noted that the elleth had been right on that.

She felt the need to go find her children, and she found them, back in the house, in their playroom. One of them was reading, and she sat next to him, starting a conversation with their nurse about their afternoon's activity.

As it turned out, the children hadn't tried to frighten her. No, just one of their guards instead.

"Children... She sighed tiredly.

-He said that a woman had no business dealing with the leadership of a city and adar should have named a proxy that wasn't you. He deserved it. One of the children answered with a pout for her.

-He did, my lady."

Elwing couldn't help a fast smile at that. The children were sweet, but...

"That's still a promise you broke.

-Nuhu. We said we wouldn't frighten our nurse, not that we'd let that idiot insult you. 'Sides, Tollion laughed."

That had the guard at the door blush brightly under the sharp look of the lady of the house.

"I... Ah... I'm afraid I did yes.

-You're encouraging them in their tricks."

The poor guard grimaced slightly at that. Yes, he had rather encouraged the kids actually.

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Chapter End Notes

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