Complete by Melesta

Complete

Valinor. After the Return from Exile:

When he finally returned to me from the Halls, I was glad. For what was there to grieve or forgive, now that Beleriand had become but a faint memory and the World had grown so old. Though our forms were young and strange, we found solace in the familiarity of our fëar. Although I often knew not who I had become, I knew he was my brother still. My Findekáno. My Fingon.

At times I could not help but feel pity, for I had come back to Elenwë, to my parents. My daughter had sailed back to these shores. But he… Still, the ancient strength never left him. It was he that stood and held my hand when Lómion was released at last. Together we journeyed across the ever-expanding lands of Valinor, guided by the grace of Ulmo. Mapping and searching, as we ever did, for the perfect materials to build his new house. Obsessively looking for the softest wood, the smoothest pebbles, the right hue of glass. Yet, as we were relearning the elves that we had become in all those long years, I could never step foot in that house—the home he was building.

‘I will wait to see it when it is finished', I would always respond to his invitations.

I did not provide an explanation. Nor did he ever ask for one. But the construction never seemed to end. There was always something more to be done. Something to be reconstructed, rearranged, repainted. And then, he was gone.

***

I had my suspicions on the very morning my brother disappeared alone and without the counsel of any.* For not even Maeglin, who worked with him often, knew his whereabouts. None did, for many years. But now my father informs me that he has returned. And with him, the oldest son of Fëanáro.

‘How is he taking life?’ - I say on an impulse, unsure myself to which of the two I am referring. I refuse to ponder on it.

My father stands still for a long moment and then catches my gaze. The blue in his eyes now seems like a mountain river that has finally settled on its course in the valleys.

‘He told me the house is now complete’, he whispers at last.

***

I stand now in front of the house that my brother has been building over the ages.

Although it appears somewhat smaller than what I had expected, it feels anything but constricting. This house is undoubtedly a Noldorin home. Geometrically traced lines, clean stone walls framed carefully by lancets, elegant staircases and archways to provide depth. It is embellished by its structure alone. None but a Valinorian Noldo could build such a thing.

Yet, I find surprises everywhere. As I find myself past the main door, Laurelin and Telperion’s ancient light fills my eyes. No, it cannot be, I remind myself. Then I exhale slowly and absorb the clusters of color that compete for the ivory hall. Rays of blue and silver slide through the eastern rose windows. They fall on the marble floor and embrace intimately with the growing streaks of red and gold penetrating from the west. Tall volcanic pillars cast shadows through the light like blades. The columns elegantly narrow from their thick foundation and branch out on the ceiling, creating a supportive web for the central vault. I look up through the skylight windows between the branches and instantly recognize the sight. The misty forests of Dor-lómin as we found them when we first reached Endórë.

Only the Valar know how long I stand there in awe. But now the blue hues have retreated, and the floor beneath me seems like it is burning. My feet absently take me wandering down the hallways covered with velvety green carpets. I chase the lingering scents of baked bread, sweet wine, and parchment. The space suddenly feels alive. Life for two. Two matching teacups sit on the counter. Two apple cores tossed on a plate. Two semi-closed books on the divan. A single long desk in the studio but two chairs on its side. And then, of course, two circlets tossed over the vanity. Copper and gold.

My chest suddenly feels too small for my bubbling heart, and I am gasping for air. I manage to escape to a terrace with a mesmerizing view of Taniquetil and what was once known as the Bay of Eldamar. My heart stills but only briefly. For I finally find what I truly came for. You stand together as if you came to the world this way. Hands clasped, bodies aligned, lips gently savoring one another. Your kiss is new, ancient, something else entirely. My fëa has now extended beyond my hröa, and I watch you wide-eyed. Like a parent looks at their newborn for the first time. With fear, and confusion, and love as limitless and boundless as Eä itself.

‘Complete’, I let out.

Then you lightly unbind your embrace and turn to me, never letting go of each other. And I find myself extending my arms.

Chapter End Notes

*From the Silmarillion, "Of the return of the Noldor":
'Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the
Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes'.