The Singer's Girl by Lady MSM

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

    When I woke up, there was a ship.
    It appeared to be early afternoon, and in the bright daylight I could see that this wasn't a fishing boat or anything of the like-it was a huge, full-fledged ship that seemed built for voyages across worlds.
    A ship. A ship!
    I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the dock. There were a few young gents loading cargo into a rowboat, so I figured I still had time to ask them what was going on.
    "Excuse me!" I called as I raced toward them. "Excuse me, lads, where is this ship going?"
    A tall young fellow with curly dark hair turned and bowed to me. "Captain Inglor at your service, Lady. This ship is headed across the sea, to the Grey Havens."
    "Wait," I said. "You mean it's going to Middle-Earth? I didn't think any ships went there. I didn't think any ships could."
    "Well, Lady, as it happens, my uncle's company has been working on this ship for some years-‘A ship to cross worlds,' he calls it. No one ever really thought he'd have any use for it, but early this morning he received word from the Valar that Lord Cirdan couldn't possibly build enough ships to accommodate all the return traffic from Middle-Earth and if his ship was ready for use. And he couldn't turn down the offer, could he? This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
    "Damn, Osse," I whispered in awe. "You are good."
    "Excuse me?" asked Captain Inglor.
    "How much for passage on your ship?" I demanded. Before he could answer, I pressed a few gold coins into his hand. "Will that about cover it?"
    He looked bewilderedly at the coins. "Well, yes...it should...but, I mean, you want to go to Middle-Earth?"
    "That is indeed the size of it, good sir. And I might be useful to have along, too. I'm a healer, and I know a great deal about seasickness and other problems you might experience."
    Captain Inglor looked confused for a few more seconds, and then the look of charming calm was back. "Of course, Lady, it would be a pleasure to have you along. May I ask your name?"
    "Andril," I replied. "Of Elk Woods."
    "Andril?" commented one of the boys in the boat. "Like that girl who was engaged to the son of Feanor?"
    "Yes," I said. "Something like that."

    The voyage to Middle-Earth took months. It was cold, turbulent, dirty, hungry, nauseating, and uncomfortable. I didn't care. I wouldn't have minded sea monsters as long as I made it to Middle-Earth alive.
    After what seemed like a century, we finally spotted land, and not a week later we finally docked in the Grey Havens. It was a crowded, confusing place, full of people who looked as desperate to leave as I'd been to get there. Captain Inglor eyed me concernedly as I made to step onto the dock.
    "Will you be all right, Lady Andril?" he asked. "Do you know where you're going?"
    "I've got an idea, and that's good enough for me," I said. "Listen, it's not your job to worry about me, all right? It was your job to get me here-and you didn't even have to do that, so I'm grateful. Really, I'll be all right."
    "Very well, Lady Andril, if you insist," he said. "Please be careful."
    I smiled and nodded, slung my pack over my shoulder, and set off.

    Despite how confidently I'd spoken to Captain Inglor, my idea of where Maglor could be was shaky to say the least. My clues were this: Maglor loved the sea and hated the cold, so it was likely he'd be along the southern coast. And since he was now alone in the world and really had only one means of supporting himself, all I had to do was look for him in every roadside pub along said southern coast. I'd track him down, I knew I would.
    But what I hadn't figured on was how big Middle-Earth is. And how long the southern coast is. And how many seaside towns there are, and how many pubs are in them, and how many bartenders who, when I described Maglor in my heavily accented Sindarin and asked if they'd seen him, would shake their heads ruefully and say, "No, ma'am." Occasionally the "No, ma'am" would change to an "I think so, ma'am," and then I'd be off on another wild goose chase to the next town, the next pub, the next place where my fiancé wasn't.
    That's not to say my life on the road was all bad. I got some healing work, and met some interesting animals-not to mention humans. I'd never met any humans before, but I'd heard of them, and they were a real jolly bunch for the most part, and quite tolerant of my language barrier (a surprising amount spoke Sindarin, which I was slowly picking up). Not to mention that they got sick, just like animals, and they taught me a few interesting things about treating coughs and flus and fevers. Some of the Sindarin elves I ran across were quite happy to help me learn their language, and there were times when I actually enjoyed myself.
    Weeks passed, then months, and before I knew it I'd been in Middle-Earth for a year and accomplished nothing except learning Sindarin and a few healing tricks, and burning through most of my life savings. I was beginning to despair. Of course I'd gladly search every nook and cranny of Middle-Earth for Maglor, but what if he didn't want to be found? Or if he was dead? If I'd left everything behind for him just to find out he'd died...well, I might feel like dying too.
    One chilly, foggy autumn morning, I trudged into a pub called Lily's with three gold coins in my pocket and almost no hope left. Lily herself-a stout blonde mortal woman-nodded amiably at me as I entered.
    "Something to eat or drink, dear?" she asked.
    "Some tea. And some bread and cheese," I ordered sullenly and slumped down at the bar.
    Lily sniffed. "Fine manners you've got. I thought you Elves were supposed to be so sophisticated."
    "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I sighed. "Don't mind me. I've had a rough year of it."
    "I can tell," Lily remarked as she bustled about making my food. "What'd you do, run away from your husband or something?"
    "The opposite, really," I said. "My fiancé went missing during the war and I've been searching every roadside pub on the coast for him. No one's seen him or has any idea where he is. Honestly, I'm beginning to think he's dead."
    "Well, what's he look like?" asked Lily. "We get our share of Elves and other peculiar types in here. Maybe I've seen him."
    I ignored the fact that she'd called me a "peculiar type" and snorted. "All right, fine, it's worth a go. Have you seen a tall, thin young man with curly hair that occasionally looks brown and occasionally red and sometimes black, with a Noldorin accent and presumably carrying a fiddle?"
    "Sure have," said Lily.
    "See what I mean? That's why I'm thinking about gi...excuse me?"
    "Yeah, I've seen him," said Lily in a comically slow voice. "He was here last night. Played a few songs in exchange for food and a room and left three hours ago."
    "He...he did?" I stuttered. "Was...was he all right?"
    "Seemed fine to me, if not particularly cheerful. Great singer, that boy. Had some of the old men in tears, even." She frowned. "Aren't you going to ask me which direction he went off in and whatnot?"
    "Yes, yes, which direction was he headed?"
    "I think he went south, along the beach. He can't have gotten too far, not in three hours on foot." She deftly wrapped up my bread and cheese, placed it in a basket, and handed it to me. "Here. I'd advise you to run. Come back when you find him and we'll make you a proper dinner."
    I thanked her and then, as per her advice, ran. Boy, did I ever run. I sped out of that bar like there were demons at my heels, across the road and down to the misty beach. One of my shoes got stuck in the sand, and I kicked I off and kept going. I didn't want to think about the condition my breakfast would be in when I stopped.
    After an hour or so of running, I stopped to catch my breath. I'd been going so quickly that it felt like my lungs were about to explode, and I stood doubled over on the beach, gasping for air.
    It's useless, I thought. I'll never catch up to him at this rate, not when he's so much taller and fitter than I am, and Lily might have been mistaken about where he was headed anyway...
    My inner monologue was interrupted by a faint sound from somewhere ahead of me. At first it sounded like a bird, but as my heart rate slowed and my breathing became calmer, I realized what it actually was.
    Someone was singing.
    Kicking off my remaining shoe, I took a deep breath and began sprinting toward the sound. Through the fog I could barely make out the figure sitting on the edge of the sand, but as the sound grew louder I began to hear how familiar it sounded, and finally I glimpsed a familiar head of wildly curly hair...
    "Maglor!" I screamed. "Maglor!"
    He barely had time to look up before I tackled him to the ground and began kissing him like a maniac. I dug the fingers of my right hand into his hair and held down his arm with my left one as I planted kisses all over his face.
    "I missed you so much," I said between kissing him. "You have no idea how much I missed you."
    Maglor seemed paralyzed with shock for the first few seconds, but after a bit he managed to sit up and pull away from me a bit (I'll admit it couldn't have been easy).
    "Andril?" he said incredulously.
    "Yes," I said, beaming.
    He shook his head. "Andril?"
    "That's my name."
    "Is this a dream? Would you mind pinching me? Actually, I don't think that'll be enough. Perhaps you should slap me in the face."
    "Oh, I can assure you, this is not a dream," I said. "When I heard the war was over, I decided to come and rescue you, so I begged Osse for help and he helped me get a passage on a ship coming back here, and then I spent an entire year searching roadside pubs for you. And then Lily said she'd seen you, and...here you are!" I kissed him again for good measure.
    "This is...insane," said Maglor. "Insane. "Why did you come for me? Haven't I screwed up your life enough?"
    "Well, I love you, and I missed you, and I figured that with everything that's happened to you, you would need me." I frowned. "You do need me, right? You haven't gone off and got married to some other girl?"
    Maglor looked at me blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Gotten married!" he cried hysterically. "To some other girl! Andril-" he gasped for breath-"As if I would ever, ever leave you for some other girl! I love you, you madwoman! I just can't believe you're here!" He fell back onto the sand and made some more hysterical noises that might have been laughing or crying, I couldn't tell which.
    "Are you laughing or crying?" I asked.
    He sat up and wiped his eyes. "A little of both, I suppose. Sorry, it's been a difficult few centuries for me."
    "I can imagine, what with the war, and your family all dying, and -say, we don't have to talk about this if you don't want," I added, seeing the look on his face.
    "No, let's just get it all out now so that we don't have to bring it up again." He sighed. "I can't believe my entire family is dead over three stupid jewels."
    "I know," I said. "So I hear the last one's in the sea?"
    Maglor smirked. "Chucked it right in. One last act of rebellion against my father. Would you believe I actually miss that crazy bastard?"
    "I can believe it. However much you deny it, I know he always loved you."
    "I think you're right. How's Mom?"
    "She misses you. And Romenella misses Celegorm. She's really mad about him-too bad it took her so long to find out."
    "Well, maybe he'll get reembodied someday and she'll remember what an arse he is," said Maglor. "And I think that's about all the family talk I can stand right now."
    "All right, new topic," I said. "You said if we ever saw each other again, you'd marry me. Well, I want to get married. Right now."
    "Right now?" said Maglor. "But...we're alone on a remote beach and we haven't got any rings or anything. Or food."
    "I hate jewelry," I said. "And we have my lunch...or what's left of it," I added with a grimace. "And since when do we need people around? That seagull over there can be our witness." I stood up, pulling Maglor with me, and cleared my throat. "Maglor, with Eru and that lecherous-looking old seagull over there as my witnesses, I take you as my husband and promise to stick with you for the rest of forever. Amen." I nodded at him. "Your turn."
    "This is ridiculous."
    "Just do it, or I'll boing your hair."
    "A-hem!" said Maglor in his most theatrical voice. "Andril, my dear parentless and ridiculously loyal healer, with Eru and that lecherous-looking old seagull and that even more lecherous-looking starfish as my witnesses, I do officially take you as my wife and solemnly swear on my father's ashy grave to stick with you for the rest of forever and take whatever you dish out. Amen." He gave me a smacking kiss on the lips and sat down to dig into the remnants of my lunch. I did, too.
    "Well, we're married, as promised," said Maglor when we were done eating. "Fat lot of good it's going to do us in this place."
    "Don't talk like that," I said, smacking him on the back. "Sure, it's hard here, but it's not like there aren't any opportunities. You can sing in pubs, I can heal people-there's loads of business, what with all the humans about-and we can have a family. Maybe in the future-a long time in the future-we can go home. But for now, we can get by. Can't we?"
    He looked out over the sea for a long moment. I knew he was thinking about our home; all we'd left behind. Then he turned to me and grinned-his old grin, the one he'd had before this entire fiasco.
    "You're damn right we can," he said. "Let's go back to Lily's; they'll make us a proper wedding feast. And then maybe we can get started on that family, hmmm?"
    I grinned back and elbowed him. We both stood up, packed up our things, and started off up the beach.

The End

Chapter End Notes

Au revoir, mes amies, and I'll see you next time.