The Singer's Girl by Lady MSM

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Chapter 7

Sorry it's taken me so long to update this. I got kidnapped by aliens, and I couldn't bring my computer on their spaceship. Hope you all are still reading!

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Chapter 7

 

Needless to say, things were a little odd after that.

Rille and Maglor’s brothers made absolute certain that everyone in Elk Lake knew all the sordid details of Maglor’s and my relationship. I couldn’t go into town without people winking at me or mock-curtseying or being called “princess” (real original, Aldea). Maglor wasn’t the butt of quite so many jokes—I think people were still a bit afraid of him—but he did tell me that his dad had muttered, “At least you’ll have someone to fix you up after all those scrapes you get in.” I still had no idea what Prince Feanor thought of me and highly doubted if I ever would.

A lot of people asked me if we were engaged, and the truth was, we really weren’t. I’d told Maglor that I didn’t want to talk marriage until he’d gotten his family-exile situation figured out, and he respected that, but it was quietly understood, by us and everyone else, that we were steady. Engaged-to-be-engaged, you might call it.

I did eventually introduce Rille to Maglor and company, with the stipulation that her parents be there as well. Amazingly, she was so intimidated that she was barely able to speak, and she didn’t flirt with anyone at all. Mardan and I were so proud of her.

And that’s how the next five years passed.

To tell you the truth I think we’d all forgotten Maglor and Co. weren’t going to be in Elk Woods permanently. Seven years isn’t a long time, but it’s long enough for people to become fixtures in a small town like ours.

But the seven years were up, and so next time I went over to Formenos, Feanor wasn’t there.

Naturally, I asked where he was.

“Where’s your dad?” I asked.

“Well, the seven years are up, aren’t they?” said Celegorm. “He’s gone down to Tirion to patch things up with Uncle Fingolfin. Eru knows how that’s going to work out. I expect one of them’s going to get beaten up.”

All of this was news to me. “The seven years are up?”

“That they are, my dear future sister, and if all goes well we’ll be back in Tirion in a week,” declared Maedhros. “I assume you’ll be coming along?”

“We’ve written Mom about you, and she says she’d love to meet you,” added Amrod.

“I wouldn’t know,” I said, looking significantly at Maglor. “We haven’t discussed it yet. Elk Woods needs a healer, you know.”

“So train an apprentice and then come down to Tirion,” said Curufin. “It wouldn’t be that hard.”

“Don’t pressure Andril, guys,” said Maglor. “We’ll figure it out. If she’s insistent on not leaving, maybe I’ll move here.”

His brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Maglor…living…in the country,” gasped Caranthir. “Oh, that’s rich. Can you imagine?”

I didn’t say anything. I’d known that I’d have to make this decision sooner or later, but I’d been making a heroic effort to not think about it at all. No matter how much I weighed the positives and negatives of leaving, I couldn’t figure anything out.

I can imagine, remarked Huan, Celegorm’s giant gray wolfhound, from his seat by the fire. Over the years he and I had become fairly good friends, and as a result he licked my face a lot. He’d get bored. Me, I’m never bored, he added self-satisfiedly. As long as there’re rabbits around for chasing.

Thanks, Huan, that’s real helpful, I replied sarcastically—or at least tried to. Dogs don’t really understand sarcasm.

“Celegorm, tell your dog to stop conspiring with my girlfriend,” ordered Maglor. “I’m feeling somewhat threatened.”

“You would be,” muttered Celegorm.

That was the end of the conversation about my future.

 

I knew as soon as I woke up a few days later that something was wrong.

The reason? It was pitch black. And while I wake up early, I don’t wake up that early. No, there had to be something else going on.

I cautiously stepped outside and glanced around. The stars were out, but otherwise there was no light at all. No Laurelin, no Telperion, nothing. A fox stepped out of the bushes, and I bent down to talk to it.

Do you know why it’s so dark? I asked.

Something bad. Very bad. The lights went out in the middle of the night. It spoke rapidly…obviously terrified. Something big…bad. Don’t know what it was. Get outta here, girl. Before I could ask it anything else, the fox darted across my garden and disappears into the dark.

I understood the fox’s fear, but I wasn’t going to stay in my house and wait around…no sir, I’m far too nosy for that. I lit a candle, put on my cloak, and went to Vanafinde’s. Her face was stark white when she opened the door, and she ushered me in quickly, slamming the door behind her.

“H…hello, Andril,” she said, sounding as scared as the fox. “Good…well, I guess it’s morning, isn’t it? Good morning.”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I asked. “All the animals around where I live either don’t know anything or have run off. I’ve got no information here and it’s driving me mad.”

“Oh, Andril, if you don’t know then how should we? No one knows what’s going on. We don’t even know the time.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” I said with a sigh, sitting down. “I’m just desperate for information. This is honestly frightening.”

For the rest of the day, as far as I could tell, I sat at Vanafinde’s house and drank tea. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until finally, when I assumed it was night because I was starting to feel tired again, Maglor burst through the front door without knocking.

“Andril, you’re all right! Thank Varda!” he cried, picking me up and swinging me around. “I was so worried. You weren’t at your house, and I was worried something might have happened…”

“Well, that’s the thing—something has happened, hasn’t it,” I said. “And judging from how you’re acting, you know more about it than I do.”

Maglor let go of me and stepped back sharply. I realized when I got a good look at his face that he’d been crying.

“Maglor,” I said, my dread rising. “What happened?”

He collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. “MelkorbrokeintoFormenoskilledGrandpastolesmls.”

“What?”

“Melkor. Broke into. Formenos. And killed. Grandpa. And stole. The Silmarils,” Maglor said, very slowly and clearly. “I’m not exactly sure why everything’s dark, but I’m guessing the two are related.”

Vanafinde appropriately chose that moment to drop the teapot on the floor, smashing it. We were all too shocked to really register that, however.

“Oh,” I said softly. “Oh, Lords. Maglor…”

 “You mean…” said Rille.

“I mean that my grandfather, who everyone loves, is dead, and the most valuable things my family owns has been stolen, and no one can see where they’re going, and this is probably going to tear the Noldor apart and cause my father to have a mental breakdown, that’s what I mean,” said Maglor harshly, and burst into tears.

Without saying anything, I sat down next to him and put my arms around his shoulders. In all the time I’d known Maglor, I’d never seen him so upset. He just looked so helpless.

We all just stayed like that, almost without moving, for hours.

 

I accompanied Maglor back to Formenos that night. No way was I leaving him alone, not even with his brothers.

As I’d predicted, all the boys were in much the same mood as Maglor. They were all gathered around the fireplace, not saying anything…just staring into the flames. That couldn’t have been good for their eyes, but I decided not to point this out.

“Er…” I said. “Hello.”

Celegorm laughed bitterly. “Hello, Andril. Looks like we’ve found a problem even you can’t fix.”

“Yes, it looks that way,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Curufin heavily. “This is our family’s problem. We don’t need help from outsiders.”

“And I’m an outsider?” I replied angrily. “I’m sorry if I misunderstood, but I thought we considered each other family. I want to help you guys. You’re the closest thing to actual family that I’ve got.”

The boys all looked at each other. “She’s got a point,” Amrod admitted finally.

“Well,” said Maedhros, “if she considers herself a part of this family now, she’s got a chance to prove it.” He lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. “We’re going back to Tirion tomorrow.  All of us.”

“But…” I stuttered. “My job…I mean, what about…”

“Andril,” said Maglor quietly. “Please come. Just for now.”

And I knew that I had to.