Finding Lost Family by chrissystriped

---

Chapter Twenty-One

---

Sharû watched the horizon with a worried frown. The black sails weren’t in sight yet, but he knew they were there. He had taken to wearing his armour again after Ecthelion had told him about the fleet of the human king. They were all carrying swords. They’d been trusted with weapons again for a while now. Although they usually didn’t wear them openly, they hadn’t stopped practicing – it was a part of who they were.

“Sharû?”

He jumped and turned around to the man who suddenly stood behind him.

“Yes?”

“I am Eonwe, Herald of Manwe.” Sharû bowed to the Maia. “The Valar ask you to leave Tol Eressea and withdraw to the land behind the Pelori. There must not be a fight on Aman’s hallowed grounds.”

Sharû stared at him in disbelief.

“These humans are coming to conquer your land!”, he cried. “Do you intend to just roll over and let them have it without a fight?”

Eonwe looked at the horizon and Sharû was sure that he could see the fleet.

“We cannot presume to fight Eru’s creation”, he said. “Manwe has secluded himself to appeal to our father.”

“And until then you want to leave the initiative to the humans? You can do what you want, but we won’t let them destroy everything we built up here. This is our home and we are going to defend it! I can’t believe that the elves are thinking differently.”

Not all of them, at least. Ecthelion hadn’t sounded like he’d just give in when they’d talked the last time.

“Tirion is already evacuated, as is Alqualonde. Withdraw, Sharû.” Eonwe’s eyes flashed. “Maybe it helps you, if I say it like his, from commander to commander: You live on an island with a lot of possibilities to go ashore, you are barely five hundred against an army of thousands. They’ll surround you and kill you. If you think, you have to fight, do it in a defensible position, the place where the Calacirya is narrowest.”

Sharû turned to his village. “They’ll destroy it.”

“Houses can be built anew, your lives are more important. And if I’m honest, I don’t think they’ll stop for your village. They want the mainland. They think living there will give them eternal live.” Eonwe shook his head in grief. “Are you going to do, what the Valar ask of you?”

Sharû took a deep breath. He knew it wasn’t a request and he knew that Eonwe was right, the island was not defensible. He nodded.

“We’ll sail to Alqualonde and march from there. How much time do we have?”

Eonwe looked across the sea again.

“Four days, maybe five, they’ll have to sail against the wind.”

Sharû saw the anger in Eonwe’s eyes and was relieved that it wasn’t turned on him. He didn’t understand why the Valar didn’t just wipe these impertinent humans off the surface of the sea.

 

There was a section for them in the huge camp that had been set up in the plain behind the Pelori. The whole population of Tirion and Alqualonde had been evacuated here. Sharû ordered his men to erect the tents and left command to his captains as he went to find Ecthelion. He wanted to hear what his friend was thinking about the situation.

Sharû felt the tenseness and insecurity of the elves while he walked through the camp. They’d thought to be save in Aman and now the enemy was on the way.

He found his friend talking with his father and a few other elves. They didn’t wear armour but Sharû saw long knives and daggers on their belts. It was unusual for elves to wear weapons openly, it showed him that they weren’t calm, either. Ecthelion smiled quickly at him when he saw him, but his eyes were serious.

“Sharû, I’m so relieved that you are here.”

He squeezed his hand in greeting and Sharû was glad he didn’t kiss him in front of these strangers, he caressed Ecthelion’s wrist with his thumb.

“I don’t like to give up the island without a fight”, he said. “Is there any kind of plan?”

Ecthelion shook his head and moved away from the other elves to talk in private.

“The Valar don’t allow another spilling of blood in Aman.”

“I hate to say it, but I don’t think these humans care what the Valar want!”, Sharû said exasperatedly. “They won’t just vanish just because we ignore them!”

“I know. Believe me, I and many others would rather defend ourselves, but we can’t afford to go against the will of the Valar – we least of all. It’s about trust, Sharû. The Valar trust in Ilúvatar to come to their aid when they ask him in great need. I know it is hard, but that’s what we have to do now, too.”

Sharû shook his head. “My people and I aren’t very good at trusting in authority.”

Ecthelion smiled wryly. “I know. But think, Sharû, the Valar never did anything that would justify your distrust. I’d rather do something, than sit here where I can’t even see if the ships are already in the bay”, the hill on which Tirion was built, barred the sight to the sea, “but we have to trust in the Valar.”

Sharû sighed deeply, he had a bad feeling. “My men won’t like it, but we’ll accept this, of course.”

Ecthelion nodded. “Can I visit you later?”, he asked and his hand slid up Sharû’s thigh.

“Here? Do you really want my men listening when I fuck you?”

Ecthelion grinned impishly. “I doubt they’ll be scandalised.”

“You do realise, you’ll get comments on it.” Sharû drew up his eyebrows. It was an open secret that Ecthelion and he were lovers, it wasn’t something that could be hidden in a small village like theirs and Ecthelion didn’t exactly try, but if he came to his tent tonight, it would take things a step further.

Ecthelion laughed. “I think I can handle that. I want to be with you, Sharû.”

“And how could I ever refuse you anything.” Sharû embraced him quickly. “How are your people?”

“Many of them are nervous and the situation is rough on them, but we take care of each other.” One of the elves called Ecthelion’s name and he shrugged. “See you later, Sharû.”

“See you.” Sharû walked back to his men, thinking of how he’d break it to them that they wouldn’t fight.

 

It was late when Ecthelion slipped into Sharû’s tent. While they couldn’t do anything against the order and inaction of the Valar, they still had the urge to talk about possibilities. Everyone was nervous and the Angband-Elves more than many others, they were afraid of being enslaved again. Ecthelion had done his best to soothe their fears.

He knew – hoped! – that ‘inaction’ was the wrong word, but he was also wondering what would happen if Eru didn’t answer to Manwe’s pleas. There had been a lot of raised eyebrows and curled lips when most of the former Exiles had started to wear weapons again. Maybe these people were right, maybe they were lacking trust in the Valar and Eru, but he felt better with a dagger at his belt. He’d have felt even better wearing armour, but he knew that would have gone too far.

Sharû sat on his camp bed, tense like a beast in a cage but when he looked at Ecthelion his face became gentle. “You came.”

“I don’t care what people say or think!” Ecthelion gripped his collar and yanked him up. Sharû made a surprised sound. “I don’t want to think about what might happen when they come.” He kissed him roughly. “I want you to fuck me so hard I forget everything else”, he continued and bit Sharû’s lip.

He heard Sharû growl. It was never easy to coax Sharû into being rough, although he’d convinced him by now that he wouldn’t shatter if there were marks on his body after a night together, but today he didn’t seem to be in the mood for doubts, either. Ecthelion gasped when Sharû gripped him and wrestled him to the ground. Sharû’s tongue was in his mouth, his hands roamed possessively over his body and Ecthelion shivered excitedly.

“You want this?”, Sharû asked huskily and Ecthelion nodded, thrust against his thigh to make him feel how aroused he was.

Sharû growled into his ear and flipped him on his belly before pulling his trousers down. Ecthelion groaned when he prepared him quickly and entered him with one sharp thrust. He moved into him, let the pain and pleasure wash away the uncertainty of tomorrow.

 

Ecthelion woke with a start when the earth started to shake, the sound of a thousand falling stones roared in his ears. He sat up slowly and looked at Sharû who had jumped out of bed and reached for his sword.

“What is that?”, he asked wide-eyed.

Ecthelion shook his head helplessly. “Eru’s answer to Manwe’s pleas? I don’t know.” There was a lot of dampness in the air, Ecthelion licked his lips and tasted salt. He rose gingerly, aware of the soreness between his thighs. Sharû opened his mouth but he forestalled him. “Don’t you dare apologise. I wanted it and I don’t regret it.” Sharû nodded mutely. “Let’s see if we can find out anything.”

Ecthelion bowed to retrieve his clothes. He got a few leery glances when they left the tent together, most of the orcs had been drawn out by the earthquake, but they were too nervous to crack jokes. Ecthelion walked in the direction of Arafinwe’s tent, if someone knew what was happening, they'd hear it there.

A cloud of dust and water lay around everything and became denser in the direction of the sea. What had happened there? Had a mountain fallen into the sea?

He and Sharû weren’t the only ones who hoped for news from the king. Ecthelion moved beside Egalmoth who threw a disapproving glance at Sharû – his friend just couldn’t get used to his presence.

“Did you hear anything?”, Ecthelion asked and Egalmoth shook his head.

“They sent out scouts as soon as the earthquake stopped, but it’s too soon to hear back from them.” He fell silent when a falcon swooped down from the sky and turned into a blond elf on the ground. Eonwe nodded a greeting to the whispering elves and vanished in Arafinwe’s tent. Ecthelion and Egalmoth shared a surprised look and Sharû said: “I suppose the scouts aren’t necessary anymore.”

Ecthelion felt like time was running by like honey until Arafinwe and Eonwe left the tent together. It was Eonwe who spoke, he didn’t lift his voice but Ecthelion had a feeling that everyone in the camp could hear him: “You can go home, the threat has passed. Eru himself changed the fashion of the world. The humans’ ships were pulled into the abyss, the king and his retinue were buried under stones when they set foot on this land. Númenor is no longer and Aman and Tol Eressea were lifted from the world. Those elves who live still in Middle-earth will find the way so they want, but no human can reach Aman from this day on. Eru himself has ruled it to be so.”

Eonwe was gone as quickly as he had come and Ecthelion, Egalmoth and Sharû shared glances that showed their bafflement.

“What does that even mean?”, Egalmoth said finally and Sharû shrugged, their dislike for each other forgotten for the moment.

“I’ll tell my men to pack up”, Sharû said and Ecthelion nodded. “Yes, I think, I’ll do so, too.” He didn’t know what he’d expected – if he was honest, he had expected that they would have to fight – but this was not it.