The Voyage of the Sand Piper by Himring

The Voyage of the Sand Piper: Setting Out

In that year, Cirdan boarded the good ship Sand Piper for a voyage south from Eglarest along the coast. He had his niece Halven with him, who had come for a visit from Nevrast, and among his crew were expert pearl divers as well as regular mariners.

In recent years, orcs and other dangerous creatures had been seen in Beleriand in sufficient numbers to become a real threat. Elu Thingol was having defences strengthened in Menegroth and armour made for his guard. He needed the assistance of Dwarves and that meant he needed a means to pay for it. Large pearls from the Bay of Balar would buy a great deal of dwarvish assistance, but more was needed and Thingol was running out of pearls.

Thingol had asked Cirdan for help, but Cirdan had already given him all the best of the pearls the Falathrim had in store, so he sent for divers and ordered the Sand Piper made ready. He spoke to Halven about this.

‘Oh,’ said his niece, ‘will you be going yourself, too? I would love to come along. It would be so interesting to watch. And you know how I love sea shells!’ And she smiled at her uncle.

Cirdan did know. In Nevrast, where Halven usually lived, the coast was wilder and rockier than farther south, the sea more violent. There were fewer intact shells to be found and they were smaller. When young Halven came for visits, she used to spend much time on the beaches at Eglarest, enthusiastically collecting shells, and would proudly show off her collection to him afterwards. Halven had been his nickname for her, on account of that early enthusiasm, and she had gladly accepted it as her use-name.

Cirdan had not had his mind made up yet whether to go with the Sand Piper or to stay in Eglarest. He felt that he ought perhaps to go, as the pearls were important to Thingol, but he had not wanted to desert his guest. Halven was not such a frequent visitor as all that and, although the voyage would not be a long one, they would still be away for some time. So, when she volunteered to accompany him, he accepted with relief. It was the perfect solution and a good plan besides, for he knew Halven had never travelled south of Eglarest and there would be plenty of other things to show her as well as sea shells.

Halven needed less time to be ready than he needed to make arrangements to leave the Havens and soon they were under way. While Cirdan was still speaking with the ship’s master, Halven began exploring the ship. Cirdan, out of the corner of his eye, watched her wandering about, studying its features, speaking to one or two of the crew, gazing up into the rigging. Halven was as familiar with boats as any, but this ship would be larger than most she was used to. Cirdan was happy to see her so animated. She had seemed a little subdued, on land, he had wondered whether it was to do with growing up…

‘She is lovely,’ Halven said, returning to his side. ‘Did you build her yourself?’

‘With a great deal of help from Veniel, Thavron and others,’ said Cirdan. ‘I am involved in one way or other with all the larger ships, but I do have a lot of competent ship builders around me and I have learned to delegate. The Sand Piper was not one of my occasional private projects, and yet I know her well.’

‘Of course, they are competent,’ commented Halven. ‘Haven’t I heard the occasional groan about the rigorousness of your training?’

Because Cirdan tried not to interfere with the regular crew running their ship more than necessary, he had more time to spend with Halven on board, even, than he might have at home in Eglarest. He talked to her about the currents, local sea life, weather patterns, and pointed out landmarks along the coastline. When they passed Arvernien, they admired the birch groves together—so many slender trunks gleaming white under the stars.

Chapter End Notes

Veniel is an early Elvish word for "mariner" (and not even Sindarin).

Thavron is an early Elvish word for "carpenter, wright, builder".

Yes, I needed a couple of names for Falathrim OCs in a hurry and plucked these from Parf Edhellen.