The Voyage of the Sand Piper by Himring

The Voyage of the Sand Piper: On the Isle of Balar

Cirdan seemed to be in a thoughtful, almost melancholy mood, as they tacked across the Bay.

‘This was the first voyage I dared to make away from the coast on a ship I had built myself, across the sea out to the Isle of Balar’, he told Halven, after a while. ‘I have built greater ships since and made more dangerous voyages, but I was so proud of my first sea-going vessel! I believed that I would be making the great journey across the Belegaer in no time, now. Then, of course, Ulmo and Osse advised me not to try…’

Halven, who had been born long after these events, put her hand on his arm. They stood in silence by the mast, watching the Isle grow ever closer, its outlines more clearly defined. There were low bushes, but not much tall growth on the Isle and its shores were rocky.

They landed on a small gravelly beach. Halven climbed up alone to get a wider view, while the rest set about their usual arrangements. After a while, Cirdan followed her. He found her on a small plateau high on a sea cliff, where there was both a sweeping view across the island and back towards the Mouths of Sirion.

He went and stood beside her, looking as she was looking.

‘It feels very safe, this Isle, protected by the Sea’, said Halven.

This time, Cirdan was alarmed. Safety—again? It was not a preoccupation he associated with Halven, as he had known her. He had heard of no sightings, but now it occurred to him that he had assumed too quickly that Nevrast would be protected by the Ered Lomin against the east and by its proximity to the Sea… And Halven was so young.

‘Halven’, he asked carefully, cautiously. ‘Can it be that you have encountered yrch, since the last time you visited me, or some other dark creature?’

‘Yes,’ admitted Halven.

‘Yes,’ she repeated, turning to him as if with relief. ‘I did not know how to bring it up, although I wanted to talk to you about it. You have seen so much worse and so much darker things, on the journey from Cuivienen—and I seemed to be making such a fuss.’

Then she saw that, far from taking it lightly, her uncle was looking thoroughly upset by this revelation. Of course—Cirdan, half the time, was still thinking of her as a child.

‘Do not worry about me,’ she said. ‘I am all right. I was frightened, but not hurt.’

She put her hand on his arm to reassure him.

‘It was very frightening, but I will be all right, in time.’

Chapter End Notes

Halven was first introduced in the pair of vignettes that make up Of Voronwe's Parents, but both of these are set considerably later, in Gondolin.

As I mentioned in the story notes, I was originally thinking of adding an epilogue or chapter featuring Halven in Gondolin, drawing on memories of this voyage (which would also show how she has moved on). I think I probably won't manage to write this before the challenge deadline (and am not entirely sure I can make it happen).