Come Together, Broken Things, and Grow by UnicornsInSpace

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Chapter 2

Finally posting chapter 2 of this fic! Using Arafinwëan Week to do it!! Very excited! This is for Day 5! I will try and keep posting more in the coming days, but we shall see. There are seven chapters and an epilogue! Also a big thanks to Maglor My Beloved for beta reading!! I really appreciated it! And also everyone else who helped!!

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          Meleth found the little girl curled up in an alcove. Her small head was resting on her knees, her dark hair once done in an intricate braid, now spilled over her knees in controlled chaos. She was hugging her knees tight to her chest, the sides of her mouth turned down in the midst of some unhappy thought. She raised her head slightly when she saw Meleth, and her eyes widened in horror.

          “I’m not a Fëanorian,” Meleth said, knowing the girl was probably scared by her Fëanorian looks, “I was raised by Lady Aredhel.”

          “Your father was a human?” the girl’s frightened look was gone, and was suddenly interested.

          “No, my mother was a human. My father was an elf. But he did not raise me- Lady Aredhel adopted me when she married my mother.”

          What little enthusiasm the girl had died at Meleth’s answer. Her head fell back to her knees and she looked away and stared solemnly in the distance.

          “So you’re a peredhel, too?” Meleth tried to reignite the conversation.

          “Yes,” the girl responded. She did not even look up at Meleth as she answered.

          “What’s your name?” Meleth tried again.

          “Radariel. Yours?”

          “Mae govannen, Radariel. My name is Meleth.” Meleth curtsied towards the girl. She was about to ask about Radariel’s father when she felt Idril’s voice pour gently into her mind.

          Have any luck, cousin? Idril asked.

          Yes, I found her. Meleth thought back. In an alcove near the smithy on the Southern side.

          Good. I will let Finduilas know at once. Idril’s presence drained out of her mind after the quick response.

          Not long after, a Doriathrin elf with brown skin and black hair walked around the corner to them. He wore metal armor emblazoned with Dior’s sigil and had a sword at his side.

          “There you are, i mhell nín,” He said warmly, “We have been looking all over for you.”

          “Uncle Mablung!” Radariel said. She got up onto her feet to greet him.

          “Your mother was very worried.”

          “I’m sorry, uncle. I didn’t mean to make her worry, I just didn’t want to…” her voice trailed off and she paused, looking off into the distance again.

          “Want to what?” He kindly prodded for a response. She looked back at him for a moment and then down at the ground.

          “I didn’t want to cause any more trouble. Hurt anyone. I thought it was my fault Doriath fell… because… you know.”

          “That was no fault of yours, i mhell nín,” Mablung walked over to her and kneeled down, rubbing her shoulder, “That was the fault of the Fëanorians. You had no part in it.”

          “Okay, if you say so,” she replied, but she did not sound convinced.

          Then he turned to Meleth.

          “Thank you very much, Lady Meleth, for finding her, it was very much appreciated.” He told her.

          “It was no problem at all,” Meleth said, “I was glad to help. I know what it feels like to be the new person in town. How did you know I had found her?”

          “My wife Niënor told me. Said Finduilas told her through ósanwe.”

          “That makes sense.”

          He turned back to Radariel.

          “Now let’s get you home before your Anneth finds out you left.”

          “Yes, uncle.”

 

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          Meleth and Mablung brought Radariel back to the group, and Finduilas’s face lit up to see her daughter safe again. Morwen was also glad to see Radariel. She took her on her knee and kissed her forehead. Not long after, another peredhel arrived in the havens. She had dark, curly hair and wore a green cloak with the sigil of Finarfin as a clasp. She was carrying one child, and the other was holding onto her cloak. She placed the one child on the ground. There was a great celebration. Elwing ran forth and hugged them.

          “Thank Varda, I knew you could do it!” Finduilas ran up to her and embraced her tightly.

          “Of course, dear cousin, of course.”

          Morwen walked up to them.

          “Aelind, this is my mother-in-law, Morwen Eledhwen,” Finduilas said, turning to Morwen. “This is my cousin Aelind, my uncle Aegnor’s daughter. We lived together at Rivil’s Well for a while.”

          “Thank you, dear, we are already acquainted,” Morwen said.

          “Morwen, Lord Baragund’s daughter?” Aelind asked.

          “The very same,” Morwen nodded.

          “Dear cousin, it’s so great to see you again!” Aelind was filled with delight and her face lit up with joy. “You were such a cute little thing, always running around outside, stealing berries from the garden. And look at you now! So lovely, and a grandmother as well!”

          “Thank you,” Morwen said.

          “You never told me you knew my cousin, Finduilas!” Aelind joked with her. “How did you meet?”

          “She came to us one day from Brethil, heavily pregnant and grief stricken, but resolute,” Niënor supplied.

          “My husband had just died, and of course this was after the Fall of Nargothrond…” Finduilas paused for a second in her telling before continuing, “But I was determined to live for my daughter.”

          “We took her in, of course, we could do nothing less,” was Morwen’s statement, plain and matter-of-fact. “Niënor knew her and knew she had good character.”

          “And my husband, Mablung, gave his blessing for her to marry me as well,” Niënor smiled as she turned her eyes towards Finduilas.

          “How did you meet your husband, Niënor?” Aelind asked.

          “Well, I had gone with Mama, Mablung, and some others to find my brother, who had run away from Doriath. I was separated from the group, and… well, when I returned to Doriath, I found Mablung had been searching high and low for me.” Niënor beamed, “He visited me every day at the Healing Houses and we fell in love.” 

          “How lovely.” Aelind’s heart warmed at this.

          “Queen Melian told him to always put his family first, and that is what he has always done. When we heard the dwarves were coming, I told him Finduilas and I could hide the house with our magic, and he could go protect the treasury. But he was set on staying to protect us, because of what Queen Melian had told him.”

          “He sounds like a wonderful husband.”

          “He is.”

          “And what of your brother?” Aelind asked, she was going to continue with, “Did you find him?” but she saw Morwen’s expression grow sorrowful and Finduilas’s eyes went wide for a moment.

          “Oh, he died.” Niënor spoke as if she was explaining the weather or some other mundane, everyday thing, instead of what must have been a tragic loss. “The Haladin found his body covered in blood next to Glaurung’s severed head. His husband, Beleg Cúthalion, was holding him and died shortly after of grief.”

          “But that is enough of that,” Morwen interrupted, “There are children present. Aelind, catch us up on your life? How are you and your surviving brother faring?”

          “Nengelion? Yes, he is still with my aunt and uncle,” Aelind said, “We are living with the Nandor, the people of my Uncle Celeborn’s mother, on the other side of the Misty Mountains. Nen will be very excited to hear I ran into you all.”

          “He was such a dear boy. How long will you be staying?” Finduilas asked.

          “Not very long. I must be going soon, since my job here is done.” Aelind gestured towards Eluréd and Elurín, who were now playing with Elwing.

          “Well, you must give your brother our love when you return,” Morwen patted her shoulder.

          “I most definitely will.”

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Chapter End Notes

There is no official word for grandmother in Sindarin, but I saw Saelind in the SWG discord use the word “anadar” for grandfather, so I made “ananeth” for grandmother, and then shortened it to “anneth” because I feel that kind of shortening would happen, especially with a little kid saying it a lot.