Laroleia stood before her mistress. She had been told that Manwë had summoned her to return to Middle Earth. She and her four heart-sisters, along with others of their kind, were to aid in the protection of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth from the unknown evil that was stirring in the East.
For now, however, she was saying farewell to the one person, beside her heart-sisters, that she truly trusted.
"I shall miss you, Laro," said the Valar Goddess of Earth, solemnly.
"And I shall miss you, my Lady Yavanna," replied the Maiar Spirit of Earth, with a slight nod of her head. Yavanna laughed, her smooth, soothing voice bringing a small smile to Laro's face.
"We've known each other countless centuries, and yet you still call me 'my lady'. Why do you feel the need to be so formal?"
"You are so respected. I've always thought that calling you by your name is as assuming myself to your level, making myself out to be more important than I am. That's as good as blasphemy! And I'd be making myself out to be more than just your handmaiden."
"But, Laro, that's exactly what you are. You have been my handmaiden since the dawn of time. I know more about you than I do anyone else. How many times must I tell you that you are my friend? My closest friend at that. And I'm proud of that fact. I don't know what I will do when you are gone. Who will help me tend my gardens? With whom shall I talk and be merry with as I work?" A thoughtful and reflective silence fell over them.
"But come now," said the Earth Goddess, "let us not speak in this sombre tone. We have very little time left together and we should enjoy that time. I have some gifts for you." She handed the Maiar a long, silver-hilted sword. It was Laro's own sword, Tailltui, which had been damaged in the Wars of Darkness. "I had her re-forged for you."
"Oh, my lady, you shouldn't have done that," Laro began, but Yavanna would have none of it.
"Nonsense. What kind of friend would I be if I let you leave without giving you something to remember me by?"
"I will never forget you. I have had the honour of serving you for my entire existence. You've taught me so much and I've learnt much. These things will not leave my mind easily."
"However, you have still something to learn. I have known that you have been ready for a long time, but I have been waiting for the right time. I now feel that time has come. I feel you are finally fully prepared and ready to take on this responsibility. I'm going to give you a very rare and special gift, but only if you promise to use it wisely."
"Of course. I could never purposely betray your trust."
"Very well. I am to tutor you in making our Children of Earth grow at will." Laro gasped. This was indeed a great gift. Many times she had seen her mistress enter a room or a lifeless area of land and steadily plants of all shapes, colours and sizes had bloomed and filled the room or clearing. Her mood alone could influence the world around her. And now she was to be graced with this gift. It was beyond anything she had ever wished. She would be the only person, beside her mistress, with the ability to make plants grow at will, and it excited her greatly. She knew there was a lot more to it than simply wishing for it to grow and then it was there. The willed plants would then still need physical care and some continual mental stimulation, but she was prepared to learn as much as she could in the time she had left.
"Oh my…" was all she could say. Yavanna laughed again.
"Come now, we have much to do and little time. You have a lot to learn."
By last light of her last day, Laro finally mastered the skill. She was so excited about her gift that her impending departure went straight out of her mind and she went running in search of all her sisters and her close friends to tell and show them what she had been taught.
"Aftalei!" she cried, excitedly, as she ran at her sister. "Aftalei! Guess what!" Aftalei, the Maiar spirit of Light, sat watching the sunset and playing her lute. Sorrow emanated from her like life from a wilting flower. She ignored Laro completely. "Aftalei!"
"What?" she said quietly, without looking round.
"Watch this!" Hundreds of tiny flowers began sprouting at their feet, but Aftalei barely seemed to notice. This irritated Laro. It was her wont to seek attention wherever she went and had a quick temper when she did not receive the attention. She sat staring at her sister for several minutes until she eventually had had enough.
"For the love of the gods! What is wrong?!" Laro snapped.
"I bade farewell to Metrion not long ago." Metrion was Aftalei's lover. They been lovers for almost their entire existences and rarely parted. This would be the first time one had crossed the Sea without the other, with no knowledge of when they would return.
"Oh, is that all?"
Laro had yet to comprehend 'love'. In her opinion, it was merely an unneeded emotion that made people irrational in their words and actions. It blinded people and frequently made a mockery out of them. She had never had romantic feelings towards anyone; she expected she never would, but this didn't bother her. 'I don't want to suffer as I've seen so many others do. I do not wish blindness and foolishness on myself. The price of my immortality is never to love.' This was the answer she gave whenever questioned.
"Laroleia, contrary to your own beliefs, this to me is very grave. I love Metrion with my whole being, it is a not just an emotion as you so naively seem to think it. It is a part of me. Metrion is a part of me. And now it has come to pass that I may never see him again. It is something you will never understand. You are cold and incapable of such raw, intense emotion. I often wonder how it is you manage to love us, your sisters." Laro became very serious.
"That is entirely different and you know it. I am bound to you all by the heart. We are all connected. I have no choice about my love for my sisters as I was created with it as a part of me, which is no bad thing. I would willingly go to the ends of the earth and risk life and limb for the four of you, you all know this. I simply refuse to do such a thing out of choice. Think of me as cold and loveless as you will, but to me my beliefs are just and fair. Do not question it. You know and understand my reasons inside out." A look of regret grew over Aftalei's face.
"I am sorry, Laro. I don't mean to take my mood out on you. It's just… I will miss him terribly." Laro put her arms gently round her sister's shoulders.
"Listen, it's fair to say I do not know much about love nor do I believe in it, but I know you're strong enough to survive this. We shall all return here again, one day in years to come, and think how happy you'll be to see him when you do."
"I suppose you're right."
"Aren't I always?" Aftalei laughed gently. It wasn't quite the reaction Laro had hoped for, but at least she was smiling now.
The five Heart-Sisters, Aftalei, Ciralon, Laroleia, Perilae and Sarinel, stood on the dock.
"Honestly, some people!" Laro complained exasperatedly. "I thought you had indulged in all this yesterday. We wish to leave today, dear sister!" Aftalei had her arms wrapped around Metrion and neither were letting go. Laro sighed irritably. "So they ignore me. How very rude."
"Laroleia," Aftalei replied hotly, "we have already had this conversation. Easy it may be for you to leave everyone and thing behind, but not so for me." The Earth Spirit rolled her eyes.
"Aftalei, please just board the ship, we're due to sail very soon. We haven't boarded, reported to the Captain so that he knows we are on board or taken our luggage to our cabins."
"It will not take more than a few minutes."
"We really should be going now, Aftalei," said Sarinel gently.
"Valar help me," Aftalei muttered. "Yes, I'm coming." And with that the five of them gathered their belongings and boarded the ship.
Aftalei stood at the stern of the ship until the Undying Lands disappeared out of sight and her beloved was lost forever. She rejoined her sisters in Sarinel's cabin. They were discussing the issue of identity once they were resident in Middle Earth.
"I don't think it wise to broadcast our identity," said Sarinel. "Of course people of authority are already informed of arrival, the high-ranking rulers of realms. But as far as the general population are concerned, it would be best to keep it under wraps."
"Why?" Laro demanded. "Anyone would think you were ashamed of what you are! Our intelligence and power is supreme over theirs. Why hide that we are Istari?"
"You have just answered your own question," Aftalei interrupted.
"We'll never get any peace if everyone knows of our 'supremacy'," said Ciralon. "We would be the circus acts of every realm, particularly to those half-witted men."
"I don't consider that a problem," said Laro. "We are secondary only to the Valar, serving the Great Ones for all eternity. Why shouldn't we be proud of that?"
"It leaves us open to gain many enemies," said Sarinel. "Not everybody bows down to the 'splendour' of those of higher rank, especially not when they are women. In our home, everyone is on one of two levels. You either are a god or you serve a god. Males and females alike are equal and everyone is happy. But on Middle Earth it is different. People resent female leaders. Women are not born to command, they are born to serve their husbands or fathers or rulers and care for their children."
"I think not! I am far too superior to be seen scrubbing and serving like a common peasant." The others all rolled their eyes. Though she did not really care for status and usually ignored it wherever possible, their youngest sister was terrible for pulling rank on people if it meant getting her own way.
"Provided you reside in a realm whose leaders have been informed of our presence, that shouldn't prove too much of a difficulty," said Sarinel.
"Where do you plan to go, Sarinel?" Aftalei questioned.
"I'm going to Imladris. Lord Elrond already knows of my arrival."
"I'm going to the Misty Mountains," said Perilae, "to live with the eagles. I think I'll like it there. Where are you going, Aftalei?"
"For now, I'm not sure," she replied. "I may go to the City of Men in Gondor... and maybe I won't."
"Ever the mystery, Aftalei," Sarinel chuckled.
"I think I shall stay by the docks," Ciralon mused, "though I shall need to ask around about accommodation, if I am to stay there.
"I shall be staying in the most beautiful realm of all Middle Earth," Laro announced excitedly. "Lothlórien. The Golden Wood. I didn't have a chance to see it on our last visit and I'm so excited. Lady Yavanna has told me all about it. I have spoken with Olórin also."
"So, we are to be split, as we go our separate ways…" Sarinel said, sadly.
"We all knew it would happen someday," said Ciralon, gently. "We can't stay together forever, however much we'd like to."
"We can always write to each other," Laro said. "I intend to write to each and every one of you frequently."
"And it isn't as though we will stay apart for the rest of our lives, is it?" said Aftalei. "We have to rejoin to fight, when it comes to it. And I know you're all as restless as I am. We're all going to want to travel at some point, we can visit each other."
"Do we swear on it?" Sarinel asked.
"We swear," they chorused.
"And so back to the identity issue," said Laro. She had a habit of remembering discussions and arguments that she was determined to win.
"We can't tell anyone, Laro," said Sarinel.
"If you do, you shall never hear from me again, and that is a promise," said Aftalei.
"You barely speak with me anyway," Laro retorted. "You always have something to blame me for or argue with me about."
"If you weren't so damned particular and… well, I would speak to you more often."
"And what?"
"Nothing."
"Aftalei, tell me what you were going to say."
"Fine. If you weren't so particular and vain."
"I am not vain! Is it my own fault if I was blessed with such beauty when I was created?"
"There you go again!" Aftalei's voice was steadily rising. "Continually telling us about how beautiful and blessed you are. Quite frankly, dear, we don't care. Yes, you are extremely beautiful, we all recognise that fact, however we don't wish to be told all the time."
"I don't tell you all the time. I just pass the odd comment every now and then."
"Well how about we begin telling you exactly what we think in return? That we don't like conceited, heartless braggarts!"
"All right! That's enough!" Sarinel shouted. "I've had quite enough of you petty bickering."
"But-" Aftalei began.
"You have said quite enough already, Aftalei." Laro look rather smug. "And you can stop smiling like that too, Laroleia, you're just as much to blame for provoking her. Now apologise. Both of you." They sighed and tutted and grumbled and eventually turned to one another.
"Sorry Aftalei."
"Sorry Laroleia."
"Thank you. Honestly, you are both as bad as each other." Sarinel said. "Now back to the issue of identity. For a third time."
"We can't tell anyone," Ciralon concluded.
"Then what are we to do?" queried Perilae.
"I think we should give ourselves new names," said Aftalei. "As long as we inform the relevant people of change of name, if in fact anyone even knows our real names."
"To what though?" said Laro, still not entirely happy about the situation, though she wasn't bitter enough to go against the word of her sisters. She respected their opinions and, although she wouldn't admit it, accepted when she was wrong.
"We could perhaps don the names of others that we know from home," said Sarinel. "Or maybe create names that relate to who we are; our passions, our personalities. I heard the name 'Arian' a while back. It was what one of my Elf-friends named their child. I adored it, just as I adored the child. I think it suits me rather well."
"Chanilia," Ciralon murmured quietly, almost to herself. "What a pretty name that is. Yes, I quite like that."
"Shall we call you Nilia for the sake of ease?" Aftalei asked. "Chanilia is somewhat a mouthful." They all laughed and 'Nilia' nodded her head.
"The name Isauriel has some relevance to air," said Perilae. "I think 'Riel' is quite pretty as a shorter name though." The others looked at her in shock.
"How do you know that?" asked Arian, as she now must be known.
"Olórin once told me." The others breathed a sigh of relief. Perilae did not have a conventional form of intelligence, and certainly would never have discovered that of her own accord.
"What about you, Aftalei?" said Nilia. "What are you going to call yourself?"
"I'm not sure," she said. "How does… Lyncorath sound?"
"It's positively Aftalei-like!" said Riel in her usual cheery manner. "I mean Lyncorath-like. May I call you Rath?" Aftalei smiled.
"Yes, I'd like that. You can all call me Rath."
"And you, Laro?" asked Arian. "What will your name be?" Laro frowned.
"I don't know," she said. "I've always liked my own name and so I never considered other names that I do and don't like."
"Create one then," said Nilia.
"How?" she said, miserably. "I've never been very imaginative." The others looked at each other and tried not to laugh. "Oh you know what I mean. I simply can't do this."
"Well, think about what you like," said Arian.
"Plants."
"Apart from plants," said Rath.
"Nothing."
"Honestly, woman, you really are an irritation sometimes," Nilia groaned. "Perhaps if you are going to be living in an Elven name you should take an Elven name."
"Such as?"
"Silvawen," said Rath. Laro gasped.
"Oh my, it's so beautiful!"
"'Forest Maiden'," Arian translated with a smile. "How very appropriate." Laro was almost aflame with excitement.
"Silvawen it is!"
"So, 'Silva', now you are named, what do you say to going up on deck and causing a little… distraction?" said Riel with a wicked grin. Silva smiled back just as mischievously.
"I think a stroll in the sea air would be lovely, Riel," she replied. They walked out of the cabin arm-in-arm.
"Don't be too much of a nuisance!" Arian shouted after them, but they were already out of hearing.