"Celeb Amaurea" (Silver Dawn)
Chapter Six
"Glos Falas"
There was silence. There was stillness. Mary kept her eyes closed, her arms tightly shut, feeling poised on the brink of something great and unknown and completely overwhelming.
Suddenly it was as if life was returned; sounds filled her ears in a confusing chaos, and then, as she returned to herself, she realized that it was the shouts and cheers and cries of her family around her, mingled together with the roars of a dwarf, and around her still were the arms of Legolas, tight and hard like bands of steel that trembled slightly as they held her close, his warmth soaking through her. Mary laughed, weeping, lifted and held and holding and kissing. When finally she could pull back, holding Legolas's face, she could not help laughing in disbelieving relief and utter joy. She stared at him, her hands holding his face and tangling themselves in his hair, her eyes taking in his smooth and beautiful features and blue eyes that stared at her with warmth and love and pained relief. He pulled her to him again, embracing her so that she could hardly breathe, but Mary did not care.
They had made it.
There were surprised and excited cries, and then Gimli's hands upon their arms, turning them to see even as Mary noticed that he was no longer old, and his hair no longer white. "Look!" he said, pointing. "White shores!"
All around them was a smooth sea of crystal and glass, and before them, drawing steadily nearer, were shores of the purest white, stretching from one end of vision to the other, and beyond, rising steadily but surely, was country of lush green, and mountains rising tall and great in the far, far distance. Yet all was in blue shadow, and cool and dark. There was a quietness about it that caused all to hush and grow still. Then, as with a rising crescendo in a song that has you waiting in horrible yet wonderful anticipation for the next note, a light touched the far edge of the sky, and it grew bright, and brighter, and brighter still, and then the sun rose with a brilliant explosion of light and color, and as it rose the shadows were thrown back and the whole of the land was awash in light.
From the trees there came a trumpet or horn call that rolled out over the water to greet them, and then people began to emerge from the trees. There was Gandalf at the head, all in brilliant white, and Bilbo and Frodo and Sam at his side, and then behind them came Merry and Pippin, running with arms spread wide and calling out to them. There came all the elves, and Elrond and Galadriel and Celeborn, and there also they saw, approaching hand in hand, Aragorn and Arwen, more young and beautiful and noble then they had ever been. Also there came Thranduil, and beside him, holding his hand, was a fair elven maid with flowing black hair and eyes of blue. Behind them came Faramir and Éowyn, and then Éomer, and with them Théoden, and finally, walking at his brother's side, was Boromir.
Mary laughed, and pressed a hand to her mouth. "The Halls of Mandos are where the dead are judged." she whispered. "And only the worthy are allowed into Valinor."
She felt a hand in her hair, running through the long and silken strands, and she looked to see Legolas staring with a smile on his face, and then she saw, as he lifted his hand to let her tresses fall before reaching out to run through them again, that her hair was no longer white. As his fingers tangled within the dark tresses a burning heat entered his eyes, and the blue in them began to glow with a inner fire of white; Mary closed her eyes, and she felt her skin shiver and tingle where his fingers brushed her neck.
As Legolas's eyes rose to meet hers she smiled, and the warmth from the answering smile on his face filled her and spread out into her limbs and into her fingers and toes.
When the ship finally reached the shore the reunion was grand, full of joy, and full of laughter and calling to one another and cheers, and once in a while someone would suddenly break into song. Thranduil greeted his grandchildren with an excitement that made Mary laugh, and she was not surprised to see tears in his eyes when finally he reached Legolas, and enfolded his son in an embrace. Nor was she surprised to see the light of happiness and intense emotion on Legolas's face as he was reunited, after so long, with his mother, Laegeryn.
They found many cities thriving and bustling within Valinor. All was white stone, with jeweled roads and gold and silver and rushing rivers and expansive lands across which herds of horses ran, the like of which none has ever been seen, strong and stately and beautiful. There Gimli immediately set about making plans for homes for their family and himself, and he chuckled to himself and sang deep-throated dwarvish songs as he went about his work.
When the chaos had died down a bit, Gandalf found them, and sat with them a while, talking of this and that, sometimes of things important and mostly of things not. His blue eyes sparkled as much as ever, and he laughed heartily and often.
Later, as he watched them, he made his way to the side of an old friend. "So," he said, sitting down. "It would appear that your mission was a success."
The bearded man chuckled around his pipe, sitting back in a comfortable brown coat with a fur collar, and a brown scarf around his neck and tucked within the coat. He held a book in his hand, and beside him on the grass was a cup and saucer. "Yes, it would."
"Perhaps, Radagast, now that they are here, you could enlighten me?"
Radagast leaned back against the tree, and grasping the end of his pipe, pulled it from his mouth as he looked at Gandalf. "First of all, I was to observe everything that happened, from start to finish." He said. "The whole history of the Ring and the War itself. Then I was to travel to distant lands, set apart in space and in time from Middle Earth completely, and there I was to make a life for myself."
"I know this much," Gandalf said, and waved his hand at Radagast's attire. "It is where you obtained you love for these wool jackets and for– what is it? 'British' tea. My question is, why?"
"To write it down, all of it. Minus, of course, one or two specific happenings and one of the main characters."
Understanding suddenly lit Gandalf's eyes. "Ahh."
"Yes!" Radagast pointed with his pipe, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"But why her, specifically?" Gandalf asked.
Radagast leaned back and puffed on his pipe, laying his book in his lap, and he picked up his cup and saucer. "Think about it a moment, Gandalf. It will come to you."
Bushy eyebrows drew together, both in exasperation and in concentration. For a moment all was quiet, as both wizards blew smoke rings and regarded the couple before them, walking under the trees and talking and laughing with one another. Moments, and happenings all passed through Gandalf's mind, one after another. Suddenly his eyes widened slightly, and his face relaxed into an expression of understanding. "If not for her, our young princeling would be dead." He said.
Radagast nodded, lowering the cup and swallowing the hot tea. "And if he were dead, or even if he had been saved some other way but she not here, Laerwen would not have been born, and then where would Eldarion be?"
Wonder and appreciation filled Gandalf's face, though he hid it behind another smoke ring. "A line of kings." He said thoughtfully. "The hand of Eru is certainly in all things."
Radagast simply nodded, settling back with a delighted and content expression on his face.
Mary lay on the shore, the white sand soft beneath her, warm water lapping gently at her feet. Above her a white bird circled, and the song it sang was full of delight, and its voice was high and pure like some flute or sweet pipe. Legolas lay beside her, propped on one elbow, and he gently stroked her cheek with his finger. Mary smiled and closed her eyes.
"Im mel-le." I love you.
She opened her eyes at the whispered words, and found herself gazing into blue pools of warmth and golden light. "Inye mel-le, Legolas." She whispered. "Sie meld." I also love you, Legolas. So dearly.
"I thought I was going to lose you." There was a momentary flash of pain, and his brows drew together at the memory. "For many years now I have feared losing you."
Mary reached up, and gently smoothed the skin between his brows with her finger. The uncertainty of the length of her life had been with them both for a long time, and as their friends had grown old around them their fear had become greater. "Never." She said, and smiled, a light and warm glow in her eyes. "You're stuck with me forever now."
Legolas smiled then, the slow, full smile that spread across his face and lit his eyes like the sun. As he leaned down, holding her face in his hands, he kissed her. It was soft and gentle, brushing against her skin and along her jaw and down her neck. A trail of tingling heat was left behind, and Mary closed her eyes, raising herself to him. When finally Legolas claimed her mouth yet again it was filled with hunger and desire, and sweet spice upon her lips, and his hands held her tightly and ran along her sides and through her hair. Legolas closed his eyes, his breath leaving him in a heavy sigh as she groaned and reached up to tangle her fingers in his golden hair, holding his face with her small and strong yet gentle fingers. Within his chest the ember burned, growing hotter and hotter until it was like to consume him, and Legolas groaned, and pulled her close. Behind them, sparkling in the sun like a lavender jewel, a great fish leapt from the water.
"White Shores" (Glos Falas)
Why do you weep
In sorrows pass
As some fey phantom on the shore
Tis not the end
Of all that has
But onward sail to something more
Above the pale moon
Sheds her tear
Then laughing lightly spreads her veil
For on his steed
Is riding near
Her golden love in golden mail
"See here he comes
On the horizon
On waves of glass to carry me home
Lo feel the sun
At burning dawn
Before me rise white shores of home"
Shroud our eyes
With silver mist
As float we through a silver sea
And see not all
That went amiss
Dry your eyes and turn to dream
Waves of ice
Turn all to glass
And part before a silver prow
As white gulls call
Of things that pass
The sky filled with their haunting sound
See here they come
On the horizon
On waves of glass to carry us home
Lo feel the sun
At burning dawn
Before us rise white shores of home
All those old
And those before
Do you not hear them calling?
Set foot on sand
Of pure white shore
Feel wind as we are falling
Sunrise east
Sunset west
With light upon your skin
Sea birds call
And you know best
As hope and grace are yours again
See here I come
On the horizon
On waves of glass to carry you home
Lo feel the sun
At burning dawn
Before you rise white shores of home
And all will turn
To silver glass
Green be the country
Where we shall pass
See, there before
On the horizon
As the sun rises
With a burning dawn
White shores of home
The End