When in a golden realm, under towering trees next to the clear source upon the silver swan they met,
having traveled over mountains upon separate paths, through rivers and glades, through forests and hills, bearing a waiting silence within the mind, bearing unspoken words and gestures unborn,
Nenchíril following the call of her kin, Naurellon stepping in where others dared not, taking risks where others lingered in safety, facing darkness where others cringed,
When in a golden realm under countless voices from above, under distant voices far and clear, under falling rain of melodies they met,
after many moons of silence within the mind, with so many words unspoken, gestures yet unborn, thoughts unfinished, glances waiting, with many steps to come,
When in a golden realm under countless branches and leaves of light they met,
when a hand lay upon a shoulder, when gestures were born, when glances stopped waiting, when words became spoken, when nightmares faded, dark dreams giving way, when they awakened to a new world true and fair,
When in a golden realm gazes illuminated the maze of the soul, when they made the first steps, leaving the maze of light upon the City of Trees, on horseback riding through shimmering forest, through rustling leaves and bushes of whisper, through glades of moving silence, through swarms of skylarks, whirling,
When in a golden realm they laughed after moons of frown, when climbing ladders, reaching Telain became a challenge of life, when perilous butterflies of doom let them drop and fail, when laughter made them rise and try again, when, finally, upon a high Talan the golden sunset they met, bathed in light, clad in mirth, armed with merriment and girdled with strength,
When in a golden realm upon a high Talan they talked, remembering their oaths, recalling their hopes and dreams, feeling sorry for those who stayed behind, looking forward to days full of passion, and valour, and commitment,
When in a golden realm Naurellon told about a mission dark and perilous, shadowed by walls and towers of sorcery, about a rescue swift and bold, about a prison opened, about kinsfolk brought to safety, about diversions and fires and broken hammers and shattered armour, about craven soldiers and minions of malice,
When in a golden realm Nenchíril beheld the mask of the storyteller, the light of her gaze unmasking the scars that told of wrath and ruin, of fire and blaze, of freedom and bliss, of war and defeat, of eternal valour and glory forlorn, of realms vanished and jewels lost,
When in a golden realm she spoke about strength and warmth and light and breeze and scents, about power molded and inspired, about survival and endless unity and kindness,
When in a golden realm she followed him into a chamber shadowed like a tomb, with air heavy with memory and burden and nightmare and density and pressure, pushing down upon a weapon that lay upon the table, a blade of old, forged in the days of Laurelin the Great, bathed in telerin blood, tainted by Morgoth’s lies, a sword of rebellion and hatred and wrath,
When in a golden realm Naurellon told her about the days of yore, about guilt unequaled, about kin slaying kin, about a blemish, dark upon the soul, about doom and fate, about bloodshed and struggle, about failure and madness, about goodness slaughtered, about mercy abolished,
When in a golden realm he took up his burden after one thousand times of failure, gazing at Nenchíril, through her presence breaking the shadowed tomb of the mind, evoking Vanessë before grasping the hilt, unsheathing the blade that had tasted innocent blood,
When in a golden realm a tainted sword and its marked wielder pledged themselves to a heart pure and free, the heart of a warrior kind and true,
When in a golden realm Nenchíril of Lórien urged Naurellon to find his friends, to stand by their side and protect them from harm, when the weapon was sheathed again, when they left the shadowed room to enter the light, when they beheld the mighty Mallorn of Artanis, when Naurellon of Beleriand urged Nenchíril to come with him, entering the eaves of Mirkwood,
When in a golden realm they met again in the early morning hours, ready to depart the timeless tunes of the City of Trees, geared for a perilous path, heading to a forest of fear and sickness, facing darkness and war and despair and ruin,
They looked upon each other and found Estel,
uniting water and fire,
combining golden rain, dashing upon the woods, and the blazing flames of the Noldor,
completing the beauty of Lórien, honouring the memory of Beleriand.
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Notes and translations:
Faorie starring as Nenchíril - „Water-Lady“ (Sindarin)
Raolor starring as Naurellon - „Fire-Elf“ (Sindarin)
Talan / Telain (pl.) - wooden platforms (found in Lórien)
Laurelin - one of the two Great Trees of Valinor
telerin - derived from „Teleri“, one of the three great elven people
Morgoth - the first dark lord of the world
Vanessë - „Beauty“ (Quenya)
Mallorn / Mellyrn (pl.) - great trees found in Lórien
Artanis - another name of Galadriel, lady of the Golden Wood
Beleriand - a continent west of Eriador, by now mostly covered by the sea
Estel - „hope, trust“ (in contrast to „Amdír“ another word for hope which means „looking up“, Estel contains a meaning far deeper and stronger than most words possess. It expresses the mindset of the Firstborn towards creation itself: ever since the Elves have trusted Eä, the universe)
