Tolkien Fan Fiction
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| Their faith and courage burned brightly in Arda’s darkest hour. Therefore the Valar gave them rich reward: wisdom, power, life enduring beyond mere mortals’ measure. 'Twas my task to mentor them. Theirs was the Land of Gift – a haven safe from the evils of the Dark One – where they grew wise and fair. They had learned their lessons well – or so I thought. But memories, like their lives, proved too short. Now they harken to a new mentor – the one who broke faith with me. And in my heart I know that once again they will learn their lessons well. |
Author's notes: The story in full can be found in texts published in The Silmarillion. The events that led to the founding of the Land of Gift, as Númenor was known, are related in Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath, while that event itself is found in Akallabêth, as is the identity of the narrator and the identity of the one who broke faith with him. This found dual inspiration in challenges posted at Live Journal’s now defunct lotr_100 (reborn as tolkien_weekly), and a (then) new member challenge at the Henneth Annûn Story Archive. The former had the prompt teaching; the latter’s was events in Middle-earth from the perspective of any being in Valinor. This particular Maia (the narrator) has always intrigued me, so…. If anyone is still uncertain as to the identities of these disparate mentors, give me a shout. The available character list includes one of them, but not the other; ergo, the more generic Maiar was chosen. |