Of Dreams and Prophecies

Summary: A tale of epic love encompassing nearly the whole of the First Age from Valinor to Endor.

Author's Note: I have tried to stay within canon as much as possible. Obviously m/m relationships are not LACE friendly in any case so that is AU in the extreme. The only other AU element is with respect to Elenw�, Turgon�s wife and Amari�, Finrod�s �beloved,� which I explain away during the course of the story, but even their ultimate fates are within LACE in a broad sense. Also, travel times have been compressed. See further notes at the end.

***

***�Harken now, O Valar! To me, foretelling is granted no less than doom and I will proclaim now to you things both near and far. Behold. �I say unto you that the children of Indis shall also be great, and the Tale of Arda more glorious because of their coming. And from them shall spring things so fair that no tears shall dim their beauty; in whose being the Valar, and the kindreds of both Elves and of Men that are to come shall all have part, and in whose deeds they shall rejoice. So that, long hence when all that here is, and seemeth yet fair and impregnable, shall nonetheless have faded and passed away, the Light of Aman shall not wholly cease among the free peoples of Arda until the End.�***

- A Prophecy of N�mo-¹

There are many tales told of the Noldor in the First Age, and their history is full of grief, but woven throughout are some that are told only in Aman the Blessed, and among them is the tale of the love between Turgon, Fingolfin�s son and Finrod, Finarfin�s son, his cousin, here written down by Pengolod the scribe.

And it came to pass that F�anor roused the Noldor and bade them follow him, even in darkness, to recapture the Silmarils which were stolen and to seek revenge for the death of his father, Finw� the King. Much has been spoken of that day and that which followed, but our tale tells of the two wise, Turgon and Finrod, and of how they spoke against the dire oath and were loathe to follow the Spirit of Fire out of the realm of bliss.

But many of the Noldor were swayed by F�anor�s words for he had many gifts, and among them was the gift of an inciteful tongue. His seven sons also swore the Oath and many of the Noldor swore with them.

Fingolfin, F�anor�s half-brother and eldest son of Indis the Fair was loathe to be sundered from his people, so many of whom were swayed by F�anor�s tongue, and so even against his better judgment he joined the great host and hoped to mitigate F�anor�s wrath. His two sons, Fingon and Turgon joined him and also his daughter, Aredhel the White.

Now Finarfin was the younger of Indis� sons and steadfast brother to Fingolfin. Though even less willing than Fingolfin to join in the revolt, at last he reluctantly followed his brother and with him came all of this children, Finrod the eldest, his three brothers, Orodreth, Aegnor and Angrod and the youngest, his daughter Artanis, who would in latter days be named Galadriel, Lady of Light.

F�anor marched forth first with his sons and following behind him. Then came the sons of Indis and their host far behind. None of them had sworn the terrible Oath but they embarked on the path to doom nonetheless and coming up on F�anor�s host at Alqualond� beheld the horrible sight of elf killing elf. This was the first Kin-slaying and ever will the Noldor that followed be held under its shadow. It has been told that neither Turgon the Wise nor Finrod the Faithful took part in such fell deeds, but some of their host did kill and it has been left to other tales as to what part Fingolfin and Fingon played on that terrible day.

Then taking the ships of the Teleri that they killed, the great hosts of F�anor and his brothers fled north, pursing Morgoth the enemy toward the shortest passage to the land of Endor where he had fled. Whence the host arrived in North Aman at Araman did N�mo, the doomsayer come upon them and uttered the Prophecy of the North. In it the great Judge warned the rebellious Noldor of their fate, that death and treason would follow, and that they would forever be sundered from their kin in the fair land of Valinor and that the door was shut behind them. Most of his wrath he laid on the House of F�anor but none that followed could escape this doom.

Now Finarfin was filled with fear and turned back to the fair city of Tirion with some of his people, but none of his children went with him and it is said that Finrod went for the love of Turgon, Aegnor and Angrod for their friendship with Fingon and Artanis for the love of new lands and power.

Of the House of Fingolfin, none turned back, for their spirits were more adamant than those of Finarfin�s children and loathe was Fingolfin to leave his people in the hands of the fell-fire that was F�anor, and Fingon and Turgon, his sons, wished to finish the task they had begun.

So it was that about one tenth of the Noldor returned to Tirion, where the Valar forgave them and made Finarfin their King. Of their doings during all that which followed not much is told, but ever were Finarfin and his wife Earwen saddened at their sundering from their children.

Now F�anor was bent on following Morgoth quickly and forsaking the other Noldor, stole off with his host and his sons in the dead of night and took ships and sailed across the Great Sea landing at Losgar. Rather than sending the ships back for the host of Fingolfin he burned them, betraying Fingolfin, and left them to either turn back to Tirion or to face the perilous crossing of the Helcarax�, The Grinding Ice.

Fingolfin was angry and filled with bitterness but he and his children and the children of Finarfin more than ever wished to follow F�anor and confront him. So they took the northern route and endeavored to cross the Helcarax� which was desolate and wrought with peril for it was said that Morgoth in his earlier days had made it so.

Bitter and cold was the wind, and each footfall was considered as the ice moved beneath their feet and it rose up before them and jagged were its edges. With each passing hour the landscape changed as ice ground into ice and gulfs between the floes would fill with water and their progress would be stopped for a while. Then the ice would move again and fill the spaces and the host would continue their journey. Many were the Noldor that perished in the crossing and Fingolfin was filled with sadness at such folly but pressed on.

Here must be told of Turgon and his wife Elenw� for even as he had always loved his cousin the fair Finrod, his house until this time and even after was faithful to the Valar and Turgon had been born, as indeed as had Finrod, amongst many prophecies², among them that from his loins should spring the Light of Arda. So he took Elenw� to wife and they merged their hr�a but not their f�a so loathe was Turgon to bind the fair Elenw� to a loveless marriage. Elenw� understood fair well the situation and as she had other goals, among them to serve the Valar, she agreed to such a marriage and took herself to the house of Fingolfin there to live with Turgon her husband. In due time she bore a girl-child, Idril and both of them were with Turgon as the host marched over the Grinding Ice.

It was said that Finrod the fair had left a beloved behind, Amari�, but he had gone to her in desperation when Turgon married Elenw� and never did he truly love her. Nor, if the truth were told did she love him, and so it was that she did not follow and remained in Tirion, there to seek her own future with her people.

At one point during the perilous crossing Elenw� fell into a deep crevasse, and Turgon made many attempts to save her but she could not be reached and so the sorrow of the House of Fingolfin increased. Many were the songs of mourning as they stopped for a while and rested in the darkness of the northern ice with only the light of the stars overhead.

Finrod was marching at the front of the van with his uncle whence he heard of the terrible tragedy and made his way back to where his cousin�s wife had fallen and there found Turgon hunched over, tears of grief and regret falling from his dark grey Noldorin eyes. As he beheld his beautiful darkling cousin he now knew that even hands unstained by the kin-slaying at Alqualond� would find naught but grief in this journey and was sorrowful at such a loss.

�Turuk�no,� he called gently, �Oh Turuk�no, I am so sorry.�

He enveloped his cousin in his arms and Turgon leaned into him, salt tears dripping onto his tunic that froze even as they landed. They were cold, so cold, and now they shivered as they held onto to one another. Never again would they possess the elven ability to truly bear the elements without a care. They would always remember and feel the chill wind.

Finrod had been the fairest of them all in Valinor, save his sister Artanis, the Vanyar and Telerin influences strong in his blood. Unlike his dark Noldorin cousin, Finrod was of light hair, flowing long and free down his back and his eyes were light, the sea grey of the Teleri which shone blue when he wore the colors of his House. He had also inherited his mother�s gift of voice and now he used it, singing a song of Valinor and the Two Trees in hopes of comforting his dear cousin.

�It is even worse than you think, Findar�to,� said Turgon. �For the love of the Valar she came, for her faith in the prophecies she has lost her life and now resides with N�mo in the Halls. And I can do naught. She was ever in service to the Valar and she was faithful to the end. Do you see what I have brought her to?�

�Turo, do not fault yourself,� answered Finrod. �We all made this dire choice and she was an elf of a temperament to match yours. Do you truly think you could have stopped her?�

�Nay, I do not,� answered Turgon. �She was determined to come and to bring Idril with us. She believed that our daughter was the key to our salvation and would not be gainsaid. And now Idril has no mother to guide her and we have taken her into darkness.�

-

Turgon had barely looked at his cousin this whole time, afraid of what Finrod might see in his eyes. For Turgon had loved his cousin long since, but never had he spoken the words nor had he made it known in any other way. He was duty bound to his House and the prophecies and since neither of his siblings had wed and none of his first cousins it was he that held fast to the foretelling of N�mo the Judge.

�Would that I had been like you, Findar�to, fair and faithful, wise and generous. You have ever been my touchstone since you were born. Why have you come hither? Why did you not turn back and seek the forgiveness of the Valar as even your father? You are like to him, puissant and kind-hearted. I wish you had not come to this. Why?�

Finrod rubbed his hands together to warm them and then took his Turgon�s face between his fingers, soft grey eyes meeting the more somber ones of his cousin.

�You do not know?�

Before he could answer further, a clamor and the sound of trumpets arose among the elves and Turgon and Finrod looked up to see a great round silver light rise slowly higher into the dark sky. It was like to the silver leaves of Laurelin and was beautiful to the eyes of the elves, a light that was soft and glowing and it was as a gift to the weary and a balm to the f�a.

Finrod and Turgon looked at one another and recognized once again the love of the Valar in its making and were grateful for it, each saying a small prayer of thanks for such a gift. They held hands for a moment and Turgon spoke to his cousin.

�Yes, I think I do know Findar�to. I know why you came. And the rising of this great light I think, blesses your reason and I would have you know that your love is returned. It is another part of my grief for Elenw� that our f�a were not bound as should be between a husband and wife. Was she naught but a brood mare to do my bidding?�

�Ah Turo, I wish I had known. All these many years past and now we go into the a world of which we know aught but the Enemy is here also, and I fear deeply that none who came from the Blessed Realm will know happiness while those accursed jewels exist.�

�Alas for our folly,� answered Turgon, �and I think you are right. But might we walk together for a while? We should use well the time that we have for we know not what is before us.�

Turgon then called his sister Adrehel to him, and Finrod bade Artanis come also, and they entrusted Idril into their care for the remainder of the march. With hearts strangely lightened they now rested again, but not for long. Then together the cousins walked and a silent vow was made between them that though their first duty was to their Houses they would be together as they could, and for the first time since leaving the city of crystal stairs they found some amount of contentment if not of true peace.

Now the host trod forward, inching ever nearer to the lands of their forefather�s awakening under the stars and they were sore tired and cold. But the two cousins, one dark and one light, walked together with their brothers and sisters, following Fingolfin into the new world and soon they could see, far beyond, where the ice ended and the land became firm.

As they came to the end of the beginning of their great trek, a new light arose, this one brighter and more warm than the beautiful silver light that the elves called Isil. This seemed to the elves as a great fire in the sky and it brightened the entire world with its light and blotted out the stars for a time as it made its way across the sky. And this light was like to Telperion�s golden leaves and the elves again wondered and they rejoiced in it and turned their faces to it and for the first time in their long journey many felt hopeful.

Under the bright light of Anar, the host went forth, Fingolfin in the lead, and many of Yavanna�s olvar awakened under their feet and the flowers sprung up and the colors of the world manifested themselves to their eyes. Many of the elves thought that it was the blessing of the Valar for their journey, but the wise among them knew differently. None in the Houses of Fingolfin or Finarfin had forgotten N�mo�s doom but in joy they walked for a while, and soon came to Lake Mithrim where they rested. Thence came the count of days by Anar�s rise and set, The Years of the Sun.

Lake Mithrim sat amidst encircling mountains, except at its northern border, and this was how Fingolfin�s people approached it, walking wearily over the northern plain toward its welcoming fresh water. As they neared the lake�s edge they were met with the sight of tents already pitched and crude dwellings made of wood that rose upon the lake�s edge. Fingolfin took the lead and approached warily, until he saw a flash of red hair and knew then and from the banners that they had met with F�anor and his following.

Even though many were saddened and weakened from their long and perilous trek, now a part of the host surged forth, eager to vent their rage at their Noldorin kin for the betrayal F�anor had wrought. But even as he was anxious to confront his half-brother, Fingolfin stayed their march, and Finrod and Turgon stood with him, reminding all of the great sin at Alqualond� and that it should not be repeated at their own hands.

Fingolfin bade his sons Fingon and Turgon and his nephew Finrod, now the head of his House, to come with him as he walked toward the settlement. Orodreth he bid watch over the people as they rested and awaited the outcome of the parlay.

Whence they neared the encampment, a song of mourning met their ears and Fingolfin knew at once that things had not gone well for F�anor�s host. Maglor�s voice it was, F�anor�s second son, and it was the third son, Celegorm, who walked out to meet them. Along with him came Huan the hound, who had been a gift from the Vala Orom� in earlier days. And though Celegorm especially, along with his two brothers Curufin and Caranthir, held no love for the sons of Indis and his cousins, he bade them sit down to hear the tale of F�anor�s host.

Celegorm told them of landing at Losgar and as he got to the burning of the ships words became heated amongst them. Fortunately Maglor soon joined the group as he was more moderate than his younger brothers and thence took up the tale. He told of the burning and especially noted that Maedhros the eldest had gainsaid their father and stood by helplessly as the ships burned. This caused Fingon to smile serenely, at which his brother Turgon wondered, but he did not speak of it at the time.

Maglor also told them of the battle under the stars, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath which had been waged soon after their arrival in Endor. It was there that F�anor met his end and swore his sons to follow up on their Oath. He also told of the capture of Maedhros his brother by the great enemy Morgoth, and that even now he languished in the bowels of Morgoth�s wretched dungeons at Angband. Maglor was sorrowful as he spoke for he was the most temperate of F�anor�s sons and like his elder brother Maedhros had cared for his cousins and uncles.

Whence they had heard the tale many in Fingolfin�s host still felt anger at their Noldorin kin and could not live with or near them and so on their own F�anor�s sons ceded the northern shore of the lake to Fingolfin�s people and removed themselves to the southern shore. Many then made dwellings and established homes there and the enmity between the two groups grew.

Now Turgon watched his older brother closely for he had taken the capture of Maedhros badly and rent his clothes and wept openly at the loss of the cousin so dear to him. It was also Fingon who wished to heal the breach between the two camps knowing as he did that only as one could they hope to break Morgoth�s dreadful power in Endor.

One night as everyone slept, Fingon took up his sword and went forth, intending to rescue the red-haired son of F�anor from Morgoth�s clutches. Fingolfin was loathe to see his eldest son do this thing, but set watch at the edges of the encampment hoping that this impetuous act would be successful. In the meantime he took counsel with Turgon and Finrod and his brothers and they decided amongst them that as soon as was feasible they should go forth in pairs to explore the land to set defenses against the Black Enemy and found their own realms.

Upon a time the great eagle Thorondor came to them and on his back bore Fingon and the mutilated body of Maedhros. Fingon choked out the tale of how he found his cousin through a song, in call and response. He was hanging by an iron band bound around his right wrist on the face of one of the three-peaked mountains of Thangorodrim. He told his father and brother of how Maedhros had begged him to take his life when Fingon could not wrest the iron band from the mountain, and of how Fingon was loathe to do so. Of how Thorondor came and took him up the mountain and of the decision he made to sever Maedhros� hand at the wrist to save his life.

-

Now Maedhros� brothers had heard of his rescue and came to claim him and take him back to their own encampment, but Maedhros stayed them for a time, wanting to remain with his beloved cousin as he recovered. Also during this time he thought long and though he could not abjectly repudiate the Oath he wished more than ever that the breach between the Noldor should be healed. He and Fingon took counsel together and Turgon and Finrod noted their closeness.

There had been no time for Turgon and Finrod to further their love upon the shore of Lake Mithrim. They contented themselves with being in one another�s company as they worked amongst the people and with the subtle touch of a hand or of a loving look between them. Though they were not afraid of their people�s acceptance of their pairing, they knew that the grief of the people for Elenw� was still keen and so they were discreet, reveling in their own private joy and looking forward to a time when they could be together in privacy and relative peace.

Though not formally invested, the titular crown of the King of the Noldor now belonged to Maedhros, F�anor�s oldest son. But knowing that Fingolfin�s people would not willingly accept him and grateful for his rescue at Fingon�s hands, Maedhros sought to cede the crown to Fingolfin, F�anor�s eldest half-brother. His brother Maglor agreed with this gesture, but Caranthir, Celegorm and Curufin did not and spoke vehemently against it. Maedhros argued that their main purpose for pursing Morgoth remained unfulfilled, so that the crown mattered less than the recapture of the Silmarils and the brothers reluctantly agreed. So it was that the crown passed to Fingolfin and he was then King of the Noldor in Endor. But never were there good relations between the younger sons of F�anor and the House of Fingolfin.

As Turgon and Finrod looked upon Maedhros and Fingon they recognized themselves and more than ever did they long for one another�s touch. Both were glad when Fingolfin called them to him and asked them to go together to explore the nearby region and perhaps make acquaintance with their Moriquendi kin. They were told to explore south and west to the coastline and then report back. Fingolfin had thought to surround Angband with elven realms to keep watch on the Dark Lord and so sent many scouting parties in all directions from the lake except north.

So it was that Turgon and Finrod set out and skirted the lake around its eastern end to begin their trek south. The cousins were more than happy to make this journey and as they came farther away from the settlement even the foul air from Angband could not dispel their joy at being out and free and alone together. Many were the times that Turgon would look at Finrod and once again be astounded by the beauty of his golden haired cousin. And Finrod would smile back his affection for the dark Noldorin in full measure.

-

After a time they came upon the river Sirion and began to walk south along its banks. They soon found a large isle amidst the great river and decided it would be a good place to rest. They stripped to their leggings and dove into the water, piling their dry clothing and provisions onto their backs and swam to the shore of the small isle. There, under the shadow of bushes leaning out over the water they halted and drew breath.

�Shall we walk for a while and explore or shall we make camp here?� asked Finrod.

�Let us find a clearing a little farther in, perhaps with some tree cover. I think we should be safe enough, with the water surrounding,� answered Turgon. He reached his hand out to Finrod and when they were standing wrapped his arms around his younger cousin.

�Ah, Inglor³, it seems an age since we have had time together.�

Finrod turned around until they were chest to chest and pulled his fingers through Turgon�s thick dark hair, simply reveling in their closeness for a time.

Laughing, Turgon reached for the lacings on Finrod�s leggings and said, �But we are both filthy from our journey. I think we should bathe and then find a place to make camp.�

Finrod smiled back and returned the favor, unlacing Turgon�s leggings and soon they ran joyously to the water, beautifully nude and fully as one with the elements and each other.

Though they had bathed together before, it was different this time and Finrod took a moment to study the magnificent body of his cousin. He was just slightly shorter than Finrod, but still tall for an elf and his musculature was more pronounced. Turgon was definitely the more physically active of the pair and it showed. His chest was broad and it tapered to a narrow waist and his legs were sinewy. But it was Turgon�s thick raven hair that he lingered on. It nearly always looked untamed and it surrounded a strong Noldorin face; dark eyebrows, strong chin, and lips the color of dark pink tourmaline.

They looked long at one another and smiled in anticipation at what was to come, but neither made an immediate overture, both seeking, even after all this time, to prolong their first full encounter.

Turgon cast an appreciative glance at his cousin. Finrod was such a contrast to himself, he thought. Tall and lithe without the definition that he himself possessed, but strong nonetheless, a smooth muscled chest that flowed into lean hips and long tensile thighs. The Vanyar and Telerin influences were strong in his cousin and manifested themselves most strikingly in his hair and facial features. Where Turgon was all dark Noldorin, Finrod was as fair as sunlight, long straight hair that mingled gold and silver and his skin was almost translucent, pulled taut over high cheekbones.

The water was cold and the current swift so they swam for but a short while until both emerged from the river. Both were anxious to find their resting place and make camp for the night and emerged from the water, shriveled and laughing.

�You have never looked, um, so small to me,� Finrod taunted. �I think perhaps our joining will not be so fulfilling as I thought.�

�So say you?� answered Turgon. �We will see about that.�

Grabbing their gear, Turgon chased Finrod through the scrubby undergrowth until they both fell, laughing, into a mossy clearing, just right for their purpose.

Turgon set the fire and gathered additional wood while Finrod laid out their blankets and unpacked the dried meat and the few lembas that were left from their journey over the ice. They had also thought to bring a small wineskin which they had not touched, saving it just for this occasion and they reclined together, in peace and solitude, for what seemed the first time since leaving Tirion.

�So Inglor, do you think this was all a mistake? Following F�anor to Endor I mean?� asked Turgon.

�I do not know, Turo,� answered Finrod. �I am sorry that he is dead despite it all and I am not sure that any of us will live as long as we aught. I do take N�mo at his word that we are all wretched for doing this thing and I am sorry about Elenw�, of course. But in the same breath I am glad to see this land and hope to meet some of our kin, maybe even the Aftercomers, and I am most certainly glad that you and I have found a place where we can be together, if only for a time.�

�Then you do not think that it will last? Our being together, that is?� asked Turgon.

�Alas, I do not,� answered Finrod. �And I think that you do not either. You bear the foresight of the Firstborn, Turo, and you know the prophecies and now the Doom of Mandos. And you know that we are each meant to found our own realms. I am afraid that we are not destined to be together here in this land and must take our pleasure as we may.�

�Then will you not come near and let me love you, Inglor?� asked the dark Noldorin.

Sighing, Finrod moved closer and laid his head on Turgon�s lap. Looking down at his glorious fair haired cousin, Turgon began to stroke his head, drawing his fingers through the fall of long sun-bright hair.

�Ah, Inglor you are so beautiful to me. How long have I waited to have you thus? So many years. And you bided your time, never knowing whether I would be free for you. Truly, I do not deserve your devotion, but I am grateful for it.�

He limned Finrod�s rosy lips with his fingers and drew them across the translucent cheekbones and soon had Finrod sighing. Finrod leaned up and took Turgon�s wild dark hair into his hands and brought his mouth nearer to that of his cousin. A small spark tinged their lips as they met and both smiled into each other�s mouth as finally, their love was requited in a tender and drawn out kiss.

Soon their hands were learning each other�s bodies, and Finrod caused Turgon�s flesh to rise in small bumps as his fingers tenderly caressed his chest and already peaked nipples. Turgon laid them down together and let his hands wander in wide long arcs up and down Finrod�s lean frame. Their breath became more labored and each hardened against one another as first one laid atop and then the other. The moss felt soft under their bodies and Turgon and Finrod writhed together, neither making an overt overture in directing their love play. They simply enjoyed the feel of the other�s body and reveled in their closeness.

Soon though their need could not be sated by mere laying together, and Turgon took Finrod�s sex in hand, gently tracing the vein on the long underside of his cousin�s upright column. It shone alabaster in the moonlight and glistened with the evidence of his arousal and Turgon glided his thumb over the tip and painted down the long shaft.

Wanting his cousin to feel the same shuddering anticipation, Finrod turned them and began to lick at Turgon�s neck, but lingered not long and moved slowly but inexorably downward, circling his cousin�s nipples with his tongue and moving down the midline to his navel. He kissed softly there and Turgon arched upward, his weeping column skimming over Finrod�s cheek. Turning his head, Finrod lapped, once, twice, and Turgon uttered a long moan as Finrod engulfed him deeply into his throat.

�Enough,� groaned the dark Noldo, �Or more. Aiya, Inglor, I have not done this thing with a male but I am loathe to wait longer. What�.�

Finrod raised his body and took Turgon�s head between his hands. He looked long into his cousin�s stormy grey eyes and then smiled.

�I have not done this with a male either but I know that it may hurt. I have heard that a bit of salve or a m�dhthond⁴ can ease the way. I do not wish to leave you now but I will look about.�

Finrod stood and began to peruse their surroundings, sorry that he had not thought of this before they had begun. Turgon watched the lean thighs of his cousin as he stalked the perimeter, each movement causing Finrod�s long ivory column to bob against his navel. Open-mouthed he breathed, trying to settle his inflamed flesh but could not help but stroke himself as his fair cousin looked further into the brush.

A cry of triumph reached his ears and soon Finrod emerged from the wood holding in his hand the small roots that were his quarry. Quickly stripping them of their bark, each took a small one in hand and kneeling in front of each other, as straining flesh met straining flesh, inserted a small root into their own intimate passage. Groaning, they fell into one another as they worked them in and out, allowing the properties of the plant to lubricate and relax the untried ring of muscle.

After a moment or two, both looked into the other�s eyes with the same question, and Finrod smiled. He turned around and presented himself to Turgon, elbows on the soft ground, rounded globes higher and he moved backward until he could feel his cousin�s shaft prod at his cleft.

�Do it,� he implored.

Turgon withdrew the root, threw it aside, and tentatively placed his hardened member at his cousin�s moistened aperture.

�Do it, Turo, I will not break. Please.�

Turgon pushed forward and entered the small opening. As his glans passed through the guardian ring, Finrod seized, holding his breath and then he began to breath loudly and in quick pants.

�Go on,� he pled between indrawn breaths and his body shook as the initial pain seared through him.

Turgon inched further and soon he was fully embedded in the grasping hot tunnel. He paused and let Finrod catch his breath, wrapping his arms around his cousin�s midsection and holding tightly.

�Are you well?� he breathed.

�Aiya, Turo, please move now,� answered Finrod.

Slowly Turgon pulled backward and slowly he pushed again. Never had he felt so encompassed, so overwhelmingly surrounded by heat and slickened friction. Finrod�s passage convulsed around him and he felt each ripple pass through him as a flame shooting within.

Finrod began to answer his thrusts, backing in as Turgon plunged and soon they were engaged in gentle thrust and counterthrust. At once, Finrod bucked under Turgon�s clenched arms and called out in a wild grunt of surprised passion.

�Do that again, Turo. Again!� Turgon did not know what he had done to elicit this response, but he thrust harder and experimented with differing angles until he heard the sharp cry from his cousin once more.

�Yes, Melmenya, Yes. There.�

Now Turgon knew and endeavored to hit the spot that made Finrod gasp with each stroke. More deeply did he fill him now and between Finrod�s sweet moans and the clenching of his cousin�s passage knew he would not hold out long. Instinctively, he reached between Finrod�s quivering thighs and took him in hand. Wetting the column with the broth that flowed forth, and enclosing it with his palm, he stroked, up and down and then faster.

Finrod nearly wept with the intense feeling of both hand and shaft and so weak did it make him that his knees buckled and Turgon went with him, but never leaving him and turned them both on their side. Turgon thrust in earnest and as one, both voices joined in calling the other�s name as their bodies shuddered together in twained ecstasy.

Turgon felt the hot liquid burst from Finrod�s sex and allowed the elixir to ooze through his fingers. He thrust once more, and deeply embedded in Finrod�s core, joined his lover in bliss, letting his essence spool out in long convulsed trails.

Turgon held him tightly and Finrod rocked into him, not wanting to separate from the all- encompassing warmth. Turgon nuzzled his neck, kissing him over and over until his flaccid sex slipped from his cousin�s opening. With a regretful sigh, he turned Finrod around and briefly their eyes met in calm, loving wonder. Turgon inched closer and touched his lips to those of his cousin and softly, sweetly, they kissed.

�I did not know,� said Finrod, �I did not know it would be like this.�

�Did I hurt you, melmenya?� asked Turgon.

�At first it hurt, Turo, but then�.then there was nothing but pure rapture. I never knew��

�It was wonderful Inglor, being as one with you. This thing I will never forget. You are so beautiful and I have loved you for so long�Will you do this for me, the next time?�

Finrod grinned at his cousin, and answered by moving his hand to the taut globes of Turgon�s buttocks. Skimming a long finger down through the cleft, he spoke.

�I would have it no other way,� answered Finrod.

Each laughed in their joy and helped one another to their feet. Finrod smiled broadly at his cousin and looked pointedly at Turgon�s now softened sex.

�And you were not so small after all, in your excitement. I feel every bit as one fully impaled. Help me limp to the river and you can help me bathe.�

Smiling, Turgon took his lover�s hand and together they walked through the whispering trees, beautiful and starlit, and for a time they forgot all else.

They allowed themselves one day more at Tol Sirion and indeed Finrod returned the favor, taking Turgon passionately as they joined. Each kiss, each touch only deepened their love for one another and they found great joy in their newfound physical relationship. Neither was more dominant and they shared their love equally and often, taking full advantage of their preciously short time together.

They journeyed onward, making their way west toward the sea and then skirted the coastline south. Turgon was especially taken with the coast at Mount Taras and there he envisioned a city like to Tirion with a tall watchtower akin to the Mindon Eldali�va at its center. As they traveled south they began to see some of their distant kin, the grey-elves, who looked upon Turgon and Finrod with wonder, considering them regal and full of wisdom. It was here that both began learning the language of their new home and as it was as second nature for elves to speak, both learned the native Sindarin quickly. Traveling farther south they came upon the Falas where Cirdan dwelt with his people and made acquaintance with them. From that day forward and particularly between Cirdan and Finrod, there came to be an especial friendship and alliance⁵.

All too soon it was time to return to Lake Mithrim and to Fingolfin and this they did, heading east and then north at the edge of Doriath, Thingol�s realm. It was not their mission to enter Melian�s Girdle so they continued their journey, stopping once more at Tol Sirion before finishing the trek to the encampment at the lake.

�I love this place,� said Finrod, �and I will keep in long memory our first joining here, melmenya. In fact, I will build a great tower here � Minas Tirith I will call it in the Sindarin tongue. It will serve a good strategic purpose; from here we can keep watch on the river.�

�I hope you will always love it, fair cousin, but I deem that we have yet to see the full wrath of Morgoth and his servants and I am sore afraid that even the beauty we make here may yet be despoiled by his evil. But I too will keep Tol Sirion ever in my memory and hold it close to my heart,� answered the ever-prescient Turgon.

And so they returned to Lake Mithrim and learned there that others had also gone forth and made contact with the native Dark Elves and scouted the land. Angrod, Finrod�s brother had been to Doriath and came with the news that Thingol had ceded certain lands outside of his boundaries to the returned Noldor. Fingolfin then drew a map and each grandson of Finw� was given his own realm to hold in fief.

Fingolfin�s seat would remain at Lake Mithrim and to Fingon his son and heir he ceded Dor-l�mion west of the Mountains of Mithrim. To Turgon he gave Nevrast and the coast at Mount Taras where he would build the city Vinyamar. To Finrod and Orodreth he ceded Tol Sirion and south and east to the Falas. Aegnor and Angrod were sent to Dorthonion as vassals of their brother Finrod. At this time Artanis went with her brother Finrod and Aredhel and Idril went with Turgon to Nevrast.

The sons of F�anor had moved east, taking all the lands north of Doriath and east of Hithlum. Caranthir�s people moved the farthest and it was they who would first meet the children of Aul�, the dwarves, and the twins Amras and Amrod went even further south of Doriath, Thingol�s realm.

And so the returned Noldor spread out, populating all of North Beleriand except for Doriath and the Falas and Fingolfin the King was pleased with the progress of the people and the ordering of his realm.

Now Turgon and Finrod were loathe to part, but each knew his duty to King and people and both had expected that the day would come when they had to seek their own realms. Maedhros and Fingon also were parted, but Maedhros was still driven by the mad Oath of his father and though his fire had been tempered, it still burned within him as it did in all of his brothers.

So Turgon took Aredhel his sister and his daughter Idril to live with him at Vinyamar and Finrod went with Orodreth and Artanis to Tol Sirion where he built the watchtower of Minas Tirith. Finrod also placed a settlement on the coast at Eglarest where he built a tower to watch over the sea and for the next 20 years of the sun they lived and worked and built alliances with the native Sindar.

During this time, Turgon and Finrod would visit one another once in a while, though most often it was Finrod who journeyed to Vinyamar as he had a great love for wandering⁶ and both won the friendship of the green-elves who lived amongst them. Their times together were short and sporadic but with each they renewed their love and made promises to be together at some time in the future. Neither had delusions that it would be any time soon, but they had eternity, and though they had not bonded in the true sense of merged f�as, for Elenw�s fate was uncertain to both, they were as close as they were able and their love only grew with time.

After 20 years, Fingolfin called for a great meeting and so gathered the people at the Pools of Ivrin whence the river Narog arose and there held the Mereth Aderthad, the great Feast of Reuniting. Finrod came from Tol Sirion with his brother Orodreth and sister Artanis, Turgon from Vinyamar with Aredhel and Idril, and Fingon and Aegnor and Angrod came and also did the two eldest of F�anor, Maedhros and Maglor. Two envoys arrived from Doriath, Mablung and Daeron, and also came Cirdan with some his people. Green-elves and grey-elves all came together and for the first time the population of elves in Middle-Earth were as one.

There they made common cause and oaths were sworn between them of league and friendship and a watch was set upon Angband to keep track of the Enemy�s movements. Also decided was the common language of the people and from that day hence all spoke Sindarin save on high-days and in private correspondence. In those days, there was �joy beneath the new Sun and Moon, and all the land was glad.⁷�

It was at the Mereth that Turgon and Finrod first walked together publicly, neither overtly announcing their relationship nor hiding it away. They looked beautiful together, the light and the dark, and the pairing of such wisdom and knowledge was wonderful to behold. These two in particular were much beloved among their people and all knew their time together was short so no one gainsaid them or begrudged them their happiness.

From there all were sent out and much labor was accomplished in the building of cities and ordering the land. Finrod finished his watchtowers at Tol Sirion and Eglarest and Turgon�s city of Vinyamar was well begun. For 30 years more, the eldar toiled and watched and waited and the Enemy stayed within his boundary.

During these years, Turgon and Finrod saw little of one another and there came a time when Turgon could no longer keep himself from his lover and undertook to visit him at Tol Sirion. From there they decided to journey together as in days gone by and they were glad in each other�s company as they made their way south along the river. After a time they came upon the Meres of Twilight where the sun dipped and vanished, and as if at the shuttering of a lamp, black night fell.

There along the banks of the river, the pair made camp and settled down to a quick traveler�s meal and warm fire. Finrod took up his small harp and began to sing, softly weaving his voice amongst the breezes and the gentle flow of the nearby river. Turgon watched the long fingers ripple over the strings and listened closely to his lover�s inherited Telerin voice. Soon his body began to tingle with the beginnings of arousal, so beautiful was Finrod and his song under the starlight.

Suddenly the urge came upon him and he placed his hand on Finrod�s knee, squeezing, signaling the quickening of his desire. Finrod smiled down at him and slowly and without words, placed the harp on the ground to his left. Taking both of Turgon�s hands in his, he raised them up so they were standing and facing one another. Silently and looking into one another�s eyes, each reached a hand to the nape of his own neck and began to draw the string that held his tunic closed. As a mirrored image they moved, taking the string and pulling so tantalizingly slowly, and watching as each bared their skin to one another.

The tunics were drawn over their heads and both then stood watching, looking. Without a touch of a hand, roseate nipples peaked and skin was drawn tight by the increased breathing of the pair. Finrod smiled at his cousin and Turgon smiled back, and mirrored grey eyes sparkled in the moonlight as hands moved to the lacings on their leggings.

Finrod walked toward his lover and gently removed Turgon�s hands from his waistband. He closed his eyes and felt the laces through his fingers and deftly worked at the knot. Turgon was breathing heavily and could not stop himself from pushing his constrained sex toward his cousin�s hands. Finrod left the lacing for a moment and reached between Turgon�s legs, cupping the heavy sacs farther below. He pressed firmly and drew his hand up and over the bulge and the felt the moistened cloth at the tip. Turgon moaned and whimpered, begging Finrod with sound to move further, faster. But Finrod just smiled more broadly and took Turgon�s lips in an intentional, predatory kiss.

Turgon groaned into his mouth and encircled Finrod with his arms. Drawing them tightly he pulled them together and undulated his hips against those of his cousin. The answer was given and Finrod pulled at Turgon�s lacings, less gently now, until the cloth was drawn through and his lover�s erect flesh was freed from its confines. Finrod knelt and removed Turgon�s boots and then glided the leggings down over his lover�s rounded buttocks. Turgon�s thighs quivered as the cloth dropped slowly down to his knees then to his feet.

Finrod helped Turgon to step out of the leggings and then moved quickly to his pack where he withdrew a small container. He held it in his fingers and showed it to Turgon, who smiled in response, glad that Finrod had thought to bring it and that they would not have to use the m�dhthond as they had so often in the past. Finrod stripped off his leggings and walked toward his cousin, container in hand.

�Aiya, Turo, I love to see you thus, so awake and dripping for want for me. Valar, you are beautiful.�

Turgon reached out for him and Finrod came into his arms, grabbing fistfuls of wild obsidian hair. He tugged at the strands, baring Turgon�s neck to his avid lips.

The dark Noldo groaned as he felt his lover�s breath at his ear and his sex twitched as Finrod licked over its whorls. He began gently, barely skimming the pointed tip with his tongue, but soon he was nibbling and as he came to the soft nape, he bit, sending Turgon to his knees, and bringing Finrod with him.

Finrod laid over him, grinding his hips into Turgon�s pelvis, but so inflamed was he that quickly he rose to his knees and pulled Turgon�s thighs over his own. He spread them further and lubricated his fingers with a generous amount of the salve. He dipped his head and as his finger entered Turgon�s passage; his mouth took Turgon�s hardened column whole into his mouth.

Turgon shook under this onslaught and it took nearly all of Finrod�s strength to hold him in place with his left hand. His mouth plunged up and down and his fingers, now doubled, worked in and out. But Finrod knew how much his cousin could take, so he slowed his mouth and with small flicks of his tongue drank in the essence that had seeped from its tip.

He brought his head up and when he was sure he had captured Turgon�s eyes, inserted three fingers, watching his cousin as he breached the small entrance and then widened them slowly. Mouth open, barely breathing, Turgon bucked under his fingers and when Finrod found his sweet spot he screamed.

�Inglor, Inglor, please�I want�I need�please!� he pled.

�And I will give you what you need, melmenya,� answered Finrod.

He took up Turgon�s quivering thighs, rested them on his shoulders and slathered his own weeping sex with the salve. Centering himself at the needy aperture he plunged inward, impaling him in one long thrust. Finrod hit the seat of his pleasure with this first stroke and so sensitized was Turgon already that he arched upward. He was agonizingly close, so close.

�Inglor, I�I�cannot�cannot��

Finrod quickly grasped the base of his near bursting column and squeezed.

�Wait for me, Turo.�

�Aiya! Aiya, Inglor�.please!� he wailed.

Finrod moved within him, withdrawing and then thrusting forward. The friction was so thrilling and Turgon�s clenching passage squeezed him so thoroughly that Finrod did not hold back. Quickly again, he impelled himself inside and more quickly pulled out. And then he was lost to it, the thrust and counterthrust, and Turgon moved with him, meeting every fervent stab with a welcoming grasp of his own.

Finrod leaned down, arms sliding under Turgon�s shoulders to anchor them together more firmly, and thrust forward again, a little more slowly this time, but deeper, more filling, and he brought his perspiring body down to meet Turgon�s achingly hard erection. Slowly withdrawing, he went deep once more and writhed over Turgon�s sex giving him the friction that he so desired.

A long guttural moan escaped Turgon�s mouth as he came, his life�s essence spewing forth between their joined bodies. Finrod smiled against his cheek and rose up, grabbing Turgon�s knees as he went. Pushing them upwards and spreading him widely, he withdrew slowly and then plunged forth, and within three rapidly deep and impassioned strokes, he too came, long spools of white heat pouring into Turgon�s clenched body.

Each could feel the other�s heartbeat as their spent bodies clung together and tightly they held on, neither wanting to relinquish such utter contentment.

Finrod kissed Turgon lightly and they separated, and after cleansing themselves sat together, sharing the beauty of the peaceful night as the lulling sound of Sirion�s water soothed them.

�Ah Inglor, I would bind myself to you if I could. Someday maybe�� said Turgon.

�Turo, all is well. And I would bind to you also. You have known this for many years, but all things work together toward an end we do not know and we have to believe that there will come a time and place for us,� answered Finrod.

�I am not sorry that we came to Endor my cousin, for only here have we been able to come together at last. I only wish that we did not have to be separated so often. When I am with you all else seems to fall away and I feel at peace. But I will believe as you, Inglor, that someday we will be together for the eternity that is promised to us,� said Turgon.

�Do you not think it strange, that F�anor and his sons came for the light that was stolen, but here we have a greater light? The Two trees were beautiful, yes, and we loved them, but now Anor shines for all. And I am not afraid of the coming of Men. Are they not the children of Illuvatar also?� queried Finrod.

�And I would say that there is a purpose there, Inglor. The One does not act without meaning, and yes, I think the Sun is beautiful also and her companion, the Moon. I wonder what they will be like, the Atani. Perhaps they will find common cause with us and together we can break the hold of Evil here in Endor.�

�I have to trust that it will be so,� said Finrod. �Come, let me hold you Turo, and together we can walk the path of dreams.�

Finrod laid back and took Turgon in his arms and with comfortable sighs, each fell into reverie, and the deep sleep of the sated and content.

Now Finrod was more prescient than even he had thought, for soon each felt as if they were floating and carried to a peaceful place where warm waters flowed over them and soothed them. Amongst the rippling water, arms reached out to hold them and each heard the voice of Ulmo whisper a warning. And a directive. Now Ulmo loved Illuvatar�s children, both the First and Secondborn, and he longed to see them live and be at peace. And he told Turgon and Finrod to found secret realms, where Morgoth could not find them, for he knew the Great Enemy was only sleeping. He wanted the Children to be protected, and these instructions he gave only to this pair.

With Anor�s rise, the lovers awoke, but neither told the other of his dream, thinking that it was for him alone. Both though were troubled, and could see in the other that something had changed. Silently they gathered their belongings and made to leave their enchanted place by the river.

-

�We have to go,� whispered Finrod.

�Yes,� answered Turgon.

Heartbroken, they came together and embraced, neither wanting to let go, but each knowing they must. Once again they would put duty and fealty above their love and trust to hope and Illuvatar�s plan that remaining faithful and doing the Vala�s bidding would see them to their desired end.

They walked together in silence, once in a while touching a shoulder or holding hands but each was troubled by his dream. Neither wanted to be parted from the other but with tender kisses and promises to see one another as often as they might, they separated at last, Turgon taking the road west back to Nevrast and Finrod heading northeast to Tol Sirion.

Each returned to his realm and began their wanderings, both searching for the place that Ulmo had put in their mind but neither found, at this time, the place where their thought and the Vala�s intersected and where they felt they could best protect their people.

It was during these years that Morgoth awoke and sent his minions outside of the walls of Angband to assail the nearby realms of the elves. He set upon the peoples of Fingolfin in the west and Maedhros in the south, but the elves beat them back in what would become known as the Dagor Aglareb, The Glorious Battle. Heartened, the elves set a watch upon Angband and encircled it with their realms. The siege of Angband, which was to last 400 years of the Sun, had begun.

Now Turgon and Finrod saw in this battle that even though Morgoth had not assailed them for many years, the Evil One still had intentions and quickened their pace to found the sites where Ulmo had directed them. Artanis, Finrod�s sister, could see that her brother was burdened. As his time away and wanderings increased over the next several years she was concerned for him and wanting to see some of the land for herself offered to go with him on his next foray. So Finrod and Artanis went together to the realm of Doriath, to see Thingol, the King, and their distant Sindarin kin.

During all this time, Thingol himself and his wife Melian had little contact with the returning Noldor, themselves meeting only Aegnor when he came to visit. They had sent envoys to the Mereth Aderthad but neither had left the realm and had little to do with either Fingolfin�s people or F�anor�s. In fact, as the truth of the kin-slaying became known, Thingol especially became angry and decreed that no one in his realms would speak Quenya, the Valinorean speech, and they would have no intercourse whatsoever with F�anor�s remaining sons.

So Artanis and Finrod came to Thingol�s realm and marveled at the beauty and security of Menegroth. Built in a large series of caves and caverns, each carved to look as the woodland with trees and animals, both brother and sister were enchanted and Finrod thought to fashion his own realm in like manner, hidden in the ground, similar to Menegroth. Thingol saw the nobility in the blond Noldo and told him of a series of underground caverns in Finrod�s own realm, along the river Narog and in this, Finrod saw the fulfillment of his dream and the directive of Ulmo.

Brother and sister both would find their destiny in Thingol�s realm, for it was there, during this visit, that Artanis first laid eyes on Celeborn, kin to Thingol and a Prince of the realm. She saw in him wisdom and a peace, with himself and the land, which she found irresistible and, wanting to learn as much as she could from Melian herself, a Maia, stayed in Doriath when her brother left to scout the caves by the river Narog.

When Finrod returned and saw the many caves and caverns, he was sure that this was the place that Ulmo had put in his mind and began there to clear and build his underground redoubt which he called Nargothrond.

During this time, Turgon also sought for his place, but did not find it until once again Ulmo came to him in a dream and directed him to the hidden vale of Tumladen. He made his way there and finally found what he had sought, there amidst the Encircling Mountains. Thoroughly surrounded by the mountains with only one very well hidden entrance was a large expanse of flat land with a raised island of flat rock and it was here that Turgon would found the city of his dreams, as like to Tirion as he could possibly make it. It would be the city of Seven Names, but thereafter most referred to it as Gondolin.

For the next many years Turgon sent small groups of his people there, to build the city and settle it. And it was done in secret, and not even Finrod knew of Turgon�s hidden city. Turgon was saddened by this, as he would withhold nothing from his noble lover, but again, he endeavored to follow the way of the Vala.

After long years of toil, the city was built and Ulmo came once again to Turgon with prophecies and directives. He told the Noldo that it was time for him to enter the city itself and dwell there, taking with him in small groups the remainder of his people. Ulmo promised he would guard the way and also told Turgon that though Gondolin would endure longest of all the realms of Beleriand, it would fall at the last and that Turgon should not love it too well. He also spoke of the last best hope of the Noldor in Endor and that they themselves were powerless to stop the evil that was Morgoth and that only from the West and the Sea would their deliverance come at last.

The Vala warned of treason within his own walls and of an unlooked for helper, instructing Turgon to leave armor and sword in Nevrast, for whence someone would come, bearing them, Turgon would know that it was one who would help them. Also he reiterated the prophecy of N�mo, that of his House a great hope would be born and that when all looked bleak he should take heart of it.

So Turgon sent the remainder of his people with guards and scouts to Gondolin, and abandoned the city of Vinyamar. But Turgon himself took the long route, and with a heavy heart set his feet upon the path to Nargothrond for he could not shut himself away without one last visit with his fair cousin, the love of his heart.

Finrod�s city was secret indeed to the Great Enemy, but other elves knew of its whereabouts and many came to live with him there. He was much beloved of his people and was thought noble, truly he had become a King and all called him thus, the eldest of the House of Finarfin in Endor. And his caverns were a marvel to behold and there was no bridge or egress, but secret pathways and to these Turgon came at last.

Many recognized him as he came to the entrance and Gildor; a friend and kinsman of Finrod�s of longstanding went to tell his lord of Turgon�s arrival. As usual Finrod was in what passed for his study, drawing maps and planning further excavation in his hidden kingdom. Gildor arrived, breathless, to tell Finrod of his visitor, but before the elf could convey the news, Finrod looked up to the doorway and there standing was Turgon himself, having followed the elf to his cousin�s study.

At once a broad smile crossed Finrod�s face as he beheld his lover, and as he stood to greet him, the entire world around him seemed to pale into the periphery. All he saw was his cousin�s beautiful mien, looking noble, but travel weary, and then he looked into his cousin�s eyes and his smile dwindled into a quizzical straight line. And then he knew, and tears came unbidden to the smoke grey Noldorin eyes and Turgon embraced him, and together they stood, holding one another tightly, until Finrod with a shake of his head and a moaned �No.� separated himself to look closely at his lover.

�You have found it,� said Finrod, �You did have the same dream and you have found it and have come to say farewell.�

�Aye,� answered Turgon, eyes downcast.

Finrod felt as if his heart would break, but he also knew that this was the way of it, that all had their price to pay and though his mind was resigned, his heart fluttered and barely could he draw breath. He sat wearily in his chair, and felt the weight of the world and all of it collapse in upon him. He had never felt so helpless. And though his love was standing right before him, he felt suddenly alone and bereft.

�I am so sorry,� said Turgon, �If there was any other way��

�Yes. Yes. Yes. I know it!� said Finrod in an uncharacteristic sudden pique of anger. He swept the papers off of his desk and laid his head upon the cold stone.

�Ah, Turo, are we never to know happiness again? Will all that followed be hounded and accursed to our end? Don�t answer that. I know the answer well myself.�

Turgon walked around to where Finrod sat, and leaned down, encircling his cousin with his broad sword-hardened arms. Tenderly he kissed the fair head and nestled his chin in the curtain of gold and silver hair.

�Ah Inglor, what is it called in Sindarin? Yes, I have it. Estel. Faith. We especially who have had the grace of Ulmo upon us must keep it. Estel, Inglor.�

With a long exhalation of breath, Finrod righted himself and turned to look at his cousin, knowing that this indeed was as hard for Turgon as it was for himself.

�I am glad that you came, Turo. Let us use well the time that we have left. Come and place your pack in my chambers and then we will walk the new excavations together.�

For the rest of the day, the pair inspected the work that Finrod had done since Turgon�s last visit. It was Turgon�s first meeting with the children of Aul�, who Thingol had sent to help Finrod delve the caverns of Nargothrond and he was amused by the name his cousin had come to be called, which was Felagund.

�Yes, the Naugrim have named me Hewer of Caves. And from them, it is rather an honorific. I bear it proudly and gladly and many now call me by it.�

Even in his sorrow at their impending parting, Turgon could see that his cousin was proud of the underground city he had wrought and saw many marvels, for he had not seen Menegroth and it was his first experience with living within the ground.

Finrod showed him the armory and the chamber wherein he kept the treasure that he had brought from Aman, which was the greater part of all that was brought from the Blessed Realm. And he showed him the Nauglamir, the necklace of the dwarves which had been wrought by them as a gift for Finrod. And he wore it well, the jewels encircling his neck and if possible it made him even more light and beautiful than he already was.

�It is supposed to have magical properties,� said Finrod, �and make its bearer even fairer. Will you try it on?�

So saying he placed the jewels upon Turgon�s neck and indeed he was regal, standing tall and proud amidst the grey stone around him.

Laughing, Turgon returned the necklace and Finrod took it, gently placing it in its box amidst the rest of the hoard.

�It is for you, Inglor, and your heirs if you should beget any.�

�You know that is not my destiny, Turo. For all that is between us and for other reasons. I have foreseen it. Someday, an oath I too shall swear, and must be free to fulfill it, and go into darkness. Nor shall anything of my realm endure that a son should inherit.�⁸

�Ah Inglor, my heart is heavy. And I fear that you are right. Even my own city shall fail in the end, and I with it. Do you remember the prophecy of Amnon?�

Finrod whispered, �Great is the fall of Gondolin ��⁹

�Yes,� answered Turgon, �And Ulmo himself warned me of it again. But he also gave me hope for those that come after, reiterating that a deliverer would come and that I should look to the West and from the Sea.�

�Does it not seem that for all that we have it done, it will come to naught? But still we do it. I am already weary, Turo, and it seems to me that we have even yet to experience the worst of it. But as you have built your city and I mine, we will fight to defend them, and our people. What you have said of Ulmo�s words does give me hope though. Yes, Turo, I am afraid that only from the West does our deliverance lie.�

�We must believe it, Inglor, of all people. F�anor�s sons are still fey and troubled and will go to any end to retrieve the Silmarils for their father�s sake. And my father and brothers and yours will defend the elves to the end. As will we.�

�As will we,� reiterated Finrod. �Come, melmenya, let us eat and rest and lay together for a while.�

Closing his eyes, Turgon mouthed the plea that was in his heart.

�Please,� he said. Finrod slipped his arm around his cousin�s waist and together they walked to Finrod�s chambers.

After eating a small meal, the pair removed their clothing and bathed together, for a time closing off all thought to the wider world outside. Languidly they let the water wash over and cleanse them, reveling in the timelessness of Ulmo�s element and taking comfort in each other�s presence.

Turgon washed Finrod�s hair and again drew his fingers through the long and shining strands.

�Your hair is like to Laurelin and Telperion, Inglor. The gold and the silver. So beautiful. I could lose myself here.�

He buried his head in it and surrounded his face with the tresses, inhaling the scent of it, remembering.

�And yours, Turo, is still as wild as the lands we have trod. So thick and dark and untamed. I love the freedom of it.�

Smiling, he stepped out of the bath and stood before his lover, water sliding off his lengthy frame, hiding nothing. Vulnerable.

Turgon drank in the sight of him, walking around him in a slow circle, memorizing every muscle and plane. Finrod�s buttocks tensed as he came behind him, but Turgon did not touch, yet. He wanted to set this image in his mind and he inspected every inch of his lover�s taut golden skin. He knelt down behind Finrod and sat back on his haunches, etching the lines of his cousin�s buttocks and thighs deep into his mind.

Both were completely aroused by this slow dance, but Finrod kept his counsel as slowly he turned around and looked down at his cousin. Turgon�s lips were slightly parted and his breath was coming in measured but quivering rales as his face rose and looked deep into the impassioned eyes of his lover.

Coming to his feet, Turgon reached out and finally touched. A gentle swipe of the back of his hand over his cousin�s chest. Finrod inhaled sharply and his roused column twitched. Then a sigh as Turgon�s hands moved over his torso and down his arms.

Finrod reached out to touch Turgon�s hair, to enmesh it in his fingers, but Turgon abruptly stopped him.

�Wait. I am not yet finished.�

�Please�,� gasped Finrod. His nipples were peaked and he was fully engorged and he did not know how much more he could take. Inhaling a great breath, he endeavored to steel himself. He parted his legs slightly and settled into a more comfortable stance. With a long sigh, he signaled to Turgon that he could continue.

Turgon mapped out Finrod�s body with his fingers, drawing them over the curve of his hips and down the outside of his long tensile thighs. He knelt once again and continued, down Finrod�s calves to his ankles and slowly moving up again, on the inside of his legs. Finrod�s thighs quivered and his skin was raised in small bumps as Turgon�s hands made their way inexorably higher. As Turgon reached his sensitive inner thighs, Finrod knees began to weaken, but Turgon gripped him more tightly, bidding him stay as he was.

Turgon arose and stood nearer, close enough that each could feel the other�s radiating heat, the tips of their strained erections barely touching. Turgon gasped and Finrod began taking in quick breaths, pursing his lips as he let the air escape in fast puffs.

Turgon reached behind him now, and closing his eyes, cupped the scapula in his hands. Slowly he moved his fingers down to the small of Finrod�s back, letting them rest at his waist for a time, settling them. And then he moved them further down and took the rounded globes of Finrod�s buttocks each into one of his palms. He squeezed tightly and at the same moment brought their bodies together, at last touching skin to skin with his love.

They held one another tightly thus for a moment, neither wishing to relinquish the exquisite feel of the other, awakened and inflamed. The spark that rose between them made them breathless, and Finrod finally gave in to his impulses, grasping whole handfuls of Turgon�s hair between his fingers, pulling his lips to his own for a passionate, yet tender kiss.

Turgon melted then, at last letting go of his need to touch and see and remember Finrod�s skin and he gave into taste, tonguing Finrod�s lips, and then parting them, slipping the small muscle into Finrod�s mouth and savoring the flavor of him. And Finrod responded, his tongue seeking his lover�s until they were enwrapped and twining sinuously around one another.

Finrod broke the kiss gently, and took Turgon�s hand in his, leading him to the soft comfort of his bed. Turgon laid down, and rested on his side, elbow propping his head as he watched Finrod reach for a small container on a table nearby. With a shining smile that broke Turgon�s heart, Finrod handed him the container and slid into the bed next to him.

�Love me, Turo. Make it so I can never forget.�

With a small groan of recognition, Turgon pulled Finrod into his arms, holding him as tightly as he dared, then cupped his lover�s face in his hand. Gently he began to kiss, first at the crown of his fair-haired lover�s head, and then onto his eyelids, his nose and his cheeks. He skimmed his lips briefly as he moved to nestled his face into the nape of his lover�s neck. Tenderly lapping at the fair skin beneath his tongue, he continued the path higher until he could feel the whorls of Finrod�s ear. He was deliberate, touching each curve, again and again limning at its pointed tip.

Finrod squirmed beneath him, grasping him tightly and pushing his fully inflamed and weeping shaft against his cousin�s stomach.

�Please, Turo. I cannot wait.�

Smiling against his lover�s neck, Turgon moved his head down and took Finrod�s right nipple between his teeth, just briefly nipping there as the fingers of his hand played quickly over the left. Moving more swiftly he slicked his tongue down the midline of Finrod�s chest and holding his hips to the bed, lapped up the liquor that had seeped from the engorged tip of his cousin�s sex.

He rolled it over his tongue for a moment, as if tasting a fine wine and opened his mouth to let it evaporate, drawing both breath and the taste of Finrod�s home in with it. So heady was its flavor, so masculine and musky yet with such an aching sweetness that he nearly forgot where he was until Finrod�s voice broke through the mist in his mind.

�Aiya, Turo. Tarry no longer. And prepare me but a little. I want�I need� to feel all of it�all of you.�

Turgon slid up Finrod�s body, until his mouth reached Finrod�s left ear. Groaning and lowering his hips, he undulated over Finrod�s raging erection as he answered.

�Yes, melmenya. You will feel all of me�and slowly.�

Finrod moaned as he felt a brief lick at his ear and moved to better accommodate Turgon between his widely parted thighs. He opened himself to his lover, pulling his knees up and back, exposing the already pulsating aperture and the full sacs just above. Turgon took a smear of salve from the container, centered a finger at Finrod�s opening and pushed through, just enough to provide some cursory lubrication.

�Look at me, Inglor. I want to see what you feel,� said Turgon as he grasped Finrod�s thighs with his hands.

He positioned himself at Finrod�s entrance and with great restraint, slowly entered him. As the purpled head passed through the tight guardian ring, Finrod gasped and then held his breath. His eyes began to roll but Turgon called him back to the present.

�Look at me, Inglor. Watch me.�

Turgon fully withdrew and then slowly again advanced, wanting to feel Finrod grasp him one more. Both held their breath as he inched forward and Finrod received him, clenching his passage in a series of movements to propel Turgon further inside. Once fully sheathed, Turgon let out a series of short breaths, checking himself against the need to move, needing to savor the feel of his cousin surrounding him, clenching him. He needed to remember, to embed this feeling his mind and he was loathe to begin the movement that he knew would lead to the end of it.

For all the times they had done this, Finrod had never felt as fulfilled and loved as he did at that moment. Holding his cousin inside him, squeezing, he relished it and nearly came to his peak then and there, so transported was he by the feel of his lover�s column - so much a part of him.

�With all that I am, I love you,� gasped Turgon.

�I am yours, always,� answered Finrod.

And only then did Turgon begin to move, slowly inching back just a little and moving forward again, feeling every crevice and undulation of the passage that so firmly joined him with his beloved.

Soon he began the rhythmic dance, each stroke gliding past the small nub which enraptured his partner, watching Finrod�s honeyed hair as it swirled about his deliriously moving head. Holding the quivering thighs tightly Turgon found purchase and moved with abandon, filling the clinging passage and withdrawing, filling and withdrawing.

Finrod reached down and grabbed Turgon�s buttocks, urging him farther, feeling the muscles beneath his fingers tense and relax with each stroke. Deeper he wanted him, and as he felt Turgon�s drawn up sacs hit his buttocks, he held him there for a moment, before urging him to finish it.

Letting go, he pulled Turgon�s head to his and kissed him, short exhalations entering Turgon�s mouth, sharing his body and his breath with his beloved. As he did so, Turgon�s hand reached between them and took Finrod�s achingly hard shaft in his hand, encircling the turgid flesh with his fingers. He thrust hard once more, making Finrod feel the whole of him and stroked the engorged column.

�Together,� said Turgon into his lover�s mouth.

�Yes,� answered Finrod.

Squeezing and stroking, Turgon entered him fully thrice more and both came together, spiraling off into the sky and flying amongst the stars. Utterly spent, physically, emotionally and spiritually, the pair laid together bonelessly, regaining the even breath that each had sacrificed to their impassioned bliss.

�Ah, Turo, this is the best of it. For this, all else seems worth it to me.�

�I love you Inglor, remember it well, and this. I know that I will call upon it in the long dark nights ahead.�

Turgon stayed with Finrod three days more and two long nights. Neither missed an opportunity to touch, to taste, to feel, to love. Neither wanted to let go and kept each other close, dreading their parting, each knowing in his heart that there would be no more time together and that their days together in Endor were at an end.

They talked long about the circumstances that brought them together, both believing that the Valar had a purpose for them, that they had yet to perform the deeds that had brought them to this far land. And Turgon yearned to tell his lover of Gondolin, the beautiful city that he had wrought, and the trees he had made in the likeness of Telperion and Laurelin, that in truth had a twofold purpose in their making � to remember the pair in Valinor, but also to see everyday the mingling of gold and silver, so like to Finrod�s luxurious hair.

But Finrod stayed him, knowing even as he wished for it that the knowledge of Ondolind�, The Rock of the Music of Water, should belong to Turgon and his people alone, that the less that was known about the hidden city, even to him, the more it would keep his lover safe. Turgon loved him for it even as it broke his heart to keep this secret from his beloved.

When it came time for Turgon to take his leave, Finrod walked with him for a while until they came once again to the Isle of Tol Sirion and its mighty watchtower, Minas Tirith. There they made love for the last time, each reassuring the other of their continued faith in a shared destiny in a time to come. Their penultimate kiss was feral, almost savage, so mightily did they wish to imprint themselves upon one another. But their final touch was so gentle, so loving, that each nearly dissolved in their purpose and they bathed one another in silent tears as their lips met. If ever a mere kiss would bond two f�as together, this would have, for as they parted each felt the other deep in his soul.

Ere they did part, Finrod gathered up his strength and took Turgon�s beloved wild dark hair into his hands for the last time. Smiling, he looked into his cousin�s smoky, glistening eyes and spoke.

�You are right, Turo. And I will remember. Estel. I do believe�.No. We believe that we may meet again in a time to come, and perhaps we will find somewhere a land where can live together and both be content.�

�Ah Inglor, yes,� said Turgon, nestling his head into the mingled gold and silver of his lover�s hair.

�We do believe so. And I will keep that thought in my heart ever. I love you, melmenya, never forget it.�

�And I you, Turo. I cannot tell you how much,� answered Finrod.

Both drew themselves up to their full height and regarded each other once more, Turgon grasping Finrod�s arm in the traditional parting of two warriors. Turning abruptly, Turgon strode off, but before he disappeared into the small boat that would take him to the hither shore he turned back once, a resigned smile upon his face.

Finrod answered the smile with one of his own before he turned away, shoulders lowered and hunched in his sadness. Taking a deep breath though, he made sure Turgon saw him as he raised them up in strength, and resolutely he walked back into the wood.

The three hundred years following were called The Long Peace, for Morgoth continued to bide his time and increase his strength. The elven realms were thriving but many of the Firstborn had grown complacent. Finrod had not, and he was restless and many were the journeys he took during those years, endeavoring to calm his troubled heart. It was upon one of his earliest treks that he, first amongst elves, came upon the Atani. He sang to them and taught them the Sindarin tongue and made great fellowship among them. They named him N�m, which in their tongue meant wisdom, for it was true, and ever more would Finrod�s fate in Endor be tied with that of Men, the Secondborn of Illuvatar�s thought.

Many generations of men would follow in those long years, moving slowly into Beleriand, some living within elven realms and some creating their own settlements. These men would become known as the three houses of elf-friends, the Edain, and each succeeding generation made common cause with the elves, and Finrod in particular.

In Gondolin, Turgon continued to build his city and safeguard its strength in secrecy. It was like to Tirion, beautiful and gleaming with its white towers and walls, and the music of the water in its many fountains resonated throughout its courtyards. On the rare occasions when he was not engaged in ordering the city, he would sit in his own courtyard, at daylight in a certain place where the light of Anor would mingle the gold and silver of the two trees he had wrought in the likeness of Telperion and Laurelin and he would remember his fair-haired lover. At night, he would sit and look West, face turned toward the stars, aching and hoping.

It was in the year 455 of the Sun that the Long Peace ended, Morgoth at last unleashing his strength upon Beleriand. Glaurung the Golden at full power and other dragons and Balrogs and unnumbered orcs assailed the lands west and south of Angband. And there was fire that scorched the earth and all that was upon it. In this, The Battle of the Sudden Flame, the three sons of F�anor; Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir lost their lands and fled, Caranthir to his brothers� realm and the other two to Nargothrond, Finrod�s redoubt. Maglor�s Gap was overrun and he joined his brother Maedhros in Himring.

It was in this battle that fair Finrod�s fate was sealed, for even though he escaped unscathed, he was hard put and it was only the intervention of the man Barahir that made his escape possible. For this and many other acts of bravery and honor, Finrod swore to protect the house of Barahir and to seal the oath he gave Barahir a ring, the ring of the House of Finarfin, gold snakes entwined, green stones shining. Ever on this ring would symbolize the friendship between elves and men and would be passed down through the ages from generation of noble men to their heirs.

Once the High King Fingolfin had seen what Morgoth had wrought, the destruction he had caused among the realms of elves and men, and the many that had perished, he was angry and despaired. In his sadness he rode forth alone, thinking to call Morgoth out and fight him in single combat and end the course of evil in Beleriand for ever. And he fought the mighty Vala bravely, inflicting many wounds, but at the last Fingolfin fell and Fingon his son took up the crown and became the third High King of the Noldor in Beleriand.

Thorondor the great eagle had brought Fingolfin�s body to the encircling mountains where Turgon dwelt and so the lord of Gondolin learned of the great battle and of his father�s death and he was mightily troubled but exercised patience, hoarding his strength and protecting his people. But even in his hidden redoubt he knew in his wisdom that the oath of F�anor and the Doom of Mandos was still at work and so he sought for help, as Ulmo had directed and many were the elves he sent to take ships West, trying in vain to seek aide from Valinor, but none returned.

Two years later Tol Sirion and its watchtower Minas Tirith, beloved of both Turgon and Finrod was taken, and Orodreth driven out, and Morgoth installed his minion Sauron the Maia as its lord. Under Sauron�s hand, it became an evil place, called Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the isle of werewolves, and never again would elves dwell there.

Of the many skirmishes that followed, it was the lone survivor of the House of Barahir that wandered far and into the land of Doriath where Thingol dwelt. There he was enchanted with the beauty of Luthien the Fair, Thingol�s only child and the King was not pleased that his daughter should love a man and he put a task on Beren to win her. The price was a Silmaril from the iron crown of Morgoth and so it was that Thingol and the elves of Doriath became at last embroiled in the wars of Beleriand and the Doom of Mandos, for none that expressed desire for any of the three was exempt from such fate.

Beren knew that he could not assail Morgoth alone and so, bearing the ring of promise, he came to Finrod in Nargothrond, seeking his assistance in this great quest, asking the elf-King of the hidden caves to fulfill the oath he had made to his father, Barahir. Now the elves of Nargothrond were loathe to become involved in this undertaking and the two sons of F�anor who dwelt there, Celegorm and Curufin, sowed discord amongst the people, but Finrod the noble could not disavow an oath once taken. He knew in his prescience that his doom was at hand, but even so passed the lordship to Orodreth and with ten loyal elves set forth with Beren to fulfill his promise to Barahir.

Upon his gleaming white walls, Turgon watched and waited. Ten years previous he too had made the acquaintance of the Secondborn when Thorondor the eagle brought two men, Huor and H�rin, to the hidden city. At this time, Turgon received counsel from Ulmo, and again Turgon heeded the Vala�s words and he welcomed the Aftercomers to his city.

He listened to them as they told the tales of the world without and was troubled by the news they had brought. He worried for Finrod and increasingly did his thoughts turn to his beloved. When Turgon heard tales of Finrod�s alliance with the Edain and of the oath he had sworn he recalled Finrod�s words and his heart ached with the foreknowledge of what was to come and his own helplessness to prevent it. But Finrod lived he was sure, for the small light in his f�a burned still and it gave Turgon some comfort, if only for a while.

In Nargothrond, Finrod and Beren made ready to set forth on their quest, plotting their course. They decided to follow the Sirion north, even though many of the lands were held by Morgoth�s minions they thought their small group may be able to pass in stealth. They followed the river for a time and came upon a group of orcs who they slew, then, taking their clothes as cover, moved further north toward Tol Sirion, now dark and terrible in Sauron�s possession. But the Maia was not fooled by their raiment and he had spies follow them and whence they came near captured them and took them to the once beautiful home of Finrod�s heart, Minas Tirith, where he had for the first and last time laid with his beloved.

Now Sauron was powerful, but not omniscient, for he did not know who the elves and man were that he had captured. So he interrogated them and asked their identities and their mission but none would tell and then came a terrible duel of power between the Maia and the noble Finrod. They vied in song, each singing verses of power and might. Sauron sang of things mighty and terrible and Finrod sang of hope and things beautiful, but even fair Finrod, true of heart and wise, could not in the end out duel the Maia and soon fell into unconsciousness before his captor, defeated.

Later, when he awoke, he was naked, lying as if in a swoon on a heap of filthy rags. And he saw that Beren was with him in the dark dungeon of Minas Tirith and the ten loyal elves that had set forth on the quest and knew all was lost. One by one, Sauron would send a corrupted wolf or an orc to kill one of their number and one by one, Finrod watched as his companions were murdered before his eyes in the very place that he had once loved.

Finrod closed his eyes and tried to remember the beauty that had been wrought on the small Isle; the touch of his cousin�s hand, Turgon�s lips meeting his, the first time he had laid with his love. For a while he saw clearly his beloved�s face and the dark wildly splayed hair and the intense grey of Turgon�s eyes in his passion. And then the lock on the door clicked and he knew his time was at hand.

But the wolf came not for him but for Beren as Sauron knew that he held an elf-Lord of some renown and thought to save him for last. Marshalling all of his strength, Finrod fought him, his attack feral and savage and the wolf faltered but still advanced. Finrod rent the beast�s flesh with his hands and his teeth and the wolf tore at Finrod�s perfect skin. At last the foul creature lay dead, but Finrod had sustained too many wounds. With his last breath, he murmured, �melmenya� and he too fell into shadow, never more to walk the lands of Endor.

Turgon, as was his wont, was keeping watch high above the city in the tallest of its alabaster towers. Ithil was waning and the night was stormy, the stars hidden behind thunderous and roiling clouds. Evil walked that night, Turgon knew, and he strained his eyes and his mind to see beyond the encircling mountains, trying to seek out his beloved amidst the gathering darkness. Of a sudden, the breath went out of him and all went dark, even to the small flickering light in his soul, and Turgon knew that his beautiful cousin, the love of his life, had breathed his last.

Turgon fell to his knees, and a long guttural howl escaped from his lips. Those that heard it would wonder, for it resonated throughout the city and echoed between the white walls and it sounded mournful and wounded as if the very world would break from its hearing. Turgon wept with rage and with sorrow, his heart torn from his chest. He cursed Morgoth and F�anor. He cursed the Valar. In Quenya and Sindarin the words flew and even to Illuvatar himself, but then Turgon stopped his mouth, startled that his cousin�s faith would not be requited by him.

He had known. They had both known. But now that it had come, Turgon could barely draw breath. He tried to remember, calling Finrod�s visage back to his mind, the mingled gold and silver of his fine straight hair, the soft petals of his lips, and the curve of his cousin�s waist. For a moment he thought he felt Finrod�s mind brush his and the whispered word, �Estel.� And then he calmed and remembered Finrod�s promise and faith.

�We believe that we may meet again in a time to come, and perhaps we shall find somewhere a land where we can live together and both be content.�

Thenceforth Turgon put all his effort into protecting his people and the city that he had built. Sturdily, steadily he led them and as with undistracted vision all he could see was Gondolin and his daughter in whom he invested all of his remaining hope.

Other tales tell of Beren and of his rescue from Sauron�s dungeon by his love Luthien and Huan the hound. Of how at last he wrested the jewel from the iron crown of Morgoth and the loss of his hand. Of the Hunting of the Wolf, Carchoroth and of his first death and the pleading of Luthien to N�mo for their love and life together. And of how N�mo was moved and granted her wish, returning them both to Arda for their remaining days. The whereabouts of the returned pair remained secret for a time and they lived in peace.

But the Noldor did not live in peace, for only six years after did they face their worst fears. A great battle there was and even Turgon brought forth a host to contend Morgoth with his brother the High King, and the man H�rin, who was his friend. The sons of F�anor fought and Morgoth�s stronghold was assailed from all sides. But Morgoth unleashed all of his remaining strength; great dragons and Balrogs and wolves and too many orcs to be counted.

This was the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and in it most all of the remaining elven realms, save Nargothrond, Doriath, Gondolin and the realm of Cirdan were destroyed and its peoples dispersed. Turgon�s brother, the High King Fingon fell, and many of his host and Turgon might have but for the heroics of his friends, the men, H�rin and Huor, who fought bravely as Turgon made his retreat.

Before leaving though, he spoke with the two men and the prophecy of N�mo was echoed in their words, as Huor told him, ��then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death; though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and from me a new star shall arise��¹⁰

So Turgon heeded the words of his friend and turned around, returning to Gondolin with his force where the city would hold strong for just 49 years more.

In the years that followed all of the remaining elven realms would fall, one after another. Nargothrond and Doriath both, until only Cirdan�s remained and his folk harbored the elves that were left.

Gondolin alone remained hidden from Morgoth�s eyes, and one day a man appeared at its gates, but Turgon allowed him passage for he came with the armor and sword that he had hidden in Nevrast all those long years before and Turgon knew that with it came his last hope. Tuor, son of Huor his friend it was who bore the arms and Turgon recognized him as friend and he gave him a position of great honor at his court and he listened to his counsel.

And there came a time when Tuor and Idril, Turgon�s daughter, fell in love and Turgon was glad for he remembered the prophecies still and harkened to N�mo and H�rin�s words. So he bade them wed, the second of the marriages between Eldar and Edain and from their union was born a boy, E�rendil, in whom Turgon invested much hope and he was much beloved.

But the fair city could not remain hidden forever and so it was that in the year 510 of the First Age, after the treachery of Aredhel�s son, Maeglin, it was set upon by all of Morgoth�s remaining might. Again dragons came and Gothmog the lord of the Balrogs and orcs unnumbered and the city was wrapped in flame and its captains hewed down. Turgon remained in his tower and watched the destruction around him and bade Tuor take Idril and their son by a secret way out of the city, along with Glorfindel one of his last remaining warriors to guard the way.

Turgon then saw that the city was lost and regretted that he had not listened to Tuor�s words when he had come. For Tuor had told him of its impending doom and brought warnings from Ulmo, but in his grief for Finrod, Turgon had invested all of his love for his city and would not leave it.

Turgon stood high in his tower and watched the city below him wreathed in flame and wreckage while a great fire licked at its base. As the tower was consumed, Turgon looked upon the two trees he had wrought and when the tower fell, taking Turgon with it, his last thought was of his fair lover and the mingled gold and silver of his hair.

So ended Turgon�s life in Endor and his f�a fled to the Halls of Waiting where it joined those who had gone before him.

Thence came the fulfillment of N�mo�s great prophecy, for 73 years later, when E�rendil was full grown to manhood he sailed to Valinor and pleaded with the Valar to intercede on behalf of the remaining faithful elves and men in Endor. And at last, as the Doom of Mandos played out, the Valar came with a host from Valinor and waged a mighty war and all of the lands of Beleriand were changed in it, but Morgoth was defeated at last and thrown out into the great void, never to trouble the children of Illuvatar�s thought again, except for at the end of all things.

As for the great jewels that had been the cause of it all, they were scattered amongst the elements. The first is born by E�rendil himself as he sails the sky, and the light of Gil-Estel will ever kindle the hearts of men and elves. The second, in the end recovered by Maedhros, burned his hand and he cast it and himself into a fiery crevice and so it was consigned to the earth. And the third, which Maglor held, he threw into the sea, never to be seen again until the breaking of the world.

Of the Noldor that had made the great journey, and of the Sindar that had made league with them there were few left. Galadriel alone of the House of Finarfin remained and stayed long in Endor with Celeborn her husband until the end of the Third Age. Of the House of Fingolfin, none remained, but of this house came the last High King, Gil-galad, and Elrond and Elros the twin sons of E�rendil, all of whom continued the faith and the fight of their forefathers against evil. And none save the son of Curufin remained of the House of F�anor. Their destruction had been near total, but the prophecy of N�mo in elder days came true.

But this tale tells of Turgon and Finrod and of how, for all their noble deeds and faith they were reunited at last. Soon after Finrod�s f�a entered the Halls of Waiting, N�mo released him, seeing in him no fault and it is said in the Annals of Arda that he walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.�¹¹ But what the Annals of Arda do not tell is that Turgon walks with him, for Elenw� had been allowed the choice of Miriel¹², and Turgon was returned, and even now wisdom and knowledge walk together in the bliss of Valinor as bond-mates, never to be parted.

The End

To My Requestor:

I truly enjoyed researching and writing this story and hope that it meets with your expectations. I am rather a new writer and I apologize for any errors in canon or interpretation for they are all mine and not my beta�s. Also, forgive my tendency toward the ponderous nature of my writing. I am still learning and welcomed very much the opportunity to retell one of the stories of the First Age.

Footnotes

1 The Prophecy of N�mo, Morgoth�s Ring, Page 246

2 Turgon, �born amidst prophecies�, The Book of Lost Tales I, paperback edition, Page 270

3 Inglor, - Tolkien�s original name for Finrod, I have appropriated it as an endearment. Turo, I made up on my own. The Book of Lost Tales I, paperback edition, Page 39

4 M�dhthond � an invention of my own. A Sindarin compound word � m�dh = dewy and thond = root

5 Cirdan - Finrod friendship � The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 120

6 Finrod had a �great love for wandering.� � The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 124

7 �There was joy beneath the sun and moon�� The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 113

8 �An oath I too shall swear�� The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 130

9 �Great Is the fall of Gondolin..� � The Prophecy of Amnon, The Book of Lost Tales I, paperback edition, Page 192

10 ��then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men�� The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 194

11��But Finrod walks with Finarfin�� The Silmarillion, paperback edition, Page 176

12 See The Statute of Miriel, Morgoth�s Ring, Hardback Edition, beginning Page 208