Beren And Lúthien

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The song above is sung by Clamavi De Profundis, and they composed the music as well. The lyrics are J.R.R. Tolkien's poem, The Song Of Beren And Lúthien.

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Valadhiel had finished her dance with Glandur, and when she'd finished, she looked over at Thorin. He still stood in a corner. She had been hoping that he would come over and dance with her, especially after he had seemed so jealous of Glandur. She quickly looked away from him when she saw him turn his head towards her.

She was about to walk back over to the dwarves, when someone in the crowd raised his voice and said, "Valadhiel sing us a song!". Valadhiel turned and looked at the elf, then at the others when they began to agree with the other elf and asked her to sing them a song. She hesitated, but when the elflings began begging her to sing as well, she smiled and walked onto the little "stage" that had been set up.

"Alright, I'll sing for you all." Valadhiel replied. It was most likely around nine thirty at night, so the celebration would no doubt be over soon. She decided she'd sing a song that would wind everyone down for the night. She turned to the minstrels, murmured something to them in elvish, and soon they began to play the music. She then gestured for Glandur to come on up with her. This song was beautiful when sung in a duet. They decided that they would sing in Westron, that way the dwarves and Bilbo could enjoy the tale.

"The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinúviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.

There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following.

Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;
And forth he hastened strong and fleet,
And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
Through woven woods in Elvenhome
She lightly fled on dancing feet,
And left him lonely still to roam
In the silent forest listening.

He heard there oft the flying sound
Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
Or music welling underground,
In hidden hollows quavering.
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
And one by one with sighing sound
Whispering fell the beachen leaves
In the wintry woodland wavering.

He sought her ever, wandering far
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
By light of moon and ray of star
In frosty heavens shivering.
Her mantle glinted in the moon,
As on a hill-top high and far
She danced, and at her feet was strewn
A mist of silver quivering.

When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.

Again she fled, but swift he came.
Tinúviel! Tinúviel!
He called her by her elvish name;
And there she halted listening.
One moment stood she, and a spell
His voice laid on her: Beren came,
And doom fell on Tinúviel
That in his arms lay glistening.

As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.
Tinúviel the elven-fair,
Immortal maiden elven-wise,
About him cast her shadowy hair
And arms like silver glimmering.

Long was the way that fate them bore,
O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
Through halls of ireon and darkling door,
And woods of nightshade morrowless.
The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless." [1]

Valadhiel looked out at the crowd when she'd finished singing, and curtsied with a smile when they began to clap. She took Glandur's arm when he held it out for her and walked down the few stairs with him. A few elves came up and told her that she had a wonderful singing voice, and some even mentioned that even though the song was very sad, it was one of their favorite tales. Even little Estel had come up and told her how he'd recently heard the tale and loved it.

Thorin had been watching her the whole time, though at some points he again felt jealous. He didn't like this Glandur fellow one little bit. Each time he began to feel jealous, however, he mentally scolded himself and pushed the jealousy back down. He and Valadhiel could and would never work out. There were many reasons, and one big reason above all others was the fact that she was immortal, and he was not. The song she'd just sung was proof that mortality was a sad and confusing thing among those who were immortal. And if that reason wasn't the biggest one, then the next issue would be that he was a dwarf, and she an elf. Dwarves and elves weren't necessarily hostile towards each other, but they did not like each other or get along very well. Friendships were never heard of between the two, much less marriage.

Of course, then he remembered the story of Nahor and Eleniel once more, and the jealousy began to rise once more. If he didn't manage to get rid of these feelings soon, he would become cross and take it out on his men, or worse, on Valadhiel.

When Valadhiel reached the group of dwarves, she let go of Glandur's arm and smiled at him. "Losto vae, mellon nin, ar navaer." [Sleep well, my friend, and farewell.]

"Nîr tôl erin baded lîn." Glandur replied, then he smiled fondly at Valadhiel and bowed to her. "No i Melain na le, ar losto vae, hiril nin." He took her hand and kissed it before he rose to his full height once more, and he looked at Valadhiel a moment before he turned and walked away. [A tear/weeping comes on your going.] [May the Valar be with you, and sleep well, my lady.]

"What was that about?" Thorin asked, furrowing his brow at Valadhiel before he cast a glare at the other elf's back.

Valadhiel smiled, watching Glandur leave as she spoke. "He was simply wishing me a good night's sleep, Master Thorin, and he wished the Valar with us on our journey." She then looked at Thorin before she looked back at the rest of the dwarves and Bilbo. "We all should probably go get some rest before morning."

The dwarves all murmured their agreement, and they made their way outside. Balin, Bilbo, and Thorin walked together in the back, and Valadhiel walked slightly ahead of them and slightly behind the others.

"That song you sang, Vala." Ori said, looking at the elf as they walked. "I want to know more about it. What's the story of Beren and that Tinúviel lady?"

"Aye, I'd like to know more about them as well." Bofur added, also looking over at the reptilian elf.

"We gathered the fact they were lovers, that much was obvious." Fili said, also looking at Valadhiel. "But surely there's more to the tale than just death. Besides, if this Tinúviel was an elf,"

"Then how did she die?" Kili finished for Fili, looking at Valadhiel as well as they all asked her questions.

Valadhiel looked at each dwarf that spoke, then she laughed softly. "One question at a time, I am only one person." She commented in amusement, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "They did indeed meet, and they fell in love. However, Tinúviel, also known as Lúthien, as Beren was the one who gave her the name Tinúviel, was indeed immortal. She was not only half-elven, but she was half Maia, as her mother, Melian, was of the Maiar, and her father was an elf-lord, Thingol.
"Because of the fact Beren was mortal, Thingol did not approve of him being the significant other for his daughter. Beren would eventually die, leaving Lúthien grieving. And, considering elves only marry once, he wished for her to find someone more worthy of her."

"Elves only marry once?" Ori asked with a frown.

Valadhiel nodded. "Yes, only once. The only exception was Finwë, but that's a different story." She replied, then paused before she continued on. "Anyways, long story short, Beren and Lúthien ended up going on an adventure together, and Beren ended up being killed. Lúthien was so grieved by this, that she willed herself to die along with Beren, and she was taken to The Halls of Mandos."

"As in the Doomsman of the Valar? The one who gives out judgement of fate and the keeper of the slain?" Dwalin asked, despite having tried to not look like he was so interested. Why should he care about elven tales?

"The exact same." Valadhiel replied with a nod, still slowly walking along with the dwarven throng. "Anyways, she found Mandos himself and begged that Beren's life would be restored."

"Is it not said that Mandos is impossible to persuade?" Thorin asked, interested though using a non-interested tone of voice.

"It is indeed said that." Valadhiel replied, then she smiled. "But Lúthien sang a song that Middle-Earth has never before heard, and not one song as beautiful and moving as that song has ever been sung since. It's said that it was such a powerful and emotional lament, that it moved Mandos, and her wish for Beren to be restored was granted. However, this meant that she, too, must choose a life of mortality."

"I take it that's what she chose." Fili said, thinking back to the last verse of the Song Of Beren And Lúthien.

Valadhiel smiled and nodded softly. "She would have rather spent one lifetime with her true love than face the ages of this world without him. So she chose a life of mortality, and the two passed away long ago."

"That's a beautiful story, lass." Balin commented, though he looked at her questioningly. "But how accurate is the tale, considering it happened so long ago?"

Valadhiel smiled. "It was recorded, so documents on it have been found and kept. So there's that, plus there are still those related to Beren and Lúthien who live today."

"Really?" Kili asked, then he shrugged a little. "Though I guess that's no surprise. Children are bound to happen."

"Who are the descendants of Beren and Lúthien today?" Ori asked, no longer walking, as by this time, they had all stopped since they'd reached the house but wanted to learn more about the story.

Valadhiel turned to all of the dwarves and looked at them before she began to speak. "Elu Thingol and Melian had Lúthien, Beren and Lúthien had a son named Dior Eluchíl, who married Nimloth. Those two had a daughter named Elwing, and twin sons named Eluréd and Elurín. Sadly, they lived to be only seven years old, as they were killed in the Kinslaying- though that's a story I won't get into. Elwing married Eärendil, and they had twin sons: Elrond and Elros."

Bilbo's eyebrows shot up. "Elrond? As in, as in the same Elrond that... that is the lord of Rivendell?"

Valadhiel grinned at Bilbo's reaction, then at the dwarves' reactions as well, all of them looking stunned or surprised. "You got it." She wouldn't continue on down the family tree, as she knew they had all met Elladan and Elrohir. However, they most likely knew nothing of Arwen, but perhaps one day they would. She wouldn't bring them up, however, because then questions might be asked about Elrond's wife, and the story of Celebrían was one she didn't wish to speak of now. She then looked up at the starry sky before returning her gaze to the dwarves. "Well, now that the story has been told, I think it's about time we all got our rest."

The dwarves all agreed, as did Bilbo, so they all made their way into the house. Valadhiel was about to follow them in, though she stopped and turned when she heard Thorin speak from behind her.

"Valadhiel."

"Yes, Thorin?"

He glanced behind her to be sure all the others had gone inside before he looked at her and continued speaking. "I just have a question. Do elves look down on other immortals who choose mortality just to be with someone they love?"

Valadhiel looked at Thorin, wondering why he'd care to ask such a question, but she pushed that question out of her mind and answered his. "Some might, but it would be silly. After all, it is the immortal's choice to become mortal should he or she wish. Lúthien chose to, and she became a legend, loved by all though she long ago passed away. Elrond's twin brother chose mortality as well, and no one stopped loving or respecting him." In fact, Elros was responsible for bringing the Dúnedain into existence. "Why do you ask?"

Thorin gave a nonchalant shrug. "I was just wondering." He replied, then he began walking into the house. Once in the doorway, he turned and looked at Valadhiel before giving her a small smile. "Goodnight, Vala."

Valadhiel smiled in return and gave a dip of her head. "Goodnight, Thorin." She replied, then watched as he left. She stared into the doorway a little while after he disappeared, simply thinking about his question, and some of his actions lately. The thought made her heart flutter and face flush.

After pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she looked up at the sky, watching the twinkling stars in the beautiful, clear sky. A verse from the Song Of Beren And Lúthien suddenly began to play in her mind, giving her goosebumps as a gentle breeze made the trees sway and the leaves rustle.

As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.

After that part of the verse played in her mind, Valadhiel smiled up at the stars before she turned and made her way inside so she could get to bed. Tomorrow they would once more begin their long journey.

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[1]: J.R.R. Tolkien's poem, The Song Of Beren And Lúthien.

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