A Different Kind of Purgatory [ Silmarillion ] 2

Chapter 14: A Promise

1477

Years of the Trees

When she woke on that bright winter morning, Eve climbed out of bed and went to the window. A large, black raven swooped down on to snow dusted ground, hopping about and leaving little footprints on the road. She felt herself tensing. To calm down, she opened the window and took a deep breath of cold air. The smell of the snow soothed her.

Eve turned when a quiet knock sounded on her door. She called for Amarië to come in. When the two maidens looked at each other, massive matching grins spread across their faces. Amarië hurried to her and they embraced.

"Are you ready?" Amarië asked quickly, releasing her friend.

Eve smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life... in either lifetime."

"Good," Amarië said with a nod. "Then we better get you ready. Elenwë should be here soon."

Eve looked back out into the slowly lightening outdoors. Not a soul stirred in the streets at that moment as Laurelin began to overtake Telperion. A gentle harping did float in the background; perhaps a neighbor playing a melody. Then she turned to Amarië again. "I'm doing the right thing, right?"

The Vanyarin maiden laughed. "What happened to never more sure of anything in your entire life, Eve?"

"Not the getting married part. I love Finno. I want to marry him." She paused. "I mean asking everyone to be there."

Amarië hesitated. She sat on Eve's bed as the woman stayed by the window. Then she sent the bride to be an encouraging smile. "I think you are. Both houses are family to you now. If they can't put aside their prejudices for one day then they're worse off than I thought."

That put Eve a bit more at ease. She looked back out the window as she heard footsteps crunching on the snow. Below them stood Elenwë.

"Well, may I come in?" Elenwë teased as she stood below the window. "Or are you two going to hold a special meeting without me."

Eve laughed at her from above. "Come on up. The door is open, of course."

"Leave your boots in the entrance," Amarië shouted down to her, hurrying to the window. "I just cleaned the wood floors."

Elenwë rolled her eyes up at them just before she went inside. They could hear the woman down the stairs and soon enough she came up, joining the other two in Eve's bedroom. She leaned in the doorway, her thick grey and gold dress just brushed with now melting snow. "How's the bride feeling today?"

"Excited." Eve grinned. "Nervous. How did you go through this, Elenwë?"

The woman laughed and came further into the room, sitting next to Amarië on Eve's bed. "I had support."

Eve nodded. "Right. Yeah. Of course." She turned away and looked back out into the road. The raven was back, hopping about in the slumbering garden. Eve smiled back at them. "Well. I guess we should get ready."

Elenwë immediately stood and went to Eve's closet. She fished out a covered dress. "I must say, I do so adore the dress you chose." She uncovered it, revealing Eve's wedding dress.

The dress had been crafted mostly of white silk. But small floral lace patterns in red and gold accented it, creating a fiery garden on her bell shaped skirt. Eve's smile widened as she looked at it again. But she hesitated.

"Are you ready?" Amarië asked her with a knowing smile.

Eve took a deep breath. Was she ready? Over the past week, she had been having nightmares about her previous life, about the crash that had brought her here. All Eve could think about was how much she wished her dad and two siblings could've seen her getting married. As much as she loved the House of Fëanáro, and saw Nerdanel as a mother she'd never really had, the hole in her heart without her birth family caused an aching whenever she thought about it. Only two things helped her through it: Finno's absolute love and trust in her that she share with him, and a knowledge, a faith, that her birth family would someday know the truth.