B2MeM Day One: Nan Elmoth

[dawn_felagund]

March 1 is the first day of Back to Middle-earth Month, so we have our first challenge! As part of our Passport to Middle-earth theme, we will be stopping every day at a new location on Arda. Today's location is Nan Elmoth.

Photo courtesy of PercivalS.

March 1: Nan Elmoth

Are you in need of love or want to feel enchanted by someone? Rest assured: You do not have to look any further. Nan Elmoth is the famous place where Melian and Thingol courted one another and their two hearts became entwined forever. Go to these dark woods to enjoy nature and to reconnect to desires hidden inside you. To feel the touch of Melian's power or the dark seduction of Eöl, who might have something in store for you ...

Today's Challenge:
Voltaire said that it's not enough to conquer: one must learn to seduce. Write a story or poem or create artwork where seduction plays a central role.

Passport Stamp:
Once you complete the challenge, you may save today's image or copy the code below to display your passport stamp wherever HTML is acceptable. To have your stamp added to your passport, please comment on this post.

<img src="http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/images/b2mem11/nan_elmoth.png" alt="Nan Elmoth Passport Stamp" />

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We will be making customized passports for all B2MeM participants. Passports will include stamps for all of the challenges you complete and will be ready by the end of the challenge. Please comment here once you complete the challenge to receive the Nan Elmoth stamp in your passport. If your challenge response is posted publicly, please do share a link so that others can read your work!

Remember that challenge responses only need to answer the challenge; they do not need to include the location for the day!

Full details on the B2MeM: Passport to Middle-earth challenge can be found here.

Comments

Day 1

[(Anonymous)]

So excited that B2mem us here again!

Here is my morbid contribution for day 1:

"One for All. All for None."


What does one think who is about to die? She was disgusted with herself, that's what. She had fancied herself stronger but, when they came for her, she had wailed like a child and had even scarred one of the holy guards. That had earned her a beating, and...

She closed her eyes. The memory of her father's ashamed look tormented her.

"If you cannot die well," he had said, "it were best if you had not been born at all."

That was all it took for her to cease the struggle-- her body at once went limp and she had to be carried from the house. Lomiphel had walked out. What no one knew was that she had soiled herself under her skirts.

Still, her father did not even come out of the house to see her off. Her mother at least cried some.

"May the One True God receive you into his embrace," she muttered as they took her out. That was it.

The moon was bright on her last night. Not even a drop. Not even a tear. Andunie had not known so bright and clear a night in months. It was auspicious, her uncle had said, but she was not sure for whom.

"Amraphel. Amraphel!"

Through swollen eyelids she tried to focus on the direction of the sound.

"Amraphel! It's me, Arnuzir!"

Her heart began to pound within her. What was this new emotion? Relief!

"I thought everyone had forgotten me!" she cried with all her strength, yet it still seemed low and unpleasant.

"I could never forget you," he said as he groped through the slabs of her prison for her hand.

"Oh, Arnuzir! I had... I had given up hope... But, how...?" She heard his fumbling outside of her cell. "A key? You have the key!"

"A key?"

"A key! To open the door?"

"Open the door?"

"A key! How else are you going to get me ou--" but the words died in her mouth as soon as she smelled the perfume he had sprinkled at her door: the smell of the dead. He had not come to save her, after all!

"May the One True God receive you into his embrace, and may you keep him mindful--"

"Arnuzir... Would even you give me up?"

But he could not interrupt The Plea of Rescue and Salvation to reply. "--May you keep him mindful of us and his promise of life everlasting..." He muttered other things she could not understand, extinguished the small flame he had lit, and rose for the last time. "I would not dare," he finally said, as he gathered the vials back to his pouch. "The lord Sauron says there could not be a greater honor than to offer oneself to the One True--"

"Years ago you would have pledged your soul to save me."

Arnuzir looked down to her. It was dark. She could not be sure whether that slight curling of his lip was pity or insanity.

"I have," he said, and with a final bow turned away into the night.

Perhaps he was right. Better to die thinking one wants to.

That was it.

-the end


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