#tfon

@numenorweek Day 2: The Mariner's Wife ⇢ Erendis

here's the art i did

and here's my friend's model!!!!

The Fall of Night - character introduction (the three on the water)

laini tornell was born a slave. adopted off the street by the king of a country that wasn’t hers, a princess overnight. protecting her two new brothers and leading the royal forces leads her to a conspiracy some would like to remain hidden. kidnapped by the pirate king to keep her silent, she befriends his son and together, they take the seas

melora of strai would of happily stayed as the rut of the strai clan for the rest of her life, if she hadn’t got herself caught up in the pirates net. a highborn lady now with scales and gills, she wants no part in this war, but finds a pull towards this crew, and finds something sweet in their vengeance.

@tolkienseaweek day 3: lurking + danger | Uinen | AO3

Uinen draws the currents through her fingers, sending them probing through the wrack of sinking ships. Through deck and hold and oarhole she slips, seeking the sable and gold of soldier and captain. From the waters beneath the ships, she draws the men who pitched themselves from rigging and rail, and plucks free those who fell tangled in the sails that billow beneath the broken hulls of the ships.

Beneath the decks of the ships, she slips over the men bent hunched and broken over their oars. She touches them gently, a blessing, a farewell, and breaks the shackles that bite their ankles. They shall sleep peacefully beneath the waves, and their bones shall be tended well, washed clean of pain and wound and hallowed by her maidens.

Into the arms of the sea she gathers the soldiers and captains, score on score. Their hair tugs in the currents that she weaves through her fingers like threads of water, and their eyes gaze sightless. The gold of their armor glints through shifting spears of light before she draws them down, down.

In the deeps of the sea, creatures stir restless and hungry about her, scenting a prey little-tasted. Wisps of light draw near; tendrils drift curious over the gold that gleams dully in lantern light.

Patience, she says. They still, waiting.

In the darkness, she rends and weaves. From these she takes; to these she adds. The creatures drift nearer, hungering. In the dangling light of their lanterns, her creations take form—eyes like lamps, illuminating; throats carved like ribbons, breathing; hands stretched like webs, fluttering. Waiting, hungering. Aching.

No more shall they ask for her blessing to seek, only to steal and kill. No more shall they wrest the paths of the sea to their will.

@tolkienseaweek day 1: unrest | Erendis | AO3

Even in her sleep, the voice of the sea haunted her.

Better, Erendis thought, had Aldarion chosen a woman of flesh and blood, who she might at least put from her sight. But the sea, even when it could not be glimpsed, waited there, gleaming on the far-distant line of the horizon, gleaming in the corner of her eye. Its voice filled her dreams, rolling and whispering beneath the currents of sleep, claiming the heart she could never claim as hers.

It fell upon her skin, hard and fierce, when storms rolled over Emerië, mocking her with stinging lashes. Take him! she cried beneath the thunder. Take him! Only leave me myself and Ancalimë. And the thunder echoed over the hills, lightning dancing from crown to crown, and fell all the harder upon her.

And take it did, again and again. And yet her heart grew no lighter.

The voice of the wind as it ran down the green slopes of Emerië was like the sough of the sea, and the bending of the grass beneath the wind’s fingers was like the lap of waves against the door of the white house. And ever the wind bore with it the tang of the sea, and with it the memory of his voice, so long gone.

She went from her house, silent and unseen, to the haven, and stood upon the sea-cliffs, and the cries of the gulls rang in her ears. Take now what has always been yours! she cried bitterly and cast the white gem of Aldarion into the sea. It flew glittering, catching the light of the westering sun, and then fell into the water. I am no queen, nor the wife of any king, nor of any man.

Tar-Míriel my beloved! I'm so glad you asked about her!

First impression: I don’t remember much from my first read-through of UT, but I do remember feeling so unbelievable sorry for her and so upset that that was her ending.

Impression now: I fell into a Tar-Míriel obsession this past year and haven’t yet crawled out of it. The queen in chains trope is catnip to me, and she serves it up in spades. And I still feel unbelievably sorry for her, while also tormenting her like a dog's very battered squeaky toy.

But mostly I love her for clinging to her faithfulness by her fingernails, no matter the cost. She doesn't get any kind of reward for it (although I hope that she does after her death), but she tries to the bitter end nonetheless.

Favorite moment: She doesn’t really have any moments of action described within the text outside of her last, but this never fails to break my heart, so: "And last of all the mounting wave, green and cold and plumed with foam, climbing over the land, took to its bosom Tar-Míriel the Queen, fairer than silver or ivory or pearls. Too late she strove to ascend the steep ways of the Meneltarma to the holy place; for the waters overtook her, and her cry was lost in the roaring of the wind." And thus came a thousand Tar-Míriel feelings.

Idea for a story: I have a couple fics in progress about her, including the timeloop one I've shared before, which may or may not fold my Tar-Míriel does a Judith fic idea into it (thus far it consists only of that title and many thrilling mental images in the vein of Artemisia Gentileschi's painting). I've also been working on one concurrently about her marriage to Pharazôn and the things she does to endure it, but tbh it's dark even for my standards, and I'm on the fence about continuing it.

Unpopular opinion: I find her potential relationship with Sauron much more interesting than Pharazôn and Sauron’s. Not necessarily in a shippy way (although Sauron trying to seduce her a la Celebrimbor would be equally horrifying and fascinating), but more from the perspective of how they exist alongside each other, when they both from the very beginning know exactly where the other stands. I headcanon that they can read each other very clearly and that both of them excel at very veiled, politic barbs and threats, which is a delicious dynamic to me. And Sauron being the master mental torturer that he is adds a whole other level of yikes and yum.

Favorite relationship: I headcanon that Tar-Míriel was very close with Amandil’s wife (Elennúmene in my fics). I envision her living a very isolated life after her marriage to Pharazôn, especially after Sauron's arrival, as it would be dangerous for her to continue openly affiliating with anyone among the Faithful, but I imagine that she would still be permitted to interact with Amandil's wife for a while longer, since he stays in Pharazôn's good graces for a while due to their past friendship, despite being a known leader of the Faithful. And I headcanon that Elennúmene is a major source of strength and comfort for her, especially as Sauron's influence grows and the plight of the Faithful worsens. Elennúmene also helps her keep in contact with others among the Faithful and helps her participate in what acts of resistance she can.

Favorite headcanon: Continuing from above, I headcanon that she led and participated in every small act of resistance that she could without further imperiling herself—nothing that would turn the tide of Númenor’s downfall, but small things that made her feel that she had more agency over her life, and that she was doing all that she could for the Faithful, despite having very little power with which to keep them (or herself) safe. And that knowledge, that at least she was making some difference, however small, was what kept her going through the worst of Númenor's last days.

Fic rec: The Last Queen of Númenor by NevillesGran (G, 2.1k, character death):