Chapter 01:Of the Coming of Turenaga and Telemire

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Of all the great tales of the First Age, much has been told throughout history.  But there is one tale that few bards even know a little, fewer still know it to completion.  Yet, this tale has affected all events that have come since.  It is a tale of hope and despair; of loyalty and treachery; of great battles between armies and within souls. It is a tale of long forgotten heroes in a more glorious time.

All know of the coming of the Noldor to Middle Earth.  But what is not known is another story that began at the same time.  With the destruction of the Two Trees and the Darkening of Valinor, the Noldor king, Finwe, was slain by the Vala, Melkor.  Stolen, too, was the greatest treasure of the Noldor, the Simarils.  Wrought by Feanor's own hand, they contained the light of the Two Trees, and Melkor had coveted them since their creation. 

Melkor had long sown discontent and distrust among the Noldor.  There was a split among the sons of Finwe that almost came to war.  The oldest, Feanor, began to see his two younger brothers, Fingolfin and Finarfin, as rivals to his rightful place as Finwe's heir.  This distrust had always been there, for Feanor and his younger brothers were of different mothers.  Feanor's own mother had forfeited her spirit to the Halls of Mandos in giving life to Feanor.  Finwe grieved for many ages before marrying again to a beautiful Vanyar maiden named Indis.  She was the mother of Fingolfin and Finarfin.  Finwe was happy again and Feanor became increasingly more jealous.  This jealousy Melkor played on to exact his revenge against the Noldor and the other Valar.

Feanor, enraged by his father's murder, stirred the Noldor to pursue Melkor, renaming him Morgoth, to the ends of the earth, promising great riches and kingdoms to those who dared to follow.  Upon the mountain Tuna, in the Noldor city of Tirion, Feanor and his seven sons swore a terrible oath to retrieve the stolen Simarils, no matter the cost, no matter the enemy.   Fear and dread went through the gathered Noldor, for oaths are not taken lightly.  They pursue oath-keeper and oath-breaker to the ends of the earth.

Fingolfin, and his son Turgon, spoke against Feanor.  Fierce words nearly came to be settled at the ends of swords.  Finrod, eldest son of Finarfin, was with Turgon.
Finarfin and his second son, Orodreth, spoke softly, seeking to calm the Noldor.  They cautioned Feanor to ponder his decision before doing deeds that could not be undone.
Galadriel, daughter of Finarfin, was eager to be gone from Valinor.  She swore no oath, but Feanor's words had kindled in her heart a desire to see the wild lands of Middle Earth and to rule there a realm of her own.  With Galadriel stood Fingon, eldest son of Fingolfin, and the twin sons of Finarfin, Anrod and Aegnor.

Dissention soon arose in the host, for not all Noldor accepted Feanor as High King.  Greater love was given to Fingolfin and his sons.  They refused to renounce him and pleaded that he lead them.  Against his wisdom, Fingolfin marched, partly because his son Fingon urged him and partly because he would not be sundered from his people and leave them to Feanor's rash council.  Nor had he forgotten his promise before Manwe not to divide the Noldor again, as in the days of Morgoth's deceits.  Finarfin marched also for like reasons; though he was most loathe to do so.

Manwe made one last attempt to sway Feanor from his course.  If he should continue, neither aid nor hindrance shall the Valar offer.  The Noldor had come freely to Valinor and they may depart freely, but Feanor, by his own words, is exiled.  Feanor rebuked Manwe's words and marched with his host in pursuit of Morgoth.
Well it is known of the consequences of this oath.  But what is less known is the fate of two Noldor that were among those persuaded to action. 

Turenanga was a weaponsmith of great renown and claimed fealty to the House of Caranthir, fourth son of Feanor.  In the days of Morgoth's deceits, Turenanga tirelessly worked his forge to arm the Noldor of Caranthir's house.  His weapons and armor were among the greatest of all Elvish works.  Gripped by Feanor's words at Tirion, Turenanga joined his lord in swearing that terrible oath.

There, too, was another of future legend.  Telemire was a jewelsmith by trade, and a promising apprentice to Feanor.  To Curufin, fifth son of Feanor, did he swear allegiance. Already well known among the Noldor, it was said that, in time, he may even rival Feanor's skill.  Knowing what the Simarils meant to Feanor personally, Telemire was one of the most eager to answer his lord's call to arms.

But there was another.  e'Narmire.  A mysterious elf, not of the Noldor, but of the Vanyar.  He was among the first of the Eldar to awaken at Cuivenien and had made the Long Journey so many ages past.  Considered old even by the Eldar, he was the brother to Indis, and uncle to her sons, Fingolfin and Finarfin.  At hearing Feanor's' words, e'Narmire stood with Finarfin and Orodreth and cautioned the Noldor not to act in anger or in haste. 

Though he had foreseen the trials that were to come, e'Narmire followed the Noldor into their exile, not to seek fortune and power, but at the urging of his sister Indis.  She was distraught by Feanor's words and feared for her children as they followed Feanor into exile.  Out of a brother's love, he promised that he would accompany his sister-sons to Middle Earth and to protect and guide them to the best of his ability.   

e'Narmire was especially aware of the fates that awaited Turenanga and Telemire.  He knew that each, in his own way, would come to serve the Enemy's purposes.  He tried in vain to convince the two young Noldor not to follow their lord on such a fool's errand.  He warned that only grief and hardships lay ahead that neither could yet understand.  Caught up in their youthfulness and anger at Morgoth's betrayal, Turenanga and Telemire did not heed the words of e'Narmire, and the events of this tale are the result of their rashness.

Fired by the words of Feanor, Turenanga and Telemire blindly followed their lord.  Urged to gather all that they would need for the journey, Turenanga and Telemire and the host of the Noldor marched with Feanor to the north, thinking to follow Morgoth.  But Tirion lay along the Girdle of Arda where the sea was at its greatest width. To the north, the sea would be narrowest, but the path would be long and dangerous and Feanor knew this. 

The High King then came upon a new solution.  He and his host would sail to Middle Earth, but a fleet would take too long to build.  Then Feanor remembered the Teleri, elves of the coast of Valinor, and their renown for their skills upon the seas.  They had a great fleet, built by their own hand, and it was upon these ships, in the Teleri city of Aqualonde, that Feanor set his sights.

Leaving behind the hosts of his uncles, Fingolfin and Finarfin, Feanor hastened to Aqualonde and spoke as he did to the Noldor, but his words had not the effect he had desired and the Teleri refused their aid.  Feanor grew angered, but he still could not win the Teleri to his cause.  Olwe, the Teleri King and brother to Feanor's father Finwe, would not aid Feanor in either loaning his ships or in the construction of more.  Instead, Olwe chastised Feanor for his rashness in leaving Valinor.

Wrathful, Feanor left Olwe and sat in dark thought outside the walls of Aqualonde until his host had assembled.  If the Teleri would not give up their ships, Feanor resolved to take them by force.  But he only had his most loyal followers with him.  The main host of the Noldor, led by his brothers Fingolfin and Finarfin were a few days behind.

He readied his warriors for the attack.  Maedhros cautioned his father not to attack, at least not until the rest of the Noldor arrived.  To do so would be suicidal, for Aqualonde was too strong.  Feanor knew his brothers would never support such a course of action, and he resolved to carry through with his plan.

Thrice did the Noldor assault Aqualonde and thrice were they thrown back.  It was not until the people of Fingon, son of Fingolfin, arrived that Feanor at last overcame the Teleri.  Fingon had not known the cause of the battle between the Teleri and his Noldor kinsman and he pitched into battle without question. 

In these four assaults, Telemire and Turenanga took an active part.  It was their company that pushed furthest into the city during the first attack before becoming surrounded and cut off by the Teleri.  The battle was desperate along the quays as the two craftsmen held their ground, fighting as if they were seasoned warriors. 
Telemire seemed to be always in the heart of the battle, as if he were everywhere at once, rallying the Noldor to hold on, assuring them that Feanor would not abandon them.  He suffered several minor cuts, but the Teleri could not quench his anger and each wound seemed to make Telemire more indestructible. 

Turenanga occupied a high balcony in the small company's perimeter.  From this vantage, he directed the Noldor archers to support Telemire's wild counterattacks.  Teleri archers returned this fire, wounding Turenanga in his sword arm, but they could not stop the deadly rain of Noldor darts.

For nearly two days, the craftsmen held their ground.  They were relieved by the arrival of Fingon's warriors driving toward their position.  It was shortly after that the Teleri surrendered.

With the Teleri defeated, Feanor had secured their fleet of ships.  It was now that Fingon learned of the true cause of the battle and he was disgusted and regretful.  Seeds of discontent were also sown among some of Feanor's most faithful allies.  Though he would not openly question his liege-lord, Telemire began to feel grief and guilt about his actions in this Kinslaying.

Feanor now faced another problem that he had not counted on.  With all of the ships of the Teleri, there was not enough room for the entire Noldor host.  Even with the ships, Feanor was still forced to journey north and confront the Grinding Ice, the Helcaraxe.  With the greater part of the Noldor following the coastline, Feanor and his loyal followers shadowed them in the Teleri ships, unaware of impending danger.

Though the Valar had promised to neither help nor hinder, the Maiar, only slightly less powerful than the Valar, made no such promise.  It was the Vala Ulmo who was the Lord of the Waters, but the Maiar of his domain, angered by the murder of the Teleri, sent upon the Noldor fleet a great storm.  Many of the ships were destroyed and hundreds of Feanor's faithful were drowned in the raging waters.  Turenanga and Telemire were among those of Feanor's host that survived the storms, each narrowly escaping death.

Telemire was cast overboard and would have drowned if not for Feanor risking his own life to save that of his loyal apprentice.  Turenanga was nearly crushed by a masthead that had snapped in the violent winds.  Only a timely shove by a crewmate saved his life.  The crewmate was not as fortunate as the lines of the masthead entangled his feet and pulled him into the sea. 

From the shore, e'Narmire watched the storm wreck Feanor's fleet with nervousness.  He was relieved to learn that Turenanga and Telemire had survived, but secretly wished they had not, for he knew that much worse lay ahead.

Many days passed after the storm.  The Maiar no longer attempted to hinder the Noldor and the days were uneventful, save for the occasional hunting and foraging parties sent to find food for the great hosts.  But this peacefulness would not last.  Manwe would try one more time to sway Feanor from his course.  He sent Mandos, the Keeper of the Dead, to offer an ultimatum. 

The Doom of the Noldor it has come to be called.  In a great and terrifying voice, Mandos warned, "Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains.  On the House of Feanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also.   Their oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue.  To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass.  The Dispossessed shall they be forever.

"Ye have spilled the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Valinor.  For blood ye shall render blood, and beyond Valinor ye shall dwell in Death's shadow.  For though Eru, the Creator, appointed to you to die not in the world and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be:  by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos.  There long shall ye abide and yearn for your bodies, and find little pity, though all whom ye have slain should entreat for you.  And those that endure in Middle Earth and come not to Mandos shall grow weary of the world as with a great burden, and shall wane, and become as shadows of regret before the younger race that cometh after.  The Valar have spoken."

Feanor hardened his heart at Mandos' warning and said, "We have sworn, and not lightly.  This oath we will keep.  We are threatened with many evils, and treason not least; but one thing is not said; that we shall suffer from cowardice, from cravens or the fear of cravens.  Therefore I say that we will go on, and this doom I add:  the deeds that we shall do shall be the matter of song until the last days of Arda."
At these tidings, Finarfin and his following refused to go any further and turned back in penance.  Being filled with grief and bitterness against the House of Feanor, they retraced their steps in sorrow until they beheld once more their city of Tirion.  There, they received the pardon of the Valar and Finarfin was set to rule the remnant of the Noldor in the Blessed Realm of Valinor. 

Finarfin's return to Tirion gladdened e'Narmire, but this was tempered by Fingolfin's decision to stay with his people.  He was not yet released from his promise.  The sons of Fingolfin would not abandon their father, and the sons of Finarfin would not forsake him either.  All of Fingolfin's folk went forward, feeling the constraint of their kinship and the will of Feanor.  Since not all of them had been guiltless of the Kinslaying at Aqualonde, they feared to face the doom of the Valar.

As the host pressed forward, they soon came to the far north of Valinor, seeing for the first time the icy teeth of the Helcaraxe.  Feanor halted and the Noldor debated what course they should now take.  But they soon began to suffer anguish from the cold and many began to repent and to curse Feanor.  But Feanor took council with his sons and two courses they saw to escape from Valinor; by the straits of the Helcaraxe or by ship.  The Helcaraxe seemed impassable and there were too few ships to carry all of the Noldor.  None were willing to wait while the ships ferried the host across.

Feanor then decided on a course of action, and fulfilled a part of the Doom.  He would betray his kinsmen and leave them behind.  The ships were manned only by those who had fought at Aqualonde, and were therefore bound to Feanor.  While the Noldor host debated on the path to take, Feanor and his host slipped aboard the ships and sailed east, abandoning their kinsmen.

Since the sea was at its narrowest, Feanor passed quickly and without incident.  The first of the Noldor to set foot once more upon the shores of Middle Earth was Feanor at the mouth for the Firth of Dengrist in Dor-lomin.  After the landing, Maedhros, eldest son of Feanor and friend of Fingon, spoke of sending the fleet back to retrieve the rest of the host.

To this, Feanor replied, "What I have left behind I count now no loss; needless baggage on the road it has proved.  Let those that cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the Valar!  Let the ships burn!"

So then ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible.  Fingolfin and his people saw the light of the fire and they knew that they had been betrayed.  So did Telemire, and that was too much.

Telemire had been counted among one of the most loyal of Feanor's followers, second only to his own sons.  He had felt guilt and remorse about his actions at Aqualonde, but he had been able to justify them, however weakly, in his own mind.  He had not gone into battle with hatred in his heart.  He was only trying to save the lives of the Noldor around him.  He had wanted to spare as many of the Teleri as possible, not wanting to kill them, but they gave him no choice. 

Out of love for his master, Telemire had convinced himself that Feanor would not leave Fingolfin behind.  But now, in his heart, he knew that leaving the others behind to die was wrong.  He had held his tongue before, but no longer could he stand by and do nothing.  He did what no other had dared to do, not even Maedhros.  He lashed out at Feanor.

"This is not right! I will not be a part of this betrayal!  This is not the way of a just king!  Feanor, you have gone mad and deserve not the mantle of Kingship!"
Feanor gazed at Telemire.  At first, Feanor was taken aback, but soon the anger on his face and the flames of the great fire reflecting in his eyes gave him a radiance that was terrible to behold.  Telemire instinctively stepped back.

"How dare you," growled Feanor.  "How dare you defy me?  It was I that taught you the craft that you hold so dear.  It was I that introduced you to the love of Hithwen, your wife.  It was I that saved your pathetic life by fishing you out of the sea."  Feanor drew his sword, putting the point to Telemire's throat.  "Now you repay me with this betrayal!  I should kill you now, insolent child!"

Telemire stood his ground, flinching not, even with the sword at his throat, and spoke softly to his mentor.  "You have already killed me, Feanor.  More than you know.  Watching this betrayal has inflicted a thousand deaths upon my heart.  You can do no more than that."

Feanor lowered his sword, but anger still rang in his words as he agreed with Telemire.  "You are dead.  From this day forth, you are dead to me and to all of my House."  Feanor turned and stepped away from Telemire.  "Leave this place at once.  Make your own way in this dangerous world, for you are no longer welcome in any house of the Noldor, neither in mine nor in those that you willingly left behind."  Feanor turned sharply back to Telemire and, raising his voice, laid a curse upon his apprentice.  "Know this, Oathbreaker, your greatest work shall be a curse upon your family.  A curse that can only be lifted with blood.  Be gone with you into exile, and obscurity."

Feanor turned away a final time.  Turenanga, bearing witness to the episode, glared at Telemire, a mix of confusion and anger showed in his expression.  Telemire had always been a friend, but now, unbelievably, he was an enemy.  A shadow of hatred fell over his heart, a shadow that would never fully go away, but would engulf him.
Telemire stood silently for a moment and muttered under his breath, "May the fires of your hatred consume you, Feanor."  With that, Telemire turned south and began his exile.