5 - Young Love - White Ships in Grey Havens

White mist rolled in from the land towards the Sea. The building surrounding the quay were grey and the rooftops painted in colours of red from the sinking sun. Upon a high tower there stood a man and a woman, both hooded in greenish grey cloaks and looking down upon the havens beneath them. A beautiful white ship had just set sail and now began its journey west as soft sounds of harps and sweet voices like bells ringing were carried up by the wind towards them.

The woman wiped away a tear that slowly descended down her pale cheeks while the man put a comforting arm around her. Softly and quietly she began to speak: "Can I allow myself to love him when it will mean to keep him from leaving with his kin?" The tall man beside her pulled back his cloak and sighed heavily in answer. His arm still upon her shoulder his face turned westward, his face weatherworn yet noble, he held himself almost kingly. Little reminded her of the boy she once knew, but she also had grown from teenager to woman. "There beneath the waves lies our home and with it times when it was not necessary to think of such things."

The woman removed her hood too and her long dark hair flowed down and waved behind her as the wind picked it up. Her green eyes searched the horizon and then lingered upon the boat beneath them as it passed the gates of the Grey Havens. "How many times have you stood here, Milord and asked yourself this question?" She turned to him and waited for an answer. He did not reply immediately, but thought long as his eyes followed the ship as it slowly drifted westwards and the sounds of voices slowly faded like the memory of a dream.

The light grew darker and blue lanterns were lit all about the city when he began to speak. "Too many times, my dear friend, but not yet enough. But believe me it is not your choice and I would give my life to prevent my love from suffering. If I could I would follow her – follow them – even if it was to be my death. But we cannot follow them. You know that, Rómeniêl, for you are of my kin." She nodded silently. Aragorn began humming and soon drifted into a sad soft song, singing of Luthien and Beren. Rómeniêl knew the song by heart and soon joined into the tune. So they stood for a while singing and watching as the sails of the ship faded into the horizon and vanished completely as the sun sank beneath the horizon in a last flash of light. Standing there it seemed as if the wind carried over sounds of the past, of bells ringing and laughter and singing, of white shores and bliss.

Rómeniêl turned to Aragorn and realised for the first time that their fate had not only been bound by the oath she had so long ago pledged, as all her family had or the friendship that they had since her childhood, but by something more. It was the memory of ancient blood running in their veins, a connection beyond understanding, a fate sung in songs before the beginning of time. "It is not our decision to make, my friend, is it? Can I go back and meet those I love and send them onto the ships? Could I bear it?" He smiled at her sadly. "You could try and trust me - I tried. It is not your decision to make, my dear." He removed his arm from her shoulder and left the balcony turning back and waving her to follow him, "Come now, this ship has gone. Today is no day for answers yet. We will be watching another ship leave someday, maybe to say goodbye to the last of the Elves. Maybe to say goodbye to those we love.”