b2mem | If It Be Thus To Dream... by Kaylee Arafinwiel (Reply)

B2MeM Prompt: Dreams (Red Path)
Format: ficlet
Genre:
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: mention of deaths
Characters: Valandur, Anaire, Gloredhel, mention of Glorfindel and others
Pairings:
Creator’s Notes (optional): finally continuing the story of Gloredhel, wow am I behind, lol. In the flashback, Gloredhel is probably no more than six, if even that - two and a half in human reckoning.
Summary: That night in The Rose and Crown, Gloredhel's memories start to return...

That night, Glóredhel dreamed. She dreamed of her childhood in Ennor – of her Nana, she thought, whose soft white hands and clear, gentle eyes, framed by a halo of golden hair were the only features that came clearly to her. This was a memory Hir Glurim was showing her, by the feel of it one of her earliest.
***

“Glóredhel, nethben, what dost thou?” The cadence of the voice belonged to the Sindar who inhabited…Nevrast, that was it. Nevrast, the first kingdom she had known. Nevrast had been home.

“Nana,” she heard herself cry. “I want my nana.” But wasn’t this Nana? Why would she say such a thing, unless…

“Thy naneth cannot come to thee, nethben,” the elleth said softly. “I will take care of thee, I promise.”

“I want Nana,” she’d cried, stamping her feet, and the next sensation she had was one of being unbalanced, swept off her feet as the golden elleth gathered her up, giving her a cuddle. She’d grabbed for the circlet of silver and adamant the elleth wore in her hair…

“Enough, hina!” The elleth slipped into Quenya, giving the elfling a gentle shake which startled Glóredhel out of her insistent grabbing. She held Glóredhel away from her, and the tiny elleth finally took in the golden-haired elleth’s fair form. She was nearly of age, but not quite there, and so of course she could not be Gloredhel’s nana. She was richly dressed, or more so than most of the Elves of Nevrast; recently arrived, the Noldor had been garbed in little more than rags and animal furs, but their clothes were mended now. This elleth wore a robe of spun and woven white bear-fur mixed with wool given them by the Sindar.

Them. Yes, this elleth was a Noldo, and so was Glóredhel. She dimly remembered the blinding ice she had been begotten upon, brought forth in the endless cold and left behind when her ammë and atto had…

The memories were pushing in one on top of the other for dominance and the Glóredhel who remembered them was warring with the little Glóredhel who knew not what was happening. She woke with a cry as the memories finally drowned her in their mounting waves…
***

Anairë was at her side in a minute. “Glóredhel?” Valandur had rushed in when he heard her screaming.

“Atto…where is my atto?”

“Glorfindel isn’t here,” Valandur sighed, stroking the young elleth’s hair. “I know you want your ada, child, but he isn’t here.”
“N-no. Atto,” the child emphasised. “Ada Glorfindel kept me, but they…they d-died.”

“They?” Anairë asked softly.

“Atto and Ammë. A bear…” Glóredhel turned her face away, weeping. “Ada Glorfindel and Nana…Nana Idril took me.”

“Itarildë!” Anairë’s eyes widened. “But surely she was just a child herself.”

“Almost grown,” Glóredhel said softly. “She found me in Nevrast with Ada. She helped…she helped. I remember.”

“Peace, hina,” Valandur whispered. “It is well. All will be well.”

All words are Sindarin or Quenya, as noted:

Ennor (Sindarin) - "Middle Land", Middle-earth. The Quenya would be Endorë.
Atto/Ada (Quenya/Sindarin) Papa, daddy, hypocoristic form of Atar/Adar "father"
Ammë/Nana (Quenya/Sindarin) Mama, mommy, hypocoristic form of Amillë/Naneth "mother"
Elleth (Sindarin) Female elf, elf-maiden.
Hir Glurim (Sindarin) Irmo, Lorien, Master of Dreams
Nethben (Sindarin) Young one. (I've also seen this written "penneth" or "pen-neth", with the words the other way around. The "p" becomes "b" when written this way.)
Hina (Quenya) "O child" the vocative form of address, normally used for young children only. "Hinya" or "my child" is used in most cases but here "hina" is appropriate.

Character Note on Itarildë/Idril (Quenya/Sindarin) She is the daughter of Turgon and Elenwë, and eventual wife of Tuor, mother of Earendil. Here, before the Noldor under her father's banner even move to Gondolin, she's just a young elleth, motherless and (mostly) alone. Not so alone once she 'adopts' Gloredhel though :) In Fiondilverse and therefore my-verse, Glorfindel (formerly Laurefindil) was one of her father's most loyal followers, as close as family.