Back to Middle-earth Month

Title: A Sad Tale's Best for Winter
Author Name: heartofoshun (Oshun)
Prompt: Write a story or create art about the midwinter holiday (Yule or another midwinter holiday of your choosing).
Summary: Elrond looks back on Yuletides past at two distinct periods in his life, nearly an Age and a half apart. “The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness.” (In Portugal, by AFG Bell, 1912.)
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None.
Beta: The extraordinarily patient ignoblebard must have read this five or six times. (I cannot thank pandemonium_213, nelyo_russandol, drummerwench,  and scarlet1061 enough for reading and offering corrections and suggestions). Any remaining mistakes or poor judgment calls are my own.
Author's Notes: I want to thank dawn_felagund for the beautiful calligraphy and illumination which she created for this story.

Artwork
Titles: (three works) Pine Cones, Betrayed, and Kissed for "A Sad Tale's Best for Winter"
Artist Name: Dawn Felagund
Description: Calligraphy and illumination of brief passages from the story. The calligraphy utilizes a script I developed based on Tolkien's own writing in the Tengwar of "Namárië" and "A Elbereth Gilthoniel." The illumination is based on a style used in the 15th-century Bible of Borso d'Este. Ink, acrylic, and gold leaf on Bristol vellum.
Rating: General
Warnings: None.

( A Sad Tale's Best for Winter )