1. Star People
In the depths of Angband, a mother is trying to soothe her screaming children.
They have claws, these children. They have pointed teeth. Their voices would grate on the ear even if they were not screaming their heads off, as they are now. They are more orc-like than her, just as she is more orc-like than her parents were.
In the depths of Angband, a long struggle is gradually being lost, but children still need to be lulled to sleep. The dark that she no longer remembers is dark, the pain that she no longer remembers is pain—they weigh on her mind. But, with difficulty, she remembers the word.
'El', she croons. And repeats: 'El...el...el...'
She's never seen a star. Her children never will. But the savage little creatures curl up and go to sleep.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
