Light from Shadows

Chapter 2

Morgoth's POV

I angrily paced in front of my black throne. It had almost been a full month's time since the children had gone missing. I knew they were not dead, they were too stubborn to die so young. I growled angrily myself, berating me for being such a poor excuse of a father and not setting a guard for them. Sauron entered the room and I stopped to look at him questioningly.

Sauron had worked himself into a decline trying to find his daughter. He had gotten quite thin, his eyes had bags under them, and his hair was badly tangled from running his hand through it. "Anything?" I asked hopefully, he shook his head. "Not a trace of them." He sighed as he approached me slowly.

"Why not?!" I snarled at him. "Why haven't they been found?! Where could they have been taken that we wouldn't have heard of it by now?! They could not have been taken to Valinor! The elves here were exiled!"

Sauron didn't even flinch. His eyes narrowed angrily. "And do you think," he nearly shrieked. "That I haven't exhausted every resource we have, trying to find the children?! Did I not lead the wolves myself as we searched for the smallest trace of them?! Did I not turn into a bat and search the halls of the high elvenking?!"

I took a step back as Sauron vented about all he'd done to recover the children. "And yet they remain lost to us!" He ended his rant by bursting into tears. "I know, Mairon," I soothed using his first name. "I'm sorry, I'm just so worried about them."

"What would Mírë think of us losing them?" He asked as he dried his tears. I shrugged, and sat on my throne with a disheartened sigh. "I don't know." Was the only answer I had for him. Sauron gave his report and left the throne room to search some more, leaving me alone to think.

*flashback*

I sat on my black throne, just as I was doing now. All three Silmarils were set in my iron crown, burning my forehead. Sauron came before me, a smile on his face. "My lord," he said as he knelt before me. "You remember the raiding party we sent to Fëanor's camp?"

"Of course," I responded as a leering smile spread across my face. "What news of it?" "Fëanor is dead," Sauron said with fierce joy in his voice. "Burnt to ashes by our balrogs! Not only that, but we've captured his most treasured child. It couldn't be better!"

I threw my head back and laughed. "Bring his offspring before me at once!" I ordered eagerly, ready to gloat over his favorite son. "At once, my lord." Sauron agreed, and left the room to fetch the prisoner. I waited impatiently for him to return, for I wanted them to see how mighty the 'jail-crow of Mandos' was.

Finally, he returned with... a female albino elf! He gently but firmly forced her to kneel before me. "Are you sure this is Fëanor's child?" I asked doubtfully, I had only heard of Fëanor having sons and this elleth seemed to docile to be Fëanor's. "She bears the mark." Sauron said as he rolled up the sleeve of the trembling elleth.

Sure enough, there was a tattoo of the star of Fëanor on her arm. I sat back and stared at her as Sauron stepped away. "It's so rare to get an elleth here alive," I told her, her ice blue eyes widened in fear. "And you're such a lovely one too." I reached down and brushed my burnt hand along her jawline.

She shut her beautiful eyes tightly as I did so and trembled twice as much as before. "Oh don't worry," I cooed as I took my hand away. "I won't hurt you. I wouldn't dream of it." She slowly gained the courage to open her eyes and look at me.

I smiled down at her softly. The light from the Silmarils accented her snow white skin. "Please," she said in a fearful voice, sweet as birdsong. "Let me go. I have no information and cannot tell you anything. So please, I beg you-"

I cut her off with a maniacal laugh so loud she shrank away from me. "My dear," I chuckled as I looked down at her shaking form. "If you think you were taken for work or information, you are sorely mistaken! You were brought here as a trophy. They spoils of war, if you will. But perhaps you can alter that."

"How can I?" She asked, eager to get out of being my prisoner. "A rather simple matter," I told her as I tried to make my eyes as loving as possible. For I realized I was deeply in love, and I saw the same emotion in Sauron's eyes when he looked at her. "A matter soon arranged and done. You must marry both my lieutenant and myself. I trust you have no objections."

"What?" She gasped in shock and fear. "You killed my grandfather! You left his body crushed on the floor!" I felt my face harden and the elleth shrank away from me. "Very well," I growled. "We will not force you. A trophy of war you remain. Sauron, show her to her quarters. And remember, my dear, you can change your mind at any time."

*end flashback*

I was shaken out of my memory by Sauron bursting through the throne room doors. "My lord!" He exclaimed as two large wolves dragged a white lion into the room. "This creature had the children's blood on its back! And it refuses to say where it took them or what happened to them!"

I stood from my throne and walked over to the lion. I grabbed its mouth and forced it to stare into my eyes. It stared back defiantly as it growled and lashed its tail. "Clip its mane," I ordered as I stalked back to my throne. "And chain it until it speaks. I will have my son back."