A Different Kind of Heaven [ Silmarillion ] 1

Chapter 22: Sketches

A/N: Thank you to all the kind reviewers and followers! I would like to especially thank Unicadia (FFN) for her two pieces of art for this story! I uploaded them to their chapters (9 and 14) of this story if anyone wants to check them out. They are amazing and I am so flattered!

Apologies for missing an update!

When Eve came to in the early morning, she blinked her eyes open and realized her head rested on something warm. She straightened up, noticing that both Nelyo and Tyelko sat chatting quietly. Moryo sat nearby reading a book as he leaned against a tree.

"She awakens." Nelyo chuckled upon her shifting away from Findekáno.

"You're not a bad pillow," she told Findekáno with a small laugh. "Sorry."

"It is fine," Finno assured her, standing to stretch.

She undid her braid and ran her hands through the wavy and almost knotted auburn locks. She vaguely remembered their conversation the night before.

"We're heading back home today?" She gave a tiny frown. "That's what we decided last night right?"

"Correct," Nelyo nodded. He handed her a pastry filled with a red filling.

She took a bite and grinned. Through her full mouth she muttered, "This is amazing!" Huan ran up to her and she laughed, hiding her food. "Hey that's mine!"

Tyelko called for his canine friend. Huan barked and trotted back over to him, sitting down at Tyelko's feet and dwarfing everything around him. "I am staying an extra day," he said to Eve. "The Hunters are meeting together tonight."

"That sounds fun," she smiled, finally satisfied with her hair. She put her white flower crown back on. "How many are you?"

"Twenty-five." Then he paused and shook his head. "Twenty-six now including Hrávien."

They continued to chat for about twenty more minutes. Káno showed up eventually carrying a bag of supplies. The soft grin on his face made them all pause and demand answers.

"I found paints and canvas and brushes for Eve at the market," he revealed, opening the sack to reveal a dozen tubes of paint, eight horse hair brushes, and a roll of canvas. "It was time someone made good on their promise."

Eve gasped and took out one of the brushes. She felt it absentmindedly, half checking the quality of the hairs, half just feeling it for comfort. "Thank you so much!"

Káno nodded and offered to carry the bag for until they reached their horses. She thanked him again profusely. Now that all the brothers and Eve had packed up, they set off through the fair grounds to the massive stable where they had left the horses. Eve's face fell upon mounting Alassë. She did not want to leave the festival. But after several moments of sadness she reminded herself that there had to be a hundred things just as grand in this place.

Several days later they reached the inn which they'd stopped at on the way South. They stayed the night again. Eve placed her pack in her room and sighed to herself. The scent of alcohol didn't bother her quite as much this time around, but it still brought back unpleasant memories.

This time, all her companions decided to go drink. Eve did not fancy sitting in her room alone for hours. Therefore she took a deep breath and made up her mind to join them. She looked in the bag of art supplies and saw a small sketch pad and pencils. Eve decided to bring this along with her.

She sat down at a comfortable corner table. Findekáno and Moryo had gone to get glasses of wine for them all. Tyelko, Nelyo, and Káno chatted together as Huan sat curled under the table nearly too big for it but just fitting somehow. Eve took out a pencil and began to sketch what she remembered of Alqualondë's great domes and towers. She fell full engrossed into her work, not even noticing when the two other elves returned until they spoke.