#thesevengates

[laerthel]

“The Edain say that the wolves come from the Iron Prison itself, Lord Warden,” one of the guards told Maedhros. “And some are bigger than a horse.” “Perhaps their horses are very small,” a scout offered. “Well,” said Bór, the Easterling, “the only wolves I have seen were perfectly wolf-sized.” “Fear makes all monsters grow,” said the guard, “and yet I wonder…” “If the Edain told you the truth?” Maedhros glanced at him. “The Enemy never tires of creating new monstrosities. If they are his next target, I pity the wolves.” When everyone looked at him with barely contained curiosity, he could not suppress a smile. “For the Stars of Varda, my friends, cease this! Speak your mind. You all wish to ask me if there are horse-sized wolves in Angamando; but to my surprisingly bitter regret, the only answer I have for you is I do not know.” His eyes narrowed. “What I do know, however, is that at least one fire-breathing monstrosity of a dragon is still there, alive and well, and with each passing year it grows.” “There’s a bet on who shall be the one to slay it,” said the scout. “You are leading, Lord Warden.” “Of course I am,” said Maedhros. “But the High King is a close second.” “Of course he is.” Maedhros pulled the sword off the whetstone, pushing the blade back into its sheathe. “I am riding out tonight to have a look at those giant wolves,” he said, right as the thought formed itself in his mind. “If you incidentally find yourselves in the courtyard after nightfall, you may come with me; although I shall not need more than three. I seek to surprise them.”

The Seven Gates, Chapter 35.

[laerthel]

“I am going to count as long as my fingers allow me,” said Maedhros leisurely. “Which is, alas, not very long,” said Fingon.

-- The Seven Gates, Chapter 35

[laerthel]

my autocorrect keeps changing Gwindor to Grinder and it's kinda messing with my tragic vibe here

[laerthel]

"Where are they now?" Maedhros asked, and his voice was commanding. "Down in the camp somewhere, I imagine," said Caranthir. "Do not be surprised if you see them with Eöl's men. They came to Himring and asked for protection, as they had been cut off from Thingol's lands since the Flames struck. Our brothers made sure that their plight was known in Doriath, and indeed Thingol had taken in those who chose so – but more then half remained with us, among them a very skilled silversmith." "What of Eöl, then?" Fingon raised an eyebrow. "Did he die in the Flames?" "No one seems to know," said Caranthir slowly. Silence settled in the room, tense and uneasy; and Fingon leaned forward in his chair. "What happened to the other half of your sentence, cousin? I keep hearing its silent echoes; why would you be afraid to speak it?" "Not afraid," said Caranthir, "but weary. Weary because I think I know the answer to what I am about to ask; you, however, shall not be ready for the question, either." "What is it?" Fingon asked again; and Maedhros's skin crawled with unease. Caranthir sighed. "Tell me, High King – when was the last time you have had word of your sister?"

The Seven Gates, Chapter 39

[laerthel]

Snippet Saturday ❤️

Thanks for the tag @ladysterndust and @nerdanelparmandil ! Here's a short-but-sweet snippet from the upcoming chapter of The Seven Gates, starring Anardil of Gondolin, Feanorian Snarker Extraordinaire :D unedited as it is, it kinda reads like my assignments from sixth grade, but hey, at least I've made progress! :D

No trumpets were sounded and no banners were raised. The army was frozen in silent anticipation, watching out intently for any movement of the High King’s armies. They were hidden in the woods and the Gondolin army in the lesser mountains, all waiting for the Feanorians to light a great beacon, north of what remained of Dorthonion. Of course they need to set something on fire, Anardil thought, they just cannot help it, can they?

@rebornflameofthenoldor , @arianaofimladris , @chiliadicorum , @balrogballs , @2fewbookshelves and Anyone Else Who'd like to, you're very welcome to share a snippet of whatever you've been working on lately (no pressure tags ofc).

[laerthel]

okay, here we go

i've actually gotten to the point where i have to write a 30K version of the nirnaeth

[laerthel]

“Nelyafinwë and Findekáno, exploring the Oroquilta in the dead of winter,” said Tyelcano, his voice remarkably impassive. “Alone, of course, with nothing else than their infallible wit and valiancy to guard them!” Against his will, his voice flared up. “Covered in blood and dirt from head to toes, no doubt, genuinely surprised that they would find trolls in a troll cave.”

-- Tyelcano of Himring, every single day of his existence

[laerthel]

ten years ago yesterday, I posted the first chapter of 'The Seven Gates'.

a decade. wow! 😂

i mean, i've written SO MANY WORDS in the past 10 years. easily over a million... but i don't think any other project has ever stayed with me for this long without being abandoned.

because 'gates' was never truly abandoned. i often took more than a year to update, for sure, but eventually i always came back to it. sometimes because i missed the world so much, sometimes because i got a rush of inspiration, sometimes merely out of spite.

i don't usually recognize any effort that i put into my writing unless the result is a clear success by my standards (which happens exactly... never 😂) but still, a decade is a decade. dedication can be an accomplishment in itself, i guess.

and most of all, i still love this story, and i hope to finish it soon.