Years of Golden Flowers

Saila the Dog

Vano woke up the following morning. He was still in a lot of pain, but at least most of it had gone.

Celebrimbor was still beside him, sleeping against the white dog-of-a-pillow.

Vano shifted onto his left side, thankful his movement didn't hurt any of his broken ribs or arm. He wondered what his father was doing now. After what happened several days ago at Amon Ereb, Vano didn't know anymore what to think of his father. Tears began to fill his eyes. He loved his father, but how could he continue to after his near death from his own father's hands?

His sniffling woke Celebrimbor and the dog up.

"What is wrong?" Celebrimbor yawned.

"I don't know what to feel anymore." Vano rubbed the tears away.

"Don't go crying. The King would likely want to see you today."

The white dog turned its head, whimpering beside Vano's head before licking his whole face.

"Stop that!" Vano tried to pull away. His ribs and arm began to hurt again.

"The dog only wants you to be happy." Celebrimbor rubbed the dog's head, earning a happy bark.

"Its tongue is too rough!" Vano slid further away, and further still.

The white dog soon let out a nervous bark, attempting to stand after days of laying down. Even Celebrimbor tried to get up—both dog and elf collided.

Then they were out of view, and Vano was clutching his head—ribs and arm in searing pain again. He was laying on the ground now, on his back.

Celebrimbor and the dog leaned over the bed. Both looked concerned.

Tears began to stream down his face again. "I am not crying," Vano growled, groaning afterwards.

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It wasn't until several hours, and many ice-packs later, that the High King finally showed up.

"I had hoped he would not get injured on day one like this." King Turgon walked over, examining the newest injury to the elfling. "At least he wasn't knocked out this time," he sighed.

Vano glared at him, but the King turned away to the healer at the door.

The dog let out a cheerful bark, and the two elves looked over.

"Can you understand your dog?" King Turgon asked, turning back to Vano.

"It's not my dog; it's Atar's... I can't understand the dog language. He never bothered to teach me."

King Turgon looked at him curiously before walking to the window across the room. "Has Celegorm ever spoken to an animal in front of you?"

"Uncle Curufin says he once did, but after Atar's previous dog, Huan, left, he hasn't seemed to be able to understand them. I mean, he did yell at this dog a few times back when he was choking me. But, other than that," Vano waved his good hand in the air, "I have never heard him speak to them. Why?"

"I just figured you would have learned by now, being that you've lived with them for around a year as Celebrimbor's told me."

Vano shifted in the bed. He wished Celebrimbor could be there, but the elf was called away a while ago to continue a project with this 'Lord Rog'. "Yes, but that has been mostly training."

"'Training'? Training for what?" King Turgon was now back beside the bed. He was much taller than the elfling; which didn't help the situation.

"Just... Training. What else is there to say? Atar wants to make sure I know how to defend myself, should the time come."

There was silence for a long while. Neither elf wanted to respond to the other as the staring contest began. Vano had never meet a person--besides his father--who could hold his stare for so long. It exhausted him.

Something brushed the edge of his mind, but he ignored it.

The dog let out another bark. This time, it sounded annoyed.

Something brushed Vano's mind again. This time, more forceful.

With his injured head, the elfling couldn't hold the thing out. Vano grabbed the sides of his head, whimpering. The dog licked his face.

"I will send you to a lord tomorrow," the High King spoke. "Get some rest for tonight. And, give that dog of yours some water. She is thirsty." He turned and walked to the door.

"How do you know it's a girl?!" Vano called after him.

"She just tried to tell you."

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'Hello, Lord Vanafin'. The voice was very gentle—much like a girl's.

"Who are you?" Vano sat up. It was night now, and moonlight filled the room in a soft glow. 

No one was in the room with him. After he had awoken, the king decided he no longer needed elves to stand in the same room. However, two elves stood outside his room—'House of the Tree', he thought he heard. Celebrimbor wasn't allowed to even come back, as apparently his lord, Rog, was angered by his absence the previous day.

It was only him, and the white dog.

'I have no name given by an elf, but my father called me 'Saila'. If that is any help, my lord.'

Vano looked around. The voice was coming from inside his head. He couldn't tell who, or what, was speaking to him, and being called 'lord' was beginning to freak him out.

"Where are you?"

The dog shifted behind him, licking the side of his face again with a rough tongue. Here.

Vano turned to the dog. "Bark three times if you are talking in my head."

The dog barked happily three times.

"I've lost my mind..." Vano muttered, flopping back down.

'You have not lost it, only found it.'

"And you're confusing me!" He shouted.

There was a knock at his door. "Everything alright in there?!" A guard called.

He wanted to say 'no', but 'Saila'—as she called herself—spoke 'yes' in his head louder than 'no'. He responded with 'yes'.

"Damn you, dog. Stop that," he hissed.

Saila's tail thumped a few times on the bed.

"Someone, please... make this end." Vano buried his head under his pillow, trying to block Saila's voice from his head.

'Just say 'Silence, Saila.' And I will silence until you call my name again.'