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hikarielizabethbloom · 3 days ago

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The Siren and the Sea

Better late than never! Here is my offering for the Haladriel Summer Bash, inspired by the Siren/Pirate AU prompt! I had heaps of fun writing it, more than I expected to be honest!

A huge thanks to the wonderful @theriverwild for inspiring me as always - this fic turned out for the better because of you! 😘

And to @youwearfinethingswellwriter for writing the best pirate AU I've ever read - I can only hope this turned out half as good as what you've created! ❤

Word Count: 10.7k

Warnings: None really, typical pirate fare, sword fighting etc.

Summary: Since he was a boy, Halbrand had felt a call to the sea, a destiny that seemed inevitable.

It wasn't until many years into his pirate adventures under Captain Morgoth Bauglir, that the reasoning behind this call became clear.

But had the siren locked on to its next victim? Or was something even more nefarious at play...

🏴‍☠⚔🧜🩵🧜⚔🏴‍☠

It was the song of the sea, of the waves and the salted scent they carried. The calming crashing of water against the shore, the ship.

The ocean.

A seemingly endless environment filled with possibility and adventure. It had called to Halbrand since he was a boy. So much so that he had stowed away on a treacherous ship he shouldn’t have dared to walk on. One that came to fly a black flag dotted with three bright jewels. Halbrand witnessed the captain’s treasure achieved but Morgoth wanted more, and the young pirate would be the one to help him get it…

Until he heard the one thing that had been lurking beneath the waves, the truth beneath the lie, the soul of his love for the sea. The one thing that had sung to him all this time.

Her voice.

-----

The Angband had become an old ship, its wood creaking louder every day with every swell of sea that passed underneath it, yet Captain Morgoth refused to retire her, his determination stronger than ever to keep her afloat and onto her next destination. A much thinned crew than Halbrand remembered when he first set sail now filled her cabins, which he did not mind too much. He liked his solitude, and even less the sounds of ale addled buffoons.

One night, when the planks overhead squeaked in an insufferable repetitive pattern, Halbrand took refuge in the night air at the stern, watching the starlit trail of foam that was the ship’s path disappear into the darkness.

A feeling took hold of him, after a few minutes, something he had not felt in so very long. Something out to the west. Turning his gaze, it was as if his eyes roused his ears, and what he felt in his heart he began to hear. It was beautiful, angelic, and it felt safe. Like home. Halbrand was compelled then to walk closer to it, as close as he could without falling into the sea. In a dreamlike state now he gazed as far as his eyes could take him, a smile creeping slowly onto his face, as he let the music wash over his troubled soul.

The melody was familiar but he couldn’t remember its name or its words. All it did was take him back to his childhood, when he was free and allowed to run a muck and in mud and come home sheepish but cheeky just so his mother would look at him with that twinkle in her eye as she shook her head. “Halbrand Smith,” she’d say, “full of mischief. What it’ll make of you one day I don’t wish to know.” And yet she did nothing to righten his path, only loving him for who he was at his core, understanding that destiny was not a thing to steer away from.

He could still see her on the dock, grinning as he waved at her from the small circular window that laid five feet beneath where he currently stood. Halbrand missed her. He could feel her in the music he heard now, if only he could stretch out with his arms and pull her aboard–

“You must ignore it, boy.” The commanding voice of the captain disturbed the peace of the song. There was a croak in his throat now that had come with age, but there had been a time once when Halbrand had thought his tone as silken and soothing as the sound he had just been revelling in. He was a captain not only in title, but in every which way he carried himself. As if his speech invented silence, for all would be quiet when Captain Morgoth uttered his demands.

“Why?” Halbrand returned, forgetting to whom he was speaking, an unnatural reaction after so many years aboard this ship. “Why?” Morgoth smiled and stepped toward his second-in-command with purposeful yet intimidating steps. “I am surprised, Smith, after everything we’ve been through together, that you of all men would succumb to a siren’s call.” “A siren? What are you talking about?” Halbrand was taken aback, feeling a fool, giving in with little resistance to his captain’s opinion. “Those creatures are legend, nothing more.” “All legends come from truth, boy.” “Then why have we never encountered one? In my near twenty years of piracy?”

Morgoth laughed, condescending, causing Halbrand to become agitated, the peace of the music truly gone from his ears now. “Because you only hear them when they want you to hear them.” The captain was next to him now, his gloved hand upon the wooden railing, his breath reeking of his favourite rum. “Which means that you, boy, are marked for death.”

Halbrand stepped away, putting distance between them, between him and the sea. “Then how do you know of them, Captain? If what you say is true then shouldn’t you be dead?”

He eyed his lesser with a weary look, a look that contained tales that might perhaps be best left untold. “Yes, Smith. I should be. There’s a reason why the jewels of three be the symbol of my ship. Not only as a show of my power over the seas and its treasure, but as a reminder of what I had to go through to claim them.” He chuckled and started to walk away, and out of the memory that had washed over his expression. It put Halbrand in a state of unease. He was there when Morgoth had discovered the grandest trove of the ocean, the Silmarils. But he didn’t remember anything about a siren being involved. He was younger then of course, perhaps his memory hadn’t retained all he had seen, and Halbrand wanted to trust himself more than his master. Captain Morgoth might have saved his life more times than he could count on all fingers and toes, but he knew for sure that the second he lost his usefulness, Halbrand would be walking the plank faster than you could say Mandos’ locker.

“Get back to your bunk, boy. Sleep brings better dreams than what those harpies be offering.” Morgoth’s parting words. The sound of his footfalls grew quieter, and when Halbrand was alone again, he turned westward once more in hopes of hearing the song he desired.

All he heard was silence.

-----

Weeks passed and Halbrand had all but forgotten about his brief encounter with the malevolent maiden of the sea. It wasn’t until The Angband docked in the port of Númenor, that the pirate felt a pull to the deep of the ocean. Though it came in an unexpected form.

A fight had broken out on the pier between Morgoth’s crew and their sworn enemies, lead by the captain’s own brother Manwë. The older of the two, Manwë had attempted over many years to sway Morgoth into a better line of work – aiding struggling islands and people by transporting food and supplies, or providing medical assistance, or even just sailing the seas for leisure. Anything, anything, but piracy.

This had only made Morgoth want to be a pirate more.

So naturally, a war began.

Today’s conflict was small compared to some Halbrand’s eyes had seen and his skin remembered, but it was enough to drag him away from the fleshly female whose hand had wandered its way down his trousers.

“Be right back, love.” “You better be, pirate.” She taunted him with a sultry tone, a thinly veiled promise of wanton pleasure to come. Halbrand smirked as he walked away, but something quickly turned his walk to a run. One of Manwë’s had wrapped a docking rope around his young mate Theo’s neck. When Halbrand reached them he drew his sword.

“You let him go, maggot.” “But that’s no fun is it?” He uttered in slurred drunken speech. “I swear I’ll stain this wood with your blood!” The enemy group all laughed. “Go right ahead.” All swords were now out of their scabbards and aimed at their opponents. Morgoth’s crew were sadly outnumbered six to three, not including poor Theo whose face was starting to lose colour. Halbrand knew on any other day that they could take them easily. But for right now…

One of Manwë’s lunged at Halbrand and their swords met, letting the fight escalate from what it had been barely minutes ago. It had always started with words.

The clashing of metal filled all ears, and in the frenzy, Theo got tossed into the sea, rope still tied tight, much to the pleasure of the enemy’s drunken leader. Halbrand took advantage of his revelry and ran him through with his trusted sword, The One, before quickly putting it back in his scabbard and diving off the dock into the sea.

Halbrand was used to the cold shock of the ocean as he submerged, he honestly enjoyed it. Besides, he would have swam under an ice sheet to save Theo. That poor boy had suffered too much to go out now in this cruel fashion.

He reminded Halbrand of himself at his age, naturally. It’s probably why they bonded so easily, why he took him under his wing after Theo’s mother, Bronwyn, was killed. She had suffered too, in death, after their village had been sacked. An enemy wound had festered in her flesh and day by day she slowly drifted into the next life.

When she did pass, Halbrand didn’t let Theo out of his sight for a minute, helping him through his grief, whether they were together up close or on opposite sides of the room. All he could think was about his own mother, how he had not seen her since that fateful day he left home. Was she still alive? Would he ever see her again? What would it be like to know if she too had departed these earthly shores?

Or what would happen to his mother if he were to die first?

All these thoughts fuelled him as he swam towards Theo’s perilous form. Reaching him in seconds, Halbrand quickly loosened the rope and hurled it away. The boys struggling expression shifted to relief and they both headed for the surface.

But something caught Halbrand before he could again breathe air.

Her voice.

That melody.

The same he had heard weeks ago at sea. The same feeling cascaded over him, though its soothing nature threatened to keep him under, like an anchor shackled to his ankle.

Or a hand wrapped around it.

He shifted in the direction of the song but couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. It was all around him. The melody was becoming clearer, its familiarity growing, the words on the tip of his tongue. He smiled and ceased any attempt to rise to the surface.

Then, off in the distance he saw it. A figure swimming towards him, out of focus and shrouded by the misty waters. As it drew nearer, details revealed themselves. Pale skin, an emerald green dress, and long billowing gold and silver hair, all glowing luminescent under the sunbeams that penetrated the water above. She was beautiful.

The maiden smiled at Halbrand and outstretched her hand, and it was then that he realised the music was coming from her.

“Which means that you, boy, are marked for death.”

Morgoth’s words echoed in his mind but they vanished before they could resonate. Like they had never been there, like he had never heard them. The only thing there was the maiden and her wondrous song.

Halbrand reached out for her, his grin widening in anticipation of their touching. Her voice was so loud and all consuming, it had become his new oxygen. He could see her smiling back now and he wanted to cry, gifting her his tears of joy through the water. She was so beautiful.

It was all over in a second. A hand grabbed Halbrand by his collar and heaved him up to the surface, where he gasped and struggled to catch his breath. He felt himself dragged up and onto the dock, and when the seawater was finally out of his eyes, he could see Theo, alive and okay, recovering at Morgoth’s feet. Halbrand assumed his captain and others of their crew must have arrived to finish the fight. Turning his head the other way, he noticed that to be true, as all of Manwë’s men laid unmoving and bloody upon the wood.

Morgoth said nothing, only gazing down at Halbrand with an all knowing look. There was a hint of concern in his storied face, and whether that concern was for his first mate or himself, Halbrand could not decipher. Perhaps both considering the circumstances. If the siren wins, then they both lose.

“I…” He couldn’t believe the thought he just had, was about to utter into reality, but he was right. “I think I’m going to stay on land a while. If you’ll allow it, Captain.” Morgoth sighed, resigned. The men around them waited to hear his decision, some wearing confused faces, not grasping what was really going on. That how the sea, Halbrand’s favourite beautiful beast in this whole world, was trying to kill him.

“We’ll be back this way in ten days, Smith.” Morgoth stepped closer and crouched down to face Halbrand directly. He spoke low but not to be private – only grave.

“Ten days without a drop of seawater on you should be enough to break the siren’s hold. But be sure, if you as much as glance at the shoreline… no one’s gonna be here to keep you dry.”

Halbrand nodded, understanding the weight of his words. But as he stood up, something happened he did not expect.

“I’ll stay with him.”

It was Theo.

He was supposed to protect the orphan, not the other way around. But needless to say, Halbrand would be glad for the company. But what if something were to happen? “No, Theo. Go with the captain, go back to the Angband.” More words he couldn’t believe he was saying. Especially considering the hurt beginning to spread upon the young boy’s face. “If something happens to me… I don’t want you to see it.” “And what if I could stop it?” Theo spoke, exasperated. “Halbrand… you just saved my life. Again. Allow me the chance to pay back that debt.”

He knew Theo was right, but Halbrand just couldn’t stop trying to save the poor boy, to spare him any further hurt. Even at the potential cost of his own life. “Captain–” “Back to the ship, men. We sail in ten minutes.” Morgoth commanded and all did as instructed.

And when Theo did not follow, the captain did nothing.

Maybe he was more concerned for Halbrand than he let on.

-----

A few days into his sojourn from the sea, the dreams began.

And not of the outlandish kind you might find scrawled on old parchment, tales of fantasy and mythology. They were as real as if Halbrand’s sweat was the seawater he was trying to stay away from. When the worst of them happened, he awoke in his cot, the thin mattress underneath him soaked almost through. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and the scent of the ocean was all around him.

Theo rushed over with a cloth to wash it all away. Halbrand had been truly glad he’d stayed.

Without him he’d be dead already.

“Another one?” He asked, passing the dry fabric. “Same as the last two. Only… more intense now.” “That’s pretty clear. Considering…” Theo began, unsure how to proceed. Halbrand sat up and eyed him curiously. “Considering what?”

The boy rolled back onto the stone floor and crossed his legs, he seemed slightly embarrassed and Halbrand for the life of him couldn’t discern why. “Well, out with it. Come on.” “You…” Theo sighed, finding the courage. “You were singing.” Halbrand guffawed. “I was what?” “Singing. Not humming or talking. Singing words, a melody. A complete song.” “Of bloody course I was. Bollocks.” Halbrand tried to hang onto his smile but it didn’t want to linger. “What… how did it go?” “I’m not singing it back to you!” “Yes you will, Theo.” “No.” “Do it and… I’ll shout you a whole night of ale. How does that sound. Worth it?” “I’m not singing.”

Halbrand let out a dissatisfied groan, exaggerated in jest, and then his smile was gone completely. Noticing, Theo was quick to break the despair of his thoughts.

“What is it like? The dreams. The… siren?” Halbrand looked across at him with his hands on his face, as if he could hide his fear. “It’s like… drowning, Theo. Every night. My slumber is the sea and the second I fall into it… the air is gone. I can’t escape. I feel the weight of the water above me, around me. But do you know what the worst of it is?”

Theo shook his head.

“The only thing that makes it better is her. Seeing her face. Feeling her presence. She is the thing that is destroying me, unmaking the greatest love in my life, and I welcome it. I want her to kiss me, so that she might have the last morsel of air from my lungs, so it might serve her. I don’t want to die, Theo. I don’t. But… I want her to kill me.”

The boy was white as a sheet. “I don’t think I want to be a pirate anymore, Halbrand.” He laughed at his words, wiping his tears away quickly before the salt of them could reach his lips. It was nonsense but it was a risk. She was reaching him in his dreams now, she didn’t even need the sight of the shore to lure him in. He wasn’t going to let her use the manifestation of his pain as another way in.

“You’ll always be a pirate, Theo. That’ll never change. I only tell you all this to warn you. And pray that it doesn’t happen to you either.”

The soft light of sunrise began to creep its way into their shelter, and Halbrand smiled, a thought dawning on him. “Let us spend today exploring fair Númenor and all she has to offer.” “You mean you wanna go get drunk?”

Halbrand grinned. “Precisely.”

Hours passed, the two pirates moving from ale house to ale house, with Halbrand more than happy to drown in inebriation than anything else. It was a good distraction and much needed - he felt alive again, not weighed down by the burden of his curse. And he made good on his word to front Theo’s fee, even though the boy didn’t sing. Halbrand just wanted to have a good time before the inevitable happened.

The day went quick, as all good days do, but the change from light to dark did nothing to end the festivities, only encourage them further. They ended up at an establishment called ‘Uinen’s Tide’, and found it to be immediately agreeable. The crowd was rowdy, in a pleasant way, the rum and ale were flowing madly, and the women were… most amiable.

Sitting around a table, strangers shared their stories of adventure, from storms to swords to the supernatural, and young Theo was getting an unexpected education. Halbrand watched his excitement with glee, when he wasn’t downing his goblet or tasting the tongue of the nearest wench.

“Tell them about the song, Halbrand!” Theo uttered, accidentally in his drunken state, causing Halbrand to sober up faster than he would have liked. “No, Theo.” He replied, seriously. “Oh come onnnn! Don’t you lads want to hear it?” The boy gestured across to the intrigued and befuddled faces of their new companions. They cheered and egged him on, but all Halbrand could do was stare Theo down, who looked across at his mentor pleading playfully.

But then it was Halbrand with the playful look. “Only if you sing the song.” He countered. “Pfft no way!”

A chant of ‘Sing! Sing! Sing!’ quickly developed around the table, and Theo’s cheeks went bright red as he realised he’d dug his own grave. He then picked up his flagon and downed the remainder of its contents. Dutch courage. “Fine. Fine!” Then he stood up and the men fell silent as the boy began.

“Once there was a man whose bravery was true He sailed for many days across the ocean blue But then his ship did fail and fell into the sea What happened to him next it was a–”

“Mystery…”

Halbrand finished the line. He knew the song. He didn’t know he had sung it in his sleep, but it was a song he had carried with him since childhood. His stomach dropped as he realised:

It was the melody the siren was singing.

Now the familiarity made sense.

It was then Halbrand noticed that not only their table had fallen silent, but the whole room, fascinated by what was taking place in front of them. Halbrand looked at Theo, who slowly sat back down. He nodded his head slightly, urging him to continue the song. The woman in his lap moved away, and Halbrand felt naked. All eyes were on him, and he had no choice but to keep singing. Not for the sake of the siren, in hopes of purging her curse, but for who it was that taught him the song. His mother.

“Some say it was a kraken Others a ship of enemies But I know what happened It was the greatest of tragedies…

It was love and nothing more For a maiden so fair Only storms and savagery in store For a glimpse of her hair

He was coming home to her But then the seas did stir And as he drowned He did not frown

For he saw her waiting there.”

Theo was in complete awe of Halbrand, and shocked, as if he didn’t know he had it in him to sound like that. The rest of the bar was almost equally as captivated, remaining silent upon the song's conclusion. Until someone across the way began to sing it again, this time in a more jovial tone, and everyone joined in, filling Uinen’s Tide with rousing song and melody. Halbrand smiled briefly for the sound of his mother’s tale filling his ears. He had to hold back tears. She must have gotten the song from somewhere he supposed, but he had always preferred to imagine that she herself had crafted it.

Theo smiled and raised his new flagon of ale. Halbrand couldn’t help but smile back, and the pair continued on into the night.

Until Theo’s body decided that was more than enough alcohol.

“Come on, young one,” Halbrand said, patting Theo’s hunched back as the boy coughed out the last of his bile. “I’m taking you home.” Theo groaned. “But I’ve ruined your night!” “Not at all! Not for even a moment. This has been one of the best days and nights ever. All because of you, Theo. If this is how it ends, I am content with that. Now come on before I sling you over my shoulder.” “Alright, alright. Easy.”

They drifted on home, the cool breeze of the nearby ocean air was enough to sober Halbrand up. He was glad for that, so he could take better care of Theo. Besides, he had already numbed his mind plenty. And altered the way he felt about the siren song. Knowing what it was now somehow made it all easier on his soul to take in. If he made it through this he promised to go home to his mother and see her one last time. It was all he could think about as he stared out into the night, listening to Theo’s heavy snores, and not looking anywhere near the ocean.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

A woman appeared from out of nowhere and startled Halbrand so bad he cursed.

“Sorry.” She offered tenderly as she walked towards where he was sitting. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” “It’s quite alright…” Halbrand’s words drifted away on the wind as he took in the visage of the woman before him now. She was silhouetted by the moonlight, a halo glowing around her head, her long blonde hair billowing carefree in the breeze. She smiled and seemed friendly, but it was her beauty that struck him the most. She looked like an angel.

“Where did you come from?” He uttered, almost incredulous. The woman smiled. “Uinen’s, of course.” “Right… of course.” Halbrand agreed. “And what are you doing here now?” “I had to speak with you, Halbrand.” “How do you know my name?” “I know who you are.” She spoke with a small laugh. “Being a part of Morgoth’s crew gives you a certain… notoriety.”

“I’m not sure that’s the good thing you’re implying it is.” He replied. “No… it’s not. But you have always interested me. The boy who willingly became a pirate. Not forced into it by tragedy or the need to survive. You chose this life. You chose the sea.” Halbrand was slightly offended. “Are you saying there’s something wrong with me?” The woman laughed again, its sweetness preventing the sound from grating his ears otherwise. He felt she was mocking him. “What could be wrong with a man who puts his trust in the waves and the tides? Who craves adventure and seeks wonder? I only wish you had chosen better companions.”

Halbrand stood up, confused and irritated by the woman’s presence now. But there was something about her keeping him from holding The One to her throat. “And who are you to stand and cast judgement?” Halbrand towered over her, her form more petite than he realised. “My name is Galadriel. Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you. I’d like to understand you.” She held her ground firmly and did not baulk at his closeness. This impressed him. “Shall we wander a while?”

A part of him wanted to tell her to leave him be, but another part… it could not shake its curiosity to know her, to know why she had followed him and Theo back to their lodgings. Why was a woman such as she so interested in a man like him? Halbrand answered her with a slow wave of his arm, ‘after you’.

He was oddly comfortable leaving Theo behind to rest, and so they wandered into the night, weaving in and out of Númenor’s cobbled streets, Galadriel asking Halbrand about his childhood, his mother. Then the conversation darkened when she mentioned the many plunders and conquests of Captain Morgoth and his band of ruthless men.

“Do you enjoy taking life?” “You don’t mince words do you.” Halbrand pointed out, agitated once again. “Do you enjoy it?” Galadriel pressed him, not one to back down from a pursuit. “It’s part of the life. I put my crew, Morgoth’s men, above all others. There’s a code. An understanding amongst all pirates.” “Halbrand… do you enjoy it?”

He’d honestly never given much thought to it. Easier that way. It really was kill or be killed on the high seas. Though, he’d never stabbed someone to gain satisfaction from it. He’d never held his sword with an enemy’s belly pressed against his hilt and waited for the light to vanish from his eyes. He’d seen others do this. Morgoth, of course. But the captain was the worst of them, and their leader for a reason. He does things the others can not or will not. Though now Halbrand was spiralling, thinking about the expression on his own mentor’s face during a fight. The way his teeth gleamed as he spilt blood. The way his eyes sparkled as he watched dead men fall for the last time. Morgoth didn’t just like killing. He loved it.

“No.” He spoke abruptly, snapping out of it and cutting Galadriel off before she could ask him again. “I don’t enjoy it.”

She smiled softly at him, not asking him to explain why. It was almost as if she could see the reasoning behind his eyes. “Tell me about the Silmarils. You were there that day, were you not?” “I was, yes. But it was very early into my pirating days. The whole thing is a bit hazy to recall.” “What do you remember about that day?”

Halbrand closed his eyes but kept walking, slowly so as not to trip. He could see the grand cave where the treasure was found, but there was a fog around it. Details missing. He remembered going in but not coming out…

Galadriel took a hold of his hand and suddenly everything was clear, a parting of the clouds…

He followed closely behind Gothmog as they stepped across slippery stones on their way through the cave. Once they reached the main chamber, the room became luminous. It was as if the treasure itself was a source of light, a beacon even, for those who wish to seek it. There was much rejoicing amongst the men, and Morgoth in particular was so pleased that he opened a rare bottle of rum to celebrate.

Though the celebrations had proved premature.

Out from under the water there came a mysterious figure. Young Halbrand inched closer to the edge of the water to see that it looked like a man. Though his ears were pointed and he was clothed in coral and seaweed. Regardless, he was impressively intimidating, and he stood between Morgoth and his Silmarils.

“Leave now!” The man’s voice boomed throughout the cave, resonating off the walls. “Or the sea will claim you as its own treasure!”

Malicious laughter was the reply, before Morgoth ordered his men to begin circling the sides of the cave, slowly creeping towards where the ultimate treasure was held. One by one Halbrand watched as the man, who was really not a man, proceeded to defend the jewels by using the power of the water to drag each man down into the ocean, never to be seen again. Not even a bubble on the surface as proof they were once there.

Morgoth was outraged and drew his sword, making his own way across the cave now, demanding all, including young Halbrand, follow him. “You’ve crossed the wrong pirate, sea devil!” He taunted, and Halbrand went to move, loyal as ever, but felt something around his ankle. Turning his gaze downward he discovered it to be a hand, and the hand belonged to the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

“Don’t go. Please. Leave my brother alone. He’s only doing what he was trusted to do.” She spoke in a whisper. Her gold and silver hair was threaded with kelp, yet she was not dressed similar to her kin. She was adorned in an emerald green dress, embroidered with jewels in a lovely and intricate design. Even soaking wet, Halbrand had never seen anything like it. He was mesmerised by her. He couldn’t follow Morgoth, he just couldn’t.

Though if he had, might have things been different?

The young maiden cried “No!” and released Halbrand from her grasp, swimming over to where Morgoth had just plunged his sword through her brother. Her family. “Finrod, no!” She cried as she resurfaced, pulling his dying body into the safety of the sea. But it was too late. Halbrand saw his lips move from afar but could not discern the words. He only looked on as the girl let go of him, now dead, and watched him sink beneath the surface.

Something took over that seemingly sweet girl then, as her damp hair flew back, her arms raised in the air along with her body as her face contorted in what appeared to be a desperate and vengeful scream that Halbrand could not hear. A glow of aquamarine emanated from within her, and suddenly she was as terrible as she was beautiful.

With nothing to hold him back, Halbrand made his way over as quickly as he could, watching Morgoth struggle against the invisible sound that plagued his ears. It was a magnificent sight, like something from an old pirate’s tale. Halbrand would be in more awe if he wasn’t so terrified. Who was he running toward? The mentor who gave him his dream existence? Or the innocent girl of the sea who now seemed anything but?

As Halbrand inched closer, Morgoth found the strength somehow to aim his sword at the girl, ready to strike and lay down his silence upon her. Then instinct took over. Halbrand grabbed at Morgoth in an attempt to remove his sword from his hand. To save the girl. But the struggle was over before it began. Without a thought, Morgoth elbowed Halbrand in the head, hard, sending the boy into the water beneath them, and into darkness…

Halbrand’s eyes snapped open, his breaths heavy. He was on the beach now, staring at the waves gently rolling in in small trickles, indicating nothing of the dread beneath their surface. Or the dread he felt now as everything fell into place.

Galadriel had released his hand and stood calmly by his side, now wreathed in the clothing he finally fully remembered. The woman in the ocean. The forgotten girl of his youth.

The siren.

“I thought… you were trying to kill me?” “You only feared because you did not know, clearly did not remember. My song haunted you thus. But now that nothing is unknown between us… I ask that you hear me again.”

Galadriel began to walk in a circle around him, and the wind picked up and so did the waves, but not in a menacing fashion. She did not glow in terrifying aquamarine now, but in a rich golden hue that warmed him in such a way like he hadn’t seen the sun in years. Halbrand breathed in the scent of the ocean deep and welcomed its calming aroma. Then Galadriel started to sing:

“Some say it was a kraken Others a ship of enemies But I know what happened It was the greatest of tragedies…

It was love and nothing more For a maiden so fair Only storms and savagery in store For a glimpse of her hair

He was coming home to her But then the seas did stir And as he drowned He did not frown

For he saw her waiting there.”

Halbrand felt tears cascade down his face as her voice washed all over him. Hearing her sing the words at last was more than he could have imagined. But the song did not end there:

“She waited for him patiently Did not look on so sadly For the time would come When all was done

And they’d be together gladly.

She loved him so completely So wonderfully, so madly His call to the sea Was hers you see

And they’d be together gladly.”

Halbrand gasped as Galadriel finished her remarkable song, her feet coming to rest in the sand before him. “Those words… my mother never sang those words…” “She did not know all of the song.” The siren spoke, smiling. She stepped closer to Halbrand and placed her hands in his and gazed up at him. Halbrand stared down into the entire ocean in her eyes. So blue and endless.

There was nothing left to do but kiss her.

Galadriel was salt and sweetness, soft yet turbulent, everything all at once. She was the air and the sea, love and darkness, all consuming, all wrapped up in one small being. It felt so good, not only to taste her lips, but the weight upon his soul melted away, like ice dissolving in the ocean. There was no threat, no fear any longer. Halbrand could live, was going to live – he could return to his life at sea, a prisoner of land no longer! He only had to wait for Morgoth–

It was then he felt the tide creeping in around his feet.

The kiss broke, and as he stepped away from her, the water receded. When Galadriel saw the panicked look upon his face she tried to reason with him. “Halbrand, no, you misunderstand–” “Is this a trick? Is this… part of your ploy to drag me beneath the waves? To end me as desperately as you hope I want you to?” “No, it’s not like that, I promise you!” She implored, reaching for him, but every step she took in his direction, he took another away.

Halbrand’s mind was racing, and his head began to hurt. It had been so many years since the Silmarils were taken by Morgoth, so many years of trust earned by his captain. Halbrand had forgotten what he had done until now, if he even had like she showed him, but how was he to loosen that bond? A bond that had only tightened, that had made Halbrand the man he was now. A pirate. A pirate staring at a siren whose brother murdered his companions.

He had saved her then, but Morgoth had saved him countless times over since.

For the first time in his life, Halbrand didn’t know what to do. But he knew what he wanted in this moment.

“Go back to the sea, Galadriel.”

He turned and left her alone upon the sand, carrying her heartbroken face with every step.

-----

Halbrand lived in peace for the remainder of his stay in Númenor, but it was not the kind of peace he wished for. Misery had taken hold, and not even Theo’s jesting could clear the fog from his mind or his heart.

This was a haunting of a different kind. The sea was silent to him. Galadriel heeded his words and departed. No more bad dreams, he could wander along the shore, or the docks, and not feel the ocean’s pull any longer.

But that was the problem wasn’t it - the pull, the call to the sea… it was gone.

He was dreading Morgoth’s return. All it had taken was one night, a wandering with a fair maiden, to undo all he knew and loved about being a pirate. Halbrand’s desires had begun to shift away from the only life he knew, leaving him desolate and feeling deserted.

He knew then he wasn’t like the other men, the other pirates. Galadriel’s questions about murder had made that clear. Even so, they were like family to him. It was the life he had introduced Theo to. Could he so easily abandon them? Or did he have no choice but to try to assimilate, to find his love for the pirates another way?

He thought he had more time.

Soon dawn rose on the day of the Angband’s return. And like a good first mate, Halbrand felt either out of obligation or old habit, to greet his captain as the gangplank was fastened to the dock. He didn’t even bother to hide his grim expression, there was no point, Morgoth would see straight through.

“You’re still alive, Halbrand.” His greeting unsettled him - he never called him by his first name. “I am.” Was all he could manage in reply. “I thought the sea devil had you for sure.” “Suppose not.” “Come with me. I have matters to attend to that could use your support.” Morgoth commanded.

Halbrand followed him in silent assent. He felt it in his gut immediately that Morgoth was disappointed he wasn’t dead. Arrogance getting the better of him, he guessed, unable to hide his disdain despite a thinly veiled attempt. He must have thought Halbrand a problem, one he was ready to be done with. That he had run out of usefulness. There was no other way to explain it.

He decided then. Once business was ‘attended to’, Halbrand would attend to business all his own.

-----

Business took longer than expected, and Morgoth had everyone follow him to Uinen’s Tide for one last hurrah before they set out to sea the following morning. This felt cruel to Halbrand, as he just wanted everything over and done with. Morgoth. His fate as a pirate. Galadriel…

He figured as much that there was a high chance he might not survive his plotted mutiny. It was the highest order of betrayal, to go against your captain in such a way, especially if he might be aiming to take his life. Halbrand hadn’t decided yet. He was happy just to see where the conflict took him.

Though he didn’t hold back, too much anyway, from filling his belly with ale. He might as well make the most of this before it all goes to Mandos’ Locker. Halbrand downed just enough to ease off any suspicions. Enough so he could be ready to fight.

The room was even rowdier than the last time he’d been here with Theo and unwittingly serenaded the masses. Sounds of belching and broken glass were more frequent, but even still, it was all jolly.

Halbrand was sad to ruin it.

“You’ve been quieter than usual, boy.” Morgoth uttered from across the table. Of course he noticed. “All day in fact. I thought you’d be happy to be alive.” “I thought you’d be happy too.” Now he was the one not mincing words. Morgoth laughed. “I am happy! Can’t you see that’s why we’re celebratin’? The curse is lifted! You’re a free man, Smith. You can come home to the sea.”

Halbrand decided to give his mentor one last chance. “Captain,” he implored, “Tell me the truth. About the Silmarils. About what happened that day. What you did. What you… almost did… to me.”

Morgoth’s expression shifted in a near unnatural manner from arrogant joy to seething hatred. Like a mask had slowly slipped away to reveal his true face. He stood up and nonchalantly wandered closer to Halbrand, taking the vacant seat beside him – Theo had gone to the Angband, deciding on an early one after his overindulgence the other night. Halbrand had picked a hell of a time to start getting comfortable leaving him on his own. Though perhaps he’d known it would be better if Theo wasn’t here. The noise Morgoth made as he sat down was akin to a nail in a coffin. He smiled at Halbrand, his bottom lip trembling slightly, then he put his arm around his first mate, and spoke low so the others would not hear. They were too drunk to fall silent at the words of their commander.

“I thought she’d stir your memory.”

A chill ran through Halbrand and his heart began to race. Galadriel.

“Amazing what a siren can do, isn’t it? More of a sea witch than a sea devil ain’t she? For a deceiver she is not. I was hoping you would see it for a lie but… the moment I saw your face on the dock, Halbrand, I knew I’d lost you. But, one must always prepare for moments such as these…”

He made a signal to someone behind Halbrand, whose head whipped around quickly only to watch as Galadriel, shackled and gagged, was brought into the bar. She looked almost a shadow of her lovely self – her skin appeared pallid and dry, her flowing locks matted into knots. Not one being in Uinen’s Tide flinched at the sight of the imprisoned woman. Most were pirates or scavengers, and this was nothing out of the ordinary. She could have been someone’s property, a bounty, a wench.

But to Halbrand she was only the woman he had ever loved.

Her eyes widened as they locked with his and she tried to speak, but Morgoth’s silence had befallen her now as well. He was glad for the sight of her, he wanted to see her, but not like this. It was a bittersweet reunion, and Halbrand’s ire for Morgoth grew as he realised exactly why the sea had been silent to him in the days since that fateful night on the shore.

“What have you done to her?” He rounded on the captain, grabbing his shirt with one hand, and reaching for his sword with the other. “I wouldn’t draw steel right now, boy.” Morgoth warned. “I have your siren. I was going to kill her days ago but I thought this little arrangement might possibly be better.” “Let her go! She’s done nothing wrong, Morgoth!” “Captain!” He corrected, outraged. “You’re not my captain.” Halbrand spat, pushing Morgoth to the floor, though he was pulled away before he could throw the first hit.

Held fast at either side by two men he once trusted, a third strolled up as if summoned by unspoken command, and connected his fist first with Halbrand’s jaw, and then with his stomach. He groaned and winced as the pain spread through him, the taste of blood now present on his tongue. Morgoth was unmoved by the display, stepping slowly towards Halbrand now, his dark eyes stretching down, deep into his soul. But he felt no fear.

Only rage crossed between the two pirates.

“Done nothing wrong, has she?” Morgoth began. “You know what her brother did. You know what she is. She kills our kind. And you’re defending her.” “Then tell me, Morgoth. You told me you should be dead. So why aren’t you?” These words caused another right hook to connect with his face. Now he was drooling blood. “You haven’t figured it out yet?” He paused, revelling in Halbrand’s bruised complexion. “Because I killed one of them. If you take the life of a siren, you become immune to their song.”

Halbrand looked at Galadriel for confirmation, but the only thing given away by her eyes were her tears. He thought back to the memory. Halbrand hadn’t seen how Morgoth had been able to get past Finrod’s powers – Galadriel had encapsulated his attention at that point. But what he focused on now was the moment when she rose up out of the sea ghastly and magnificent. He had seen as he got closer that Morgoth was able to lift up his sword despite the effect she was having on him. That if Halbrand had not intervened, Galadriel too might be resting in an ocean grave beside her brother. Her power was useless against him, her song a silent cry.

“You nearly killed me too. When you knocked me in the head. Did you save me? Was it you? Or had I run out of usefulness for you? Just like I have now.” “No one betrays me and lives, Halbrand Smith! No one!” Morgoth bellowed in a violent scream. “I thought, perhaps he’s just young and dumb and befuddled by the sea witch. That’s what I thought when she was stupid enough to put you back on my ship!”

Halbrand looked to Galadriel again, but this time with a small smile. Of course she had been the one to save him.

“I thought I could condition her out of you but… then she came back. All those years… wasted on you, boy. I should’ve cast you back into the sea. But at least now… killing you will be easier. I’d rather face a would-be pirate than a wayward little boy.”

For a brief moment, Halbrand thought he spied some sorrow within his mentor’s eyes. Grief. Like he’d lost something as well. Whatever it was, it disappeared back into his rage the second he ordered Halbrand’s execution, and Morgoth lead everyone out of Uinen’s Tide, and towards the Angband, for a final confrontation.

-----

They set sail in the night, and by the time dawn came Númenor had disappeared into the horizon. Halbrand and Galadriel had spent the past few hours in opposite cells in the brig. She remained gagged and bound so no conversation was had, only apologetic looks of longing sent across the way as the ship swayed over the swell of the sea. Halbrand fell into sleep briefly and dreamed of her instead, but it was a dream of his making not hers. An urging to set things right as his mind conjured images of their kiss on the sand continuing. Of Halbrand not sending her away. Of his hands on her body, their limbs entwined with nothing but the roar of the waves to drown out her–

“Oi, Smith! Wake up!” Halbrand didn’t know what was worse. The sound of the cage rattling, or the irritating voice that expelled him from his amorous dream. “Bugger off, Waldreg.” “Shut up! Captain’s sent me to fetch you both. It’s time.” He didn’t even try to hide his glee. No, Halbrand certainly was not one of them.

Waldreg, assisted by another pirate, unlocked their cells and readied them roughly to ascend into the harsh light of day. Halbrand caught Galadriel’s eyes, saddened she could not speak to him, but he found the opposite of sadness within her ocean blues. A glimmer of hope resided there. Or perhaps, he was only seeing what he wanted to, his own hope reflected back at him. Though there was no denying her demeanour had changed. Perhaps she had accepted their fate, resigning herself to their meeting in the next life. “I’m sorry.” Halbrand couldn’t help but say it, despite his captors elbowing him into silence. “I never wanted this for you.” “Shut it, boy!” Waldreg’s utterance issuing another blow to Halbrand’s side.

Up on deck the entire crew had gathered, even Theo, to witness his final moments. Morgoth was still filled with ire, plain as ever on his face. Halbrand wondered if this was a kill the man would enjoy. He felt someone fasten rope around his hands at his back, burning as it pulled and dragged across his wrists. Then without much ado, Halbrand was forced at sword point to walk out onto the plank.

Staring out into the vast sea, a land all his own, a world of adventure, he thought to himself of all he had done over the years, of where he could have been instead, even of his mother. Even looking at the endless blue that would be his tomb, all Halbrand could think and realise was one thing.

It was all worth it.

He had been true to himself and his dreams. To his call to the sea. A call that a certain siren had sent out for him long ago. So regardless of it all, pirate or no, he was fated to sail towards this very moment. And destiny was not a thing to steer away from. Halbrand smiled.

“Turn around.” Morgoth ordered. Halbrand did so, slowly. He heard him but did not look at him, only at Galadriel and Theo, as his eulogy was pronounced.

“You, Halbrand Smith, have betrayed your pirate kin, have mutinied against your captain. After so many years of trust and treasure. Do ye have anything to say in your defence, before you farewell the warmth of the sun for the cold of the ocean?” “A warning.” He decided that’s what his last words would be. To save all he could from the clutches of Morgoth. “What has happened to me will happen to you, men. I was the first mate. I was supposed to be the one above all others that Morgoth would trust, would guide. We were partners once. Or at least, that’s what I told myself every time I doubted his words, his actions. I mean nothing to him now so I am to be cast out. Once all of you have served your purpose, he will do the same.”

He looked around to the faces of his former friends as he spoke. Men he still wished to count as friends, and he prayed that in all their years together Halbrand had proved his worth to them. That the trust between them at least meant something. Maybe they were scared, stunned into allowing this to happen. Morgoth had put fear in all of them to be sure, but he had also instilled a steadfast loyalty. Halbrand had to admire that. He couldn’t entirely blame them for standing there and doing nothing whilst he stood perilous 20 feet above the sea.

Looking again at Theo, Halbrand noticed something he perhaps shouldn’t have. The boy was not sad or fearful, he appeared as if he were holding his breath. Waiting for something to happen. An unexpected outcome. Galadriel was still, and calm, like the ocean on a windless day. Halbrand took a deep breath and took that calm into himself. Her final gift to him.

“Walk!” Morgoth bellowed. “Or you can watch as your beloved sea witch has her blood spilt onto the deck.” The tip of a sword was suddenly at Galadriel’s neck and all Halbrand wanted to do was run towards her. But that would make him the one to drive the blade in deep. It was time. Taking one last look at the only two here that cared for him, Halbrand turned back and faced his fate.

One step for Theo. One step for Galadriel. And one step for Mother.

Suddenly, there was screaming. Before Halbrand could launch himself into the deep, he spun around to see that by some miracle, Galadriel had gotten free. Her shackles and gag lay on the floor, and in the air were her hands as she called the sea to her aid. Just as Finrod had once done, only this was tenfold. The water became many ropes that spread out from her in all directions, separating her and Theo from all the pirates. She began to turn that aquamarine colour that put the fear of the sea into all of the men, and despite Morgoth’s barking orders, they could do nothing to stop her.

Then he charged at her, knowing he was the only one immune to her abilities, but before he could reach his target, Halbrand came barreling into him, sending them both tumbling to the deck. Morgoth took a knock to the head, becoming disorientated, giving Halbrand the opportunity to get free. Theo raced over to him and cut his binds with his dagger.

“These are easier to break through than shackles.” He stated, smirking. Halbrand grinned wide, laughing at the realisation. “You clever boy, Theo. How’d you manage to sneak into the brig? And without waking me no less?” “It’s easy when you’re the only one who watches me. Now take your sword and put this all to rest. I’ve got your back!”

He grabbed The One from Theo’s hand and pulled it from its sheath. The poetic inscription on either side gleamed under the sunlight, and he aimed it at Morgoth who was still on the floor getting his bearings. “Let us leave peacefully and I will spare you.”

The sound of Morgoth’s laughter became all that was heard throughout the entire ship. He stood up and held his own sword aloft to meet Halbrand’s. The blow to the head had not phased him at all. It just made him look wilder. “The only peace you’ll get from me is at the bottom of the sea!” Morgoth cried, and the two launched into a duel, a fight the likes of which Halbrand had never faced. Morgoth was stronger, more powerful. How could he hope to defeat him this way?

But he already knew this might be futile, and yet he tried anyway. All watched in awe as their steel met with swift and agile strikes, the sound of it the music to accompany their dance of battle and wills. Whose would prove the mightier?

Galadriel had formed a circular ring of water around the duellists, assisting the only way she could by keeping all the men out. She didn't wish to hurt them. This was between Morgoth and Halbrand and it was up to them to finish it alone.

Each strike landed was answered in kind, and soon both men had a handful of small gashes spread across arms, legs, and torso. Halbrand kept going despite the pain, channelling it into his anger for the man that was once his mentor, his greatest companion.

He remembered the look of wonder and surprise on Morgoth’s face when he’d been discovered stowing away on the Angband. Halbrand had been fascinating to the captain. “It ain’t gonna be what you think, boy.” He’d told him. “This life. It’s full of unseen danger and hard choices. I’ll do what I can to prepare you for it, but at the end of the day, you’ll be holding your own sword, not I.”

Prophetic in a way.

A part of Halbrand would do anything to see that remarkable glint in Morgoth’s eyes once more. But as he stared at him now, through tears and turbulence and holding his own sword, he couldn’t find it.

Morgoth noticed Halbrand weakening and took advantage of it, knocking him back to his senses and forcing him back against the railing of the ship. Galadriel’s circle of sea was broken, but it didn’t matter. All watched on awestruck as Halbrand was seconds away from meeting his end. He was pushing back with all he had against Morgoth’s dominance, but the elder pirate managed to force The One from Halbrand’s hands. “Always so sentimental, boy. I knew it would be your undoing.” Morgoth declared proudly, raising his sword for the final blow.

Then he went white as a sheet.

“Just as… I knew… your arrogance would be yours.” Halbrand replied, twisting Theo’s dagger up into Morgoth’s abdomen. The things that kid can do when no one but Halbrand is watching.

He pulled it out, causing Morgoth to stumble back a step or two, giving Halbrand the space he needed to move around him. Blood was fast falling down to the deck, he didn’t have a lot of time. In just a few moments, Morgoth Bauglir would be no more. This gave Halbrand no satisfaction, and only affirmed that his answer to Galadriel had been the right one. He did this because he had to, not because he enjoyed it.

“You… you actually did it.�� Morgoth spoke, his voice softening, its power lost. “Well done… boy…”

Halbrand didn’t know what to say. He slowly stepped towards the dying man, bloody dagger still gripped in his hand. “That’s it… now… make it quick…” And he might have, if Morgoth hadn’t ordered it. Instead, Halbrand kept coming closer, leaving Morgoth with no choice but to back towards the railing. Though, a man’s mind is not what it once was when on the brink of death, and Morgoth misjudged his position, missing the railing, finding the gap where the plank is, and with one last look of utter shock, he toppled over the side and into the sea.

Looking over the edge, Halbrand watched him hit the water, expecting him to disappear on impact. Instead he floated, treading frantically, a panicked expression upon him now. He felt Galadriel at his side watching too, and as if on queue, the ocean rose up in violence, tormenting Morgoth for any and all to see. He went into the water screaming until at last it was he who would be silent, dragged down into the pitch black void of the sea. A fitting end to the plague of Captain Morgoth.

Halbrand let out a breath, not realising he’d been holding it in, and with it came a wave of relief. It was over. They were free. He turned to Galadriel, wondering something. “You didn’t do that… did you?” She shook her head. “Though none are immune to the might of the sea. Ulmo has him now.” Her face was grave, leaving Halbrand to assume that Morgoth’s fate now might be worse than the fatal wound of a dagger.

Theo came up to them then, ensnaring Halbrand in a hug. “Is he gone?” “Yes, Theo. He’s gone.” He answered him, squeezing him tight. Then Halbrand turned to face the now captainless crew of the Angband. Some looked sad, some indifferent, but the only thing they shared was that they all looked lost. He felt Galadriel entwine her fingers with his, her touch setting his mind straight. Could Halbrand take charge? Could he become the type of pirate he’d always wanted to be, free from the corrupt influence of Morgoth?

He smirked at the thought.

-----

Halbrand and Galadriel wandered hand in hand along the soft sands of The Southlands shore. The moon was high in the sky, bathing the siren in that ethereal glow he adored, just like it had the first night they spoke as adults. In fact it was almost a near identical recreation, except now, all was well.

“Thank you for introducing me to your mother. I feel like I already know her so well.” “She adores you, I can tell.” “She’s a wise woman.” Galadriel stated, and they both laughed a little. “Though I do think she’s just pleased you are home, Halbrand.”

It’s true, she was. The look on her face when he walked back through the door… it was the definition of joy. “My son! Halbrand!” She cried and he cried, until all the time they had spent apart meant nothing. But it also meant everything given just how much had changed. Though some things remained the same. His mother’s sweet bread for example.

And he was still the same boy who had waved goodbye to her all those years ago. “Found your adventure, did we?” She asked, already knowing the answer. She had taken in the sight of the docked Angband, the sublime visage of Galadriel, gazing upon them both with no surprise. As if she knew they’d be here with him on his return.

Oh how Halbrand had missed her.

“Yes, Mother.” He’d said, grinning ear to ear.

He wore that same smile now as he looked at Galadriel, giving her hand a squeeze. “I think I’m more happy to see her.”

Galadriel smiled. “Come with me.”

She pulled him along joyfully, and they ran into the ocean, kicking up the salty water as they went. Halbrand adjusted to the cool temperature faster than they disappeared. They were under the surface in seconds.

He could hear Galadriel singing, a wordless melody he hadn’t yet heard, and it was so blissful and vibrant, like life itself in a song. She glowed golden, lighting their way, forever his beacon in the darkness.

Once they were a ways out, Galadriel pulled Halbrand up for air, but stole it from him before he could fully catch it, with her lips on his. He could feel every part of her love for him radiate into his body and soul, a kiss that felt like a gift, one he had always hoped to receive. He tucked his fingers into her damp hair, pulling her head against him, keeping her there. He never wanted this kiss to end. Galadriel sang into him in a pleasurable hum, for she felt it too. Their bodies were ready, the time was right, and under water and stars and moon, they became as one being.

Returning to the shore, tired and spent, kissing languidly whilst laying in the sand, Halbrand felt disbelief flood through him. How did he get here, how was he so lucky to be wrapped in her sweet embrace? In the arms of a siren and not pulled under to his doom?

Or perhaps that was another lie Morgoth uttered, because he hadn't wanted to see the truth - that he himself was the real monster.

Galadriel was the embodiment of his love for the sea, the reason he loved the sea. So it was easy to love her. For all of who she is. From her pointed ears to her serene serenades, to her eyes as deep as the ocean and her gold and silver hair twined with seaweed. There was nothing monstrous about her. She was everything he’d always wanted.

And now that he had her and they were safe, Halbrand gazed up at the stars and searched for his next path. His next adventure.

The tide crept in around them and Galadriel sang him softly to sleep, ensuring her voice would be with him in dreams, whilst her body waited for him to wake again, swimming in the shallow waters. Watching him, protecting him, comforting him. His siren of the sea.

And they’d be together gladly.

#to read later

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