I was looking at the open sea and at a new life but as I turned back while my sails were filling with wind I could see two figures standing on the shore fading away in the distance. Such is life that sometime family bonds must be severed. I did not know If I would ever seen my father and my mother again, but promises I made to both I would be safe and come back one day.
Soon the blessed coast of Valinor was all but just a memory as I sailed passed Tol Eressëa. The winds and tide were favorable, and Fëa Alquarámë was gliding fast upon the waves despite her heavy cargo of food, wine, and spare armor. For the first time in my life I felt free and I felt I was finally where I belonged. I thanked my Lord Ulmo for his kindness and I sung songs of the sea,
What I really loved was to hang over the edge and watch the bow of my ship slice through the waves. I loved it especially when the waves were high and the ship rose and fell, or when it was raining in the wind and the droplets and the salty spray of the water stung my face.
In the distance the many other vessels , some carrying soldiers and horses, some carrying weapons, and in the front, opening the way was Eärendil on Vingilótë, shinning brightly like a star on the water. As soon as we cleared Tol Eressëa the wind catched the sails and Fëa Alquarámë leaned over ever so gracefully, and her elegant bow cuts cleanly into the increasing chop of the waves.
Holding her gently, I took a deep breath and my heart started thumping so strongly. I faced the wind and my lips peel back in a smile of pure joy. I love the sharp salty smell of the sea air, and the vastness of the horizons bounded only by a vaulted ceiling of azure sky above. It made me feel small, but free as well.
Soon the great mist of The Enchanted Islands rose, the wind dropped. It is said these islands are enchanted to shield Valinor. No one really know how many there are because they are not charted and always surrounded by a curtain of thick mist. The Valar placed these islands in the sea, and no ship can reach Aman or sail east without their permission. If a mariner is stranded on one of them he will fall in an eternal sleep.
Only Eärendil and his wife Elwing were able to sail them pass in their coming to Valinor because of the precious Silmaril he was wearing upon his brow. As we passed from the light into the mist , the ships seemed to be pulled forward by magic as there was no wind. In the soft embrace of the fog, all sounds were muffled. I knew then there was no going back. Soon I would be sailing in The Great Sea leaving the blessed lands of Valinor behind.
