Sea Longing

Lord Ecthelion of the Fountain leaned thoughtfully against the structure for which he was so titled, idly spinning a flute in his restless fingers, listening to the tranquil music of the water. Perched beside him was the young prince Eärendil, carefully balancing on the fountain’s rim, kicking his feet back and forth.

“Do you know what I wish to see most?” asked the child.

“What?” Ecthelion asked.

“The ocean.”

Ecthelion smiled at him. “I’ve seen it.”

Eärendil looked surprised. “What’s it like?”

The lord pushed the prince’s dark hair from his eyes and began to tell him of the sea.