Note: this is not supposed to be lore-accurate and is only for fun; a conceptual story that is heavily inspired by/a shameless adaption of the song The light at the end of the world by My Dying Bride.
My Dying Bride - The Light at the End of the World
There is an island, a cold, dark and rocky island where the sun and stars has not laid down their beams of light for many an age. The island stands in the middle of the ocean, midst tall waves that wash cruelly over the bare-scraped land, ever showering it with cold, salty water that might as well have been small beads of sharp ice. Only rocks and sand and small tufts of grass there is upon this island, and no trees will ever grow upon its stony slopes. It is the very last of all the land, at the very edge of the world and sea, and upon the isle's jagged shores there stands one of the fair folk, an elven male that once lost his one and only love to a flaming fire. The sharp rocks gnaws away like sharp teeth at his bare feet as he stands upon the shore and watches the roaring sea, dark and cold and menacing to his eyes, where it should be warm and bright and welcoming, but the sea is nothing more than a void to him now, and no light comes from the stars to guide him, and the only beam of light that he will ever know until the end of time, is the great, white lamp that he now turns his gaze towards.
The lighthouse, tall and white and brilliant, stands upon this island's only mountain, or more a hill perhaps, towering over all there is to see, and its mighty lamp sends out a long, white beam across the sea to warn any seafarers to turn back, for there is nothing more beyond it, or so it has been said. And yet, never has he seen any swan-ships traversing the waves, no white sails upon the horizon, nor any other living soul for all his time here; save for a lonely albatross with mighty wings and a lovely call, that flies to the island to watch him from afar, before turning back to shores unknown. The albatross; a guardian, the elf believes, a guardian from the gods to see that he still remains, that he is still bound to this island and his duty. With a wave of his hand and a courtly bow, he beckons to the albatross with silent acknowledgement, and with wide wings it circles above and cries out to him, and its silky-smooth call soothes and caresses his ears like silky gloves, and he sheds a tear in gratitude to the mighty albatross, who once again has given him something good and worthy to feel and hear. Every year on this very day the albatross comes, every year on this day it cries out to him, and every year on this day it returns towards its home, while the elf remains alone upon the isle, and his duty to the lighthouse at the end of the world is all that exists once again. Such was the promise he made so long ago, and to him the years means nothing any longer; every year is but a fragment of a second, and every year is as long as a lifetime, and yet the albatross returns in its never-ending cycle, always.
Again he turns his eyes towards the cold, dark sea as the albatross departs, and it seems to him but for a second that he can see the promised land beyond the waves, the home he will never know again. And yet for this brief second, there is a sparkle of hope that ignites inside him, this little glint that keeps him going for another year, and he rushes to the water's edge and fall to his knees, with his eyes locked upon the horizon. Perhaps there is still a chance that one day he shall again know the green grass beneath his feet instead of these jagged, toothy rocks, and to feel the warm sun caressing his skin, and a soft wind blowing through his hair. A bare hint of a smile falls upon his lips for only this brief second, and just as quick as these bright visions comes to his mind, it once again goes away like a leaf in the wind, and he sees that there is nothing upon the horizon; nothing but waves darker than the night, and gray clouds that weep with icy tears, perhaps for him, he thinks, in a vague hope that someone still remembers and cares for him; this lonely elf at the end of the world, who willingly gave his life to the hands of the gods. Surely they cannot be this cruel and that there is purpose in this, he thinks, and he remembers the day his promise was made and what happened thereafter, and he stands up straight and proud upon the shore, knowing that he would gladly do the same again for one single moment with his love. Yes, for just one more moment he would give his life again, he would re-live this dreaded dream a million times over, if only he could touch his beloved's hand again.
He remembers, in countless lifetimes of men and elves ago, the kindness and beauty of his beloved; her hair as dark as a raven's feathers, and her skin fair and radiant as the most polished of silver-inlaid porcelain, her fëa so full of joy and love that could only be matched by his own, and how they were made for each other, so perfectly molded to be one for all time. And he remembers then the unspeakable pain when the terrible fire tore his beloved from him, a fire so bright and yet so dark that it consumed her fully, and it burned her into white ashes that scattered into the wind where nothingness followed. No body or fëa could ever hope to survive these dark flames, and never would she know the warmth and kindness of Aman again, and never would she set her foot into Mandos' Halls, or know her beloved's touch. She simply was no more of this world, forever scattered beyond the veil, a broken, shattered spirit. And by the love and life they had always shared, he felt and knew all that she did; the agony of burning flesh and boiling blood, and how he could hear her screams, the terrible, terrible screams, even as he was nowhere near the fire as it happened. As his beloved burned for only a few, dark moments until her fëa was crushed and gone, his pain has burned for ages and ages still, and it will never stop, for so strong is his love and bond to her, that he would gladly burn forever in her stead.
He remembers the bright, blue sea by his feet, the white sand between his toes, and he remember the place where he raised his voice and cried out to anyone that would listen and hear his plea. There upon the shore, he cursed all the evil in the world, and he cursed the gods and everyone that could do nothing to stop his beloved from burning, and he cursed himself for not burning with her. For days and months he cried out towards the sea, until a deity took sympathy and called out to him, and it laid down a beam of white light at his wet feet, and his skin gleamed and glistened at its celestial touch.
"Your beloved you may see again for one single night, to once again know in your heart that even though you are parted and her fëa gone from this world, you are bound forever. For one night and one night only I can bring her back to you from beyond the veil, and that is all that can ever be for you both; but pay due heed, young one, for there is a price to pay! At the end of the world, in the middle of the sea and beyond the reaches of all marine life, there is an island; and upon this island there stands a lighthouse that carries a lamp, whose light must never fade or die. This light you must tend to, and upon this island you must stay, for time untold. That is the price to pay, for this is not something done lightly and without consequence. Make your choice.", the deity spoke to him, a booming voice that only he could hear, and he fell to his knees in reverence, fear and joy alike.
"I'll tend the light for all of time, if for only one more night I can see my love and she me, and I swear to this without regret, even if alone upon this isle I'll forever be!" he shouted in return, his arms outstretched to the celestial light from above, and he cried tears of joy and despair all at once, for he could not believe his ears or his mind, and thought this voice to be the doing of evil, and not of good.
The celestial light faded slowly, and so did the echoing voice, and he laid himself down upon a bed of grass just beyond the shore, weeping quietly in hope and fear for what may come, or not. Sleep came to him before the stars ignited behind the clouds, and as their light shone down upon him, he opened his eyes again to see a shadow standing above him; a shadow he knew so well, that he flew up without a second thought and embraced the maiden that stood before him. For it was indeed she who had returned for this night, and not a word did any of them speak, but the starlight in her eyes was all the answer he needed, and she the same. A slight confusion had came over her as she had known nothing but a dark void where time meant nothing, and suddenly found herself at the shore in her lover's arms, but any pain that she had ever felt was forever gone, and there was only her love for him that still remained. They danced that night, the kind of dance that only true lovers know, and they fell to the ground together, lovingly knowing each other with all of their hearts and minds entwined and shining, as the stars were swirling above and strands of hair tickled the skin upon their fair necks. True love triumphed for one last time in this world for them both, and they cherished every brief moment they had together, and neither of them wanted that night to ever end. But morning had to come, and Arien the sun-maiden could not wait to rise the sun any longer, despite her own best efforts to let the two lovers have their way for just a little while more, and they fell asleep together as dawn broke, in arms entwined. He awoke alone upon an unknown shore, and there was a tall, white tower that loomed over him. From inside the tallest windows there came a light from a mighty lamp, and he knew that the price now had to be paid, and he rose to his feet to begin his never-ending vigil and duty to the lighthouse.
Many an age has passed since that day when his heart's only wish came true, and for many an age he has gladly paid the price, and every year on that particular day, the albatross returns to watch over him, to remind him that he is not always alone at the lighthouse at the end of the world. And in the albatross' eyes, there is a glimmering, radiant starlight that he will never see, but one that he would recognize, if he ever got the chance; for in those eyes lie the kind of starlight that only a true lover would know.
