Brotherhood Chapter Eighteen.
10 Aug 2009 06:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
curiouswombatHere is Chapter Eighteen of Brotherhood, where we find out whether Aragorn feels he can trust Faramir...
Previous chapters are Here.
Chapter Eighteen.
Rating 15
3,350 words.
Beta'd, as usual, by S2C.
Chapter Eighteen
It was unexpected to be greeted by an unknown ellon, as they rode back into the Citadel, although the twins obviously recognised him and introduced him as Galanthir from Ithilien. Clearly Legolas had arrived a little earlier than expected.
“Legolas asks you all to join him in his suite as soon as you can,” Galanthir said, and Rumil immediately turned his thoughts inwards, to the place where he was aware of Tindómë if she experienced any strong emotion. No, he could not feel her; whatever Legolas needed them for, it was not because Tindómë was in any pain or distress.
“We have an elleth with us who is well known to Legolas,” Elladan said to Galanthir. “Do you know if she is aware that Legolas has arrived?”
“Tindómë, who Legolas claims as gwethil?” He glanced at Rumil before continuing, “and also tells me that she is the beloved of Rumil, in such a voice that I know not to try and sweet-talk her?”
“The same,” Elladan said.
“She is in Legolas’ rooms with the doors wide open, and a mortal serving man in attendance, so that no-one can doubt the propriety of her visit,” Galanthir said, his voice full of amusement.
Rumil wondered if that had been Tindómë’s idea or whether Legolas had come to the same conclusion about doing as little as possible that could give the courtiers reason to complain.
Out loud he said, “You may sweet-talk if you wish… We are not yet formally betrothed; Tindómë is only just past her majority.”
Galanthir nodded, but the amusement was still in his voice as he said “Only as long as I do not see Legolas frowning in my direction!”
“Or Rumil,” Elladan said.
“Or us…” Elrohir added.
Galanthir looked questioningly at Orophin.
“Tindómë is very well able to look after herself…” He paused. “Her epessë, given by Elrohir, is tithen maethor.”
Galanthir did not answer directly, but looked again at Rumil.
“Sweet-talk as much as you like…” Rumil repeated. “The frown you really need to beware is Tindómë’s.”
Galanthir nodded, hand on chest, but there was still a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Rumil thought that he could become friends with this ellon from Ithilien.
………………………………………………………………
When they entered the King’s study Rumil saw Tindómë sitting beside Legolas and, so near, could not only see that she was worried but could also feel it. He went to sit beside her; she smiled and curled her fingers in his where their two hands touched.
Legolas explained that Tindómë had overheard something which Aragorn needed to know, when she was in the library, and it was easier for her to tell everyone together rather than repeat the same things over again.
Her fingers curled more tightly in Rumil’s. He could feel… a jumble of emotion through that contact. She was angry, upset; there was a distaste… only as she began her story could he understand that mix of emotions.
She told her story in Sindarin, but repeated what she had overheard in the tongue in which it had been spoken – and so Rumil was not completely clear about all that had been said. He would ask her later. He understood the insulting terms ‘she-elf’, ‘unnatural males’ and ‘brat’ – it was clear that at least one or two of the Gondorian court were unhappy with the new regime.
He thought that surely the Valar had led Tindómë to be in the right place at the right time. She was the only one in their company who could have overheard without the men being suspicious – and any ordinary mortal would have been, as the men had assumed, unable to hear the conversation.
The twins were talking to the King. They were speaking as one voice, as they often did; it was, as Tindómë said, like elflings hitting a ball from one to the other. Rumil had known these grandsons of his Lord and Lady for much of his life and, although he had only become close to them in the short time since they had fought side by side, he knew this habit of theirs well.
Sometimes they did it when amused, or when they were being less than serious, but those who knew them recognised that it was also a sign that they agreed completely about something. This was one of those times; they were worried for their brother and unsure if he should trust his steward.
Tindómë was right, Rumil thought, Aragorn should not rely solely on the elves, to the exclusion of men, if he wanted to be accepted as king. Had Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel kept only Noldor guards and advisors the Golden Woods would probably not have survived, and thrived, as it had.
But if Aragorn did rely on his brothers, on his friend Legolas, on Rumil, Orophin, Galanthir too, he would know that they were totally trustworthy; they were elves. Could he be as sure of any man?
“Can I trust Faramir?” Aragorn paused, as if thinking about this.
“Yes,” he then stated, firmly, “yes, my brothers, I can trust Faramir. He has wanted to restore Ithilien since he was a very young man; I cannot imagine that he would really be tempted by any conspiracy to bring him back to Minas Tirith, much though he loves the city.”
Legolas nodded.
Aragorn continued, with a slight smile, “If I was assassinated and the conspirators offered Faramir my throne, or the old Stewardship which was equivalent to the throne, I know exactly how he would react.
“He would accept the responsibility offered, because that is his duty as Steward, and then he would try those who offered him the throne for High Treason.
“I do not believe that anything would tempt Faramir to cooperate with any attempt to harm me or my family.”
He turned to Legolas.
“Do you recall Frodo telling of meeting Faramir and accompanying him to Henneth Annun? Faramir recognised the power of what Frodo carried; recognised how his brother would have been tempted to take it to use, as he saw it, for the benefit of Gondor.”
Legolas obviously knew what Aragorn was talking about and took up the conversation.
“Faramir told Frodo that if he found Isildur’s Bane lying beside the road he would walk on by. Frodo said that he did not think Faramir was ever tempted to try to take The Ring from him, even though he knew his father would have expected that.”
“So, my brothers, if Faramir was not tempted to take that power, I do not think he will be tempted by such conspirators,” Aragorn said.
Tindómë let out a long breath that Rumil had not even realised she was holding, and he could feel her relax against him, she had clearly been worried that Aragorn might not trust any of the mortals.
On the other side of Tindómë Legolas stood up. “Then call on him to attend you before we eat, Aragorn,” he said, “for the more heads we put together, and the sooner we put them together, the better!”
As they waited for the Steward to arrive Rumil slowly rubbed his thumb across the back of Tindómë’s hand, where they still touched, considering whether she was distressed at the idea of having to repeat everything again.
How quickly he had become used to this, still delicate, link between their faers after all his years without it. It certainly added a new dimension to life – it was unlikely to get boring with Tindómë around!
He thought the link was already a little stronger, since they had joined; he looked forward to the day when Tindómë decided that she was old enough for them to bind fully.
Suddenly a thought flashed into his mind, totally and startlingly clear, so obvious that he wondered why it had not occurred to anyone else in the room – but then, none of the elves were bound to anyone, and Aragorn was not an elf…
The sense of shock, that the others seemed to have overlooked something obvious in their discussions, must have relayed itself to Tindómë; she looked at him with a worried expression. This, if anything, confirmed his sudden flash of insight.
“It is nothing for you to worry about at all, meleth,” he said, honestly, “but I think I need to talk to one of the twins…”
……………………………………………………………………
Rumil looked around the room and moved to speak to Elrohir.
“Elrohir, I need to ask you something about Arwen,” he began.
Elrohir did not question it, but waved Rumil out onto the balcony, and listened.
“I know that Arwen and Aragorn married according to the traditions of men,” Rumil began, “but surely she must also have wanted to share the vows of binding with him? I recognise that this is very personal, but are they bound as well as ‘married’?”
Elrohir paused for a moment, but clearly Rumil had a reason to ask.
“Yes. Yes they said the words of binding on the night of the formal wedding ceremony.”
“Then surely Arwen cannot remain unaware if Aragorn is troubled by the things Tindómë overheard? Not telling her is not going to protect her faer – she is going to worry that he is keeping something from her.”
“If it was a normal binding I would agree with you. But, of course, Estel is not an elf. It is one of the things that brings sorrow to our father,” Elrohir answered, sadly, “that Arwen will not know the sharing of joys and sorrows that is part of being soul-bound, even though they made the vows.”
The look Rumil gave him made Elrohir think that, had it come from Tindómë, it would have been accompanied by “Duh! Are you stupid or what?”
What he actually said was “Have you ever asked them?”
“No,” Elrohir admitted, “it seemed too personal – and we did not want to remind Arwen of what she has not, when she is clearly content with what she has…”
“Please, Elrohir,” Rumil said, “ask them; or consider that it might be greater than you thought. I was not bound to Tindómë, and her faer was not that of an elleth – yet it called out to mine, and I heard it, and I have heard it since. You know the truth of this. We are like strings on a harp – when one is plucked the other resonates because they are tuned to the same note.
“And it seems to me that when Tindómë’s faer resonated with mine it mattered not whether she was edhel - because I am! As they have made their binding vows, which we have not, then even if Aragorn does not feel Arwen’s faer in his, she will feel at least some echoes of his in hers!”
Elrohir was taken aback by the vehemence in Rumil’s voice. He had rarely heard Rumil say as much at one time, let alone with such force. Surely Adar could not be wrong?
As Elrohir thought about what the other ellon had said, Rumil continued.
“Trying to hide this from her, not talking to her about this threat, is not going to protect her – it is going to worry her and distress her because she will feel something of his emotion, and will not understand the cause.”
Rumil might be completely wrong; even though Tindómë was clearly not an elleth at the time of the battle at the Black Gate she was not the mortal female she had appeared. But his conviction that what mattered most was that, as an ellon, he could hear Tindómë’s faer, might just be right…
“My thanks, Rumil. Elladan and I should have thought about this, we should not have been too polite to ask! Things may be totally different between Arwen and Estel – Tindómë is unique, as Mithrandir explained to us. But, if there is any possibility, we must not try to keep everything from Arwen.”
Rumil touched his hand to his chest, nodded, and then went back into the room. Elrohir stood as if gazing at the city below, but turned his thoughts to his twin.
“El, Rumil has just pointed out to me, forcefully, that we should consider how much their binding allows Arwen to hear Estel’s faer, even if he does not hear hers. The situation between him and Tindómë is different, but he is right – they are not bound elves, but he most surely does hear her faer… and she his.”
He heard Elladan as clearly as if he stood beside him. “But Adar said they could not expect that.”
“Not expecting and not getting are not the same, El. But, if we ask Arwen she will want to know why now, and if we ask Estel he might not know if she feels his pleasure and pain, if she has not told him…”
“I will ask him if he does know – and I will do it now! Before Faramir arrives.”
Elrohir waited.
Then Estel called to him from inside the study.
Just as Elrohir re-entered the room a servant knocked, and told the King that Prince Faramir was bathing, and so would be a short time, but would attend his Lord as quickly as he could.
“Good,” he heard Elladan’s voice in his head, “That gives us a little longer!”
Estel was standing in the middle of the room, he waited until the servant left, then looked around him.
“This is something that concerns you all,” he began. “You all heard me say, as soon as Tindómë told us what she had overheard, that Arwen should not be told; she is still recovering from the birth of Gilraen and should not have to worry about this.”
Tindómë nodded, the ellyn waited patiently.
“But my brothers, at Rumil’s suggestion, have asked me to consider that Arwen, because we took vows of binding, might realise that I am worried and annoyed.
“Normally the details of our marriage would be ours alone,” Estel went on, a hint of a blush visible on his tanned cheeks, “but I can understand why this is relevant to all of us here, as we consider what we do next.”
Orophin and Legolas looked slightly embarrassed, Rumil solemn (but then he often did…), and Tindómë looked positively curious.
“There are times when I am aware of Arwen’s emotion, if it is very strong. So, I knew that her labour had started even though I was in council at the time. But I cannot tell you now whether she is awake or asleep, happy or bored.”
Tindómë nodded.
“I think Arwen is more able to know my mood – she seems to know when to join a conversation, when to bring a soothing drink to my study. Elladan asks if we know of each other’s feelings when we touch – as Rumil and Tindómë sometimes do.” He looked at the couple on the settle, with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Tindómë gave him a small smile.
Estel continued “I think we may… at times. I think it likely that Arwen ‘reads’ me more than I do her, and so I will simply hold my thoughts and emotions about this possible threat to her and our daughter close to myself.
“I thank you, Rumil, my friend, for reminding me to do this.”
………………………………………………………………………………..
It was not really his place to contradict the King of Gondor and Arnor, but Rumil did not think it would be that simple. It seemed as if Aragorn had less awareness of Arwen than Tindómë already had of Rumil. Poor Arwen. But even Aragorn recognised that Arwen could hear the song of his faer, mortal though it was, at least to some extent.
It would be a little time until Faramir arrived. A demonstration of the problem might be best.
“Aragorn,” he spoke up, “Tindómë and I are not bound, and all those in this room know that Tindómë is neither mortal nor elleth, but is a gift of the Valar. But I think that the link that we now have is something similar to that which Arwen has with you.”
Aragorn looked a little surprised, as if he had expected the subject to be closed, but listened carefully.
Rumil turned to Tindómë. “Trust me, meleth.”
He pulled her to her feet and stood facing her in the middle of the room. What would be easiest? Ah, of course.
Rumil turned his thoughts to a memory, a very recent memory. A night they had shared in the Queen of Rohan’s bed. He could see her hair flowing down to touch his belly; feel the sensation of her mouth, warm, wet, caressing his grond; her tongue swirling around his naith. He could see her beautiful behind, the cleft and the soft curves making him think of it as a ripe peach that he wanted to bite into and taste…
He could feel his grond thickening and trying to rise inside his leggings. He reached for Tindómë’s hand, and leant forward until their foreheads just touched.
“What do you feel, meleth?”
She looked surprised.
“Nothing! You are stopping me from feeling something. I do not know what you are hiding, but there is no warmth, nothing.”
Rumil looked straight at Aragorn – then he allowing his thoughts and emotions free rein again.
“Oh!” Tindómë gasped, and blushed. (He loved the way she blushed… oh please, Valar, let us get some time in private, and soon!)
“What do you feel, melethril-nín?”
She looked at him wide eyed.
“Desire! Rumil-nín that is not just desire – that is out and out lust! That is…” Her breathing hitched a little.
Time to lower the temperature, Rumil decided, and mindfully he pulled his desire and his thoughts back to himself, saying “There are no tables of food… but it is still probably better not to take up the space in the middle of the floor…!”
She smiled as she recognised the reference. (“I would have been ready if you had stripped my dress off me and joined with me there in the middle of the dance floor at my party!” “Ah, but then people would have had to step over us to reach the food, meleth…” The conversation only months before that now seemed an age away.**)
“Just you wait, melethron-nín,” she whispered.
He dropped a small kiss on her nose, and then turned to face Aragorn – who was watching them seriously. The ellyn, Rumil noted, looked less serious; even Legolas, who regarded Tindómë as a small sister, looked as if he was hiding a smile.
“As you can see, when I have strong feelings and do not block them, Tindómë is well aware of them. If I try to hide my feelings or emotions Tindómë knows that I am doing so; because I cannot block only one emotion – I have to block everything.”
He wondered if he needed to say more. No – Legolas was going to press the point home.
“Aragorn – I think you must heed what you have seen, especially because the sharing, or purposeful not-sharing, of emotion is primarily an elven ability. It is likely that you will be less able to close your emotions off than Rumil, and Arwen will be better able to detect that than Tindómë can…”
Suddenly the expression on Aragorn’s face changed. He grinned and shrugged.
“I accept the council of my elders… and my lady Tindómë…” he bowed, hand on heart elven fashion to her, “I will tell Arwen what Tindómë overheard so that she does not think that I am holding something from her, and imagine something even worse than it is!”
Rumil breathed a sigh of relief – to stand up to a monarch, even a mortal one that he knew already, was not something he did regularly.
“Then,” Legolas said, firmly, “we should not only include Arwen in our deliberations, but also Éowyn. She is not only intelligent, and has seen court intrigue of a sort already, but it is likely that she would be most short tempered should she discover that we were confronting such a problem and not including her!”
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** Closing lines of chapter one of Starlight Bathing.
Gwethil – sworn sister.
Epessë – an ‘after-name’ – a ‘nick-name’ given to an elf to reflect something of their personality or deeds, such as ‘Estel’ as used by Elrond’s family to refer to Aragorn.
Tithen maethor – Little warrior.
Grond – club – elven slang for penis
Naith – head of the penis.
Melethril-nín – my lover (F)
Melethron-nín – my lover (M)
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The BtVS characters do not belong to me, but are used for amusement only. All rights remain the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and the original TV companies. The same is true of the LotR characters for whom all rights remain the property of the estate of JRR Tolkien and the companies responsible for the production of the films.
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It took a while to get home today, and a hasty change of my route, as a digger had fallen off a transporter and landed on a car, at a roundabout on the main road between Douglas, Onchan, and the north of the island - closing part of that road just before the rush hour traffic heading out of Douglas. At first it was reported as a collision between a digger and a car - and I wondered how you could not see a digger, and run into it - because it surely couldn't run into a car - the truth makes more sense - but is even stranger! Imagine driving along and a JCB falling onto your car? Scary!
Previous chapters are Here.
Chapter Eighteen.
Rating 15
3,350 words.
Beta'd, as usual, by S2C.
It was unexpected to be greeted by an unknown ellon, as they rode back into the Citadel, although the twins obviously recognised him and introduced him as Galanthir from Ithilien. Clearly Legolas had arrived a little earlier than expected.
“Legolas asks you all to join him in his suite as soon as you can,” Galanthir said, and Rumil immediately turned his thoughts inwards, to the place where he was aware of Tindómë if she experienced any strong emotion. No, he could not feel her; whatever Legolas needed them for, it was not because Tindómë was in any pain or distress.
“We have an elleth with us who is well known to Legolas,” Elladan said to Galanthir. “Do you know if she is aware that Legolas has arrived?”
“Tindómë, who Legolas claims as gwethil?” He glanced at Rumil before continuing, “and also tells me that she is the beloved of Rumil, in such a voice that I know not to try and sweet-talk her?”
“The same,” Elladan said.
“She is in Legolas’ rooms with the doors wide open, and a mortal serving man in attendance, so that no-one can doubt the propriety of her visit,” Galanthir said, his voice full of amusement.
Rumil wondered if that had been Tindómë’s idea or whether Legolas had come to the same conclusion about doing as little as possible that could give the courtiers reason to complain.
Out loud he said, “You may sweet-talk if you wish… We are not yet formally betrothed; Tindómë is only just past her majority.”
Galanthir nodded, but the amusement was still in his voice as he said “Only as long as I do not see Legolas frowning in my direction!”
“Or Rumil,” Elladan said.
“Or us…” Elrohir added.
Galanthir looked questioningly at Orophin.
“Tindómë is very well able to look after herself…” He paused. “Her epessë, given by Elrohir, is tithen maethor.”
Galanthir did not answer directly, but looked again at Rumil.
“Sweet-talk as much as you like…” Rumil repeated. “The frown you really need to beware is Tindómë’s.”
Galanthir nodded, hand on chest, but there was still a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Rumil thought that he could become friends with this ellon from Ithilien.
………………………………………………………………
When they entered the King’s study Rumil saw Tindómë sitting beside Legolas and, so near, could not only see that she was worried but could also feel it. He went to sit beside her; she smiled and curled her fingers in his where their two hands touched.
Legolas explained that Tindómë had overheard something which Aragorn needed to know, when she was in the library, and it was easier for her to tell everyone together rather than repeat the same things over again.
Her fingers curled more tightly in Rumil’s. He could feel… a jumble of emotion through that contact. She was angry, upset; there was a distaste… only as she began her story could he understand that mix of emotions.
She told her story in Sindarin, but repeated what she had overheard in the tongue in which it had been spoken – and so Rumil was not completely clear about all that had been said. He would ask her later. He understood the insulting terms ‘she-elf’, ‘unnatural males’ and ‘brat’ – it was clear that at least one or two of the Gondorian court were unhappy with the new regime.
He thought that surely the Valar had led Tindómë to be in the right place at the right time. She was the only one in their company who could have overheard without the men being suspicious – and any ordinary mortal would have been, as the men had assumed, unable to hear the conversation.
The twins were talking to the King. They were speaking as one voice, as they often did; it was, as Tindómë said, like elflings hitting a ball from one to the other. Rumil had known these grandsons of his Lord and Lady for much of his life and, although he had only become close to them in the short time since they had fought side by side, he knew this habit of theirs well.
Sometimes they did it when amused, or when they were being less than serious, but those who knew them recognised that it was also a sign that they agreed completely about something. This was one of those times; they were worried for their brother and unsure if he should trust his steward.
Tindómë was right, Rumil thought, Aragorn should not rely solely on the elves, to the exclusion of men, if he wanted to be accepted as king. Had Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel kept only Noldor guards and advisors the Golden Woods would probably not have survived, and thrived, as it had.
But if Aragorn did rely on his brothers, on his friend Legolas, on Rumil, Orophin, Galanthir too, he would know that they were totally trustworthy; they were elves. Could he be as sure of any man?
“Can I trust Faramir?” Aragorn paused, as if thinking about this.
“Yes,” he then stated, firmly, “yes, my brothers, I can trust Faramir. He has wanted to restore Ithilien since he was a very young man; I cannot imagine that he would really be tempted by any conspiracy to bring him back to Minas Tirith, much though he loves the city.”
Legolas nodded.
Aragorn continued, with a slight smile, “If I was assassinated and the conspirators offered Faramir my throne, or the old Stewardship which was equivalent to the throne, I know exactly how he would react.
“He would accept the responsibility offered, because that is his duty as Steward, and then he would try those who offered him the throne for High Treason.
“I do not believe that anything would tempt Faramir to cooperate with any attempt to harm me or my family.”
He turned to Legolas.
“Do you recall Frodo telling of meeting Faramir and accompanying him to Henneth Annun? Faramir recognised the power of what Frodo carried; recognised how his brother would have been tempted to take it to use, as he saw it, for the benefit of Gondor.”
Legolas obviously knew what Aragorn was talking about and took up the conversation.
“Faramir told Frodo that if he found Isildur’s Bane lying beside the road he would walk on by. Frodo said that he did not think Faramir was ever tempted to try to take The Ring from him, even though he knew his father would have expected that.”
“So, my brothers, if Faramir was not tempted to take that power, I do not think he will be tempted by such conspirators,” Aragorn said.
Tindómë let out a long breath that Rumil had not even realised she was holding, and he could feel her relax against him, she had clearly been worried that Aragorn might not trust any of the mortals.
On the other side of Tindómë Legolas stood up. “Then call on him to attend you before we eat, Aragorn,” he said, “for the more heads we put together, and the sooner we put them together, the better!”
As they waited for the Steward to arrive Rumil slowly rubbed his thumb across the back of Tindómë’s hand, where they still touched, considering whether she was distressed at the idea of having to repeat everything again.
How quickly he had become used to this, still delicate, link between their faers after all his years without it. It certainly added a new dimension to life – it was unlikely to get boring with Tindómë around!
He thought the link was already a little stronger, since they had joined; he looked forward to the day when Tindómë decided that she was old enough for them to bind fully.
Suddenly a thought flashed into his mind, totally and startlingly clear, so obvious that he wondered why it had not occurred to anyone else in the room – but then, none of the elves were bound to anyone, and Aragorn was not an elf…
The sense of shock, that the others seemed to have overlooked something obvious in their discussions, must have relayed itself to Tindómë; she looked at him with a worried expression. This, if anything, confirmed his sudden flash of insight.
“It is nothing for you to worry about at all, meleth,” he said, honestly, “but I think I need to talk to one of the twins…”
……………………………………………………………………
Rumil looked around the room and moved to speak to Elrohir.
“Elrohir, I need to ask you something about Arwen,” he began.
Elrohir did not question it, but waved Rumil out onto the balcony, and listened.
“I know that Arwen and Aragorn married according to the traditions of men,” Rumil began, “but surely she must also have wanted to share the vows of binding with him? I recognise that this is very personal, but are they bound as well as ‘married’?”
Elrohir paused for a moment, but clearly Rumil had a reason to ask.
“Yes. Yes they said the words of binding on the night of the formal wedding ceremony.”
“Then surely Arwen cannot remain unaware if Aragorn is troubled by the things Tindómë overheard? Not telling her is not going to protect her faer – she is going to worry that he is keeping something from her.”
“If it was a normal binding I would agree with you. But, of course, Estel is not an elf. It is one of the things that brings sorrow to our father,” Elrohir answered, sadly, “that Arwen will not know the sharing of joys and sorrows that is part of being soul-bound, even though they made the vows.”
The look Rumil gave him made Elrohir think that, had it come from Tindómë, it would have been accompanied by “Duh! Are you stupid or what?”
What he actually said was “Have you ever asked them?”
“No,” Elrohir admitted, “it seemed too personal – and we did not want to remind Arwen of what she has not, when she is clearly content with what she has…”
“Please, Elrohir,” Rumil said, “ask them; or consider that it might be greater than you thought. I was not bound to Tindómë, and her faer was not that of an elleth – yet it called out to mine, and I heard it, and I have heard it since. You know the truth of this. We are like strings on a harp – when one is plucked the other resonates because they are tuned to the same note.
“And it seems to me that when Tindómë’s faer resonated with mine it mattered not whether she was edhel - because I am! As they have made their binding vows, which we have not, then even if Aragorn does not feel Arwen’s faer in his, she will feel at least some echoes of his in hers!”
Elrohir was taken aback by the vehemence in Rumil’s voice. He had rarely heard Rumil say as much at one time, let alone with such force. Surely Adar could not be wrong?
As Elrohir thought about what the other ellon had said, Rumil continued.
“Trying to hide this from her, not talking to her about this threat, is not going to protect her – it is going to worry her and distress her because she will feel something of his emotion, and will not understand the cause.”
Rumil might be completely wrong; even though Tindómë was clearly not an elleth at the time of the battle at the Black Gate she was not the mortal female she had appeared. But his conviction that what mattered most was that, as an ellon, he could hear Tindómë’s faer, might just be right…
“My thanks, Rumil. Elladan and I should have thought about this, we should not have been too polite to ask! Things may be totally different between Arwen and Estel – Tindómë is unique, as Mithrandir explained to us. But, if there is any possibility, we must not try to keep everything from Arwen.”
Rumil touched his hand to his chest, nodded, and then went back into the room. Elrohir stood as if gazing at the city below, but turned his thoughts to his twin.
“El, Rumil has just pointed out to me, forcefully, that we should consider how much their binding allows Arwen to hear Estel’s faer, even if he does not hear hers. The situation between him and Tindómë is different, but he is right – they are not bound elves, but he most surely does hear her faer… and she his.”
He heard Elladan as clearly as if he stood beside him. “But Adar said they could not expect that.”
“Not expecting and not getting are not the same, El. But, if we ask Arwen she will want to know why now, and if we ask Estel he might not know if she feels his pleasure and pain, if she has not told him…”
“I will ask him if he does know – and I will do it now! Before Faramir arrives.”
Elrohir waited.
Then Estel called to him from inside the study.
Just as Elrohir re-entered the room a servant knocked, and told the King that Prince Faramir was bathing, and so would be a short time, but would attend his Lord as quickly as he could.
“Good,” he heard Elladan’s voice in his head, “That gives us a little longer!”
Estel was standing in the middle of the room, he waited until the servant left, then looked around him.
“This is something that concerns you all,” he began. “You all heard me say, as soon as Tindómë told us what she had overheard, that Arwen should not be told; she is still recovering from the birth of Gilraen and should not have to worry about this.”
Tindómë nodded, the ellyn waited patiently.
“But my brothers, at Rumil’s suggestion, have asked me to consider that Arwen, because we took vows of binding, might realise that I am worried and annoyed.
“Normally the details of our marriage would be ours alone,” Estel went on, a hint of a blush visible on his tanned cheeks, “but I can understand why this is relevant to all of us here, as we consider what we do next.”
Orophin and Legolas looked slightly embarrassed, Rumil solemn (but then he often did…), and Tindómë looked positively curious.
“There are times when I am aware of Arwen’s emotion, if it is very strong. So, I knew that her labour had started even though I was in council at the time. But I cannot tell you now whether she is awake or asleep, happy or bored.”
Tindómë nodded.
“I think Arwen is more able to know my mood – she seems to know when to join a conversation, when to bring a soothing drink to my study. Elladan asks if we know of each other’s feelings when we touch – as Rumil and Tindómë sometimes do.” He looked at the couple on the settle, with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Tindómë gave him a small smile.
Estel continued “I think we may… at times. I think it likely that Arwen ‘reads’ me more than I do her, and so I will simply hold my thoughts and emotions about this possible threat to her and our daughter close to myself.
“I thank you, Rumil, my friend, for reminding me to do this.”
………………………………………………………………………………..
It was not really his place to contradict the King of Gondor and Arnor, but Rumil did not think it would be that simple. It seemed as if Aragorn had less awareness of Arwen than Tindómë already had of Rumil. Poor Arwen. But even Aragorn recognised that Arwen could hear the song of his faer, mortal though it was, at least to some extent.
It would be a little time until Faramir arrived. A demonstration of the problem might be best.
“Aragorn,” he spoke up, “Tindómë and I are not bound, and all those in this room know that Tindómë is neither mortal nor elleth, but is a gift of the Valar. But I think that the link that we now have is something similar to that which Arwen has with you.”
Aragorn looked a little surprised, as if he had expected the subject to be closed, but listened carefully.
Rumil turned to Tindómë. “Trust me, meleth.”
He pulled her to her feet and stood facing her in the middle of the room. What would be easiest? Ah, of course.
Rumil turned his thoughts to a memory, a very recent memory. A night they had shared in the Queen of Rohan’s bed. He could see her hair flowing down to touch his belly; feel the sensation of her mouth, warm, wet, caressing his grond; her tongue swirling around his naith. He could see her beautiful behind, the cleft and the soft curves making him think of it as a ripe peach that he wanted to bite into and taste…
He could feel his grond thickening and trying to rise inside his leggings. He reached for Tindómë’s hand, and leant forward until their foreheads just touched.
“What do you feel, meleth?”
She looked surprised.
“Nothing! You are stopping me from feeling something. I do not know what you are hiding, but there is no warmth, nothing.”
Rumil looked straight at Aragorn – then he allowing his thoughts and emotions free rein again.
“Oh!” Tindómë gasped, and blushed. (He loved the way she blushed… oh please, Valar, let us get some time in private, and soon!)
“What do you feel, melethril-nín?”
She looked at him wide eyed.
“Desire! Rumil-nín that is not just desire – that is out and out lust! That is…” Her breathing hitched a little.
Time to lower the temperature, Rumil decided, and mindfully he pulled his desire and his thoughts back to himself, saying “There are no tables of food… but it is still probably better not to take up the space in the middle of the floor…!”
She smiled as she recognised the reference. (“I would have been ready if you had stripped my dress off me and joined with me there in the middle of the dance floor at my party!” “Ah, but then people would have had to step over us to reach the food, meleth…” The conversation only months before that now seemed an age away.**)
“Just you wait, melethron-nín,” she whispered.
He dropped a small kiss on her nose, and then turned to face Aragorn – who was watching them seriously. The ellyn, Rumil noted, looked less serious; even Legolas, who regarded Tindómë as a small sister, looked as if he was hiding a smile.
“As you can see, when I have strong feelings and do not block them, Tindómë is well aware of them. If I try to hide my feelings or emotions Tindómë knows that I am doing so; because I cannot block only one emotion – I have to block everything.”
He wondered if he needed to say more. No – Legolas was going to press the point home.
“Aragorn – I think you must heed what you have seen, especially because the sharing, or purposeful not-sharing, of emotion is primarily an elven ability. It is likely that you will be less able to close your emotions off than Rumil, and Arwen will be better able to detect that than Tindómë can…”
Suddenly the expression on Aragorn’s face changed. He grinned and shrugged.
“I accept the council of my elders… and my lady Tindómë…” he bowed, hand on heart elven fashion to her, “I will tell Arwen what Tindómë overheard so that she does not think that I am holding something from her, and imagine something even worse than it is!”
Rumil breathed a sigh of relief – to stand up to a monarch, even a mortal one that he knew already, was not something he did regularly.
“Then,” Legolas said, firmly, “we should not only include Arwen in our deliberations, but also Éowyn. She is not only intelligent, and has seen court intrigue of a sort already, but it is likely that she would be most short tempered should she discover that we were confronting such a problem and not including her!”
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** Closing lines of chapter one of Starlight Bathing.
Gwethil – sworn sister.
Epessë – an ‘after-name’ – a ‘nick-name’ given to an elf to reflect something of their personality or deeds, such as ‘Estel’ as used by Elrond’s family to refer to Aragorn.
Tithen maethor – Little warrior.
Grond – club – elven slang for penis
Naith – head of the penis.
Melethril-nín – my lover (F)
Melethron-nín – my lover (M)
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The BtVS characters do not belong to me, but are used for amusement only. All rights remain the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and the original TV companies. The same is true of the LotR characters for whom all rights remain the property of the estate of JRR Tolkien and the companies responsible for the production of the films.
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It took a while to get home today, and a hasty change of my route, as a digger had fallen off a transporter and landed on a car, at a roundabout on the main road between Douglas, Onchan, and the north of the island - closing part of that road just before the rush hour traffic heading out of Douglas. At first it was reported as a collision between a digger and a car - and I wondered how you could not see a digger, and run into it - because it surely couldn't run into a car - the truth makes more sense - but is even stranger! Imagine driving along and a JCB falling onto your car? Scary!
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Date: 10/08/2009 07:01 pm (UTC)The digger thing is weird - my 2-year-old grand nephew was watching some Thomas The Tank Engine episodes yesterday, and every time I looked up something seemed to be falling off a truck or a bridge, trains were running away, etc., to an extent that I began to think that the island of Sodor must be in the Thunderbirds universe... You sure as hell wouldn't get me using public transport there...
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Date: 10/08/2009 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 08:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/08/2009 09:12 pm (UTC)Anyway, it is good to know that you enjoy the reading, too!
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Date: 10/08/2009 09:46 pm (UTC)LOL! He's obviously spent some time with her!
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Date: 10/08/2009 10:18 pm (UTC)And I somehow don't see her having become totally docile and domesticated - not someone who slew the Witch King!
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Date: 11/08/2009 10:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 11/08/2009 11:24 am (UTC)Basically almost all northbound traffic was going through the middle of Onchan.
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Date: 12/08/2009 07:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 12/08/2009 12:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 13/08/2009 06:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 12/08/2009 11:13 am (UTC)Thanks for the double heads up about this update. I am only online sporadically right now and typing on this I liked this very much indeed. The return of Legolas especially! I am not sure if he is more Tolkien's character or Jackson/Bloom's version: in fact I think this Legolas may be mostly all yours :) but I like him!
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Date: 12/08/2009 12:37 pm (UTC)I think you are right - my Legolas is a bit of an amalgam, and also 'mine' - Tolkien seems less interested in Legolas than some of the others, his personality is sometimes less defined than theirs.
However, he is a prince, so used to giving commands when necessary; he has life experience through being older by centuries than the rest, even though Tolkien never specifies just what age he is; and there are other warriors available to Elrond, but this is the one who goes. So I think he must be reasonably intelligent and able to come to conclusions from observation!
But it might just be because I like him that way. :~)
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Date: 22/08/2009 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 22/08/2009 05:21 pm (UTC)I gather that it occurred to Peter Jackson late-ish on in development and filming that Legolas didn't do much heroic stuff, and they added some of the superman (superelf?) stuff at that point - and it was much too much, I think! The 'flying' into the saddle and up onto the múmakil looked all wrong, to me. I ignore it!
As for making the other elves look like wimps - yes - there is an implication in the film that none of the Lorien archers survive Helm's Deep. Not surprising as he gives them crappy helms, has them using swords when they still have arrows... Clearly I ignore this implication(!) - I think my elves are a bit more equal than his...
I can see book Legolas being more confident by the time I start RoTK - the friendship with Gimli, as well as the rest of the Fellowship, helping him be more confident away from Mirkwood. He has enough self-confidence to decide that HE will bring elves and heal Ithilien by the end of the venture which gives me the excuse to let him 'lord it' a bit!
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Date: 23/08/2009 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 23/08/2009 05:45 pm (UTC)He gained much on the quest - but lost some of his peace of mind. Which is also part of growing up, I guess.
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Date: 16/08/2009 02:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 17/08/2009 09:59 pm (UTC)