A boy and his dog.
The child sat in the grass, long tawny blonde hair hanging in wild disarray about him. A smudge of dirt was left behind on his cheek as he impatiently pushed the hair back out of his face with a grubby hand, revealing a pointed ear as he did so. His tunic was mud covered, and a large hole gaped in the knee of his breeches, the skin underneath scraped and bloody. A small black and tan hound puppy came to the boy, shoving its hard black nose under the boy's hand, seeking to be patted.
The boy smiled, thinking how proud his father and brothers would be to see how the powerful Valar Orome favoured him. Never before had anyone been given one of Orome special hounds! He worried however, that his mother might not be so happy, she would more concerned that the little pup would track mud into the house, and want to sleep on the boy's bed. The child shrugged, father would talk mother around he was sure, but it was growing late in the morning, and he didn't want to upset his mother any more than necessary by being late for lunch.
Celegorm stood, 'Come on Huan,' he said. 'We'd better get home for lunch, if we don't hurry my brothers will eat all food and we'll have to go hungry.' Tongue lolling, puppy feet nearly too big for him to manage, Huan followed his new master home.
As Celegorm ran the up the gravel path to his home, Huan trailing behind, he wondered how to explain the state of his clothing to Mother. She was not going to be happy, he knew, especially as she was so tired lately. That was because of his new brother, Caranthir. It puzzled Celegorm that a baby was so small, yet required so much work and looking after. The whole family had to help, and the child could not even move much, or speak yet! His protests that he himself couldn't have been so much trouble had caused his older brothers to laugh so hard Maglor had fallen off his chair, and Maedhros had nearly choked. Celegorm had not been amused, and since then had plotted a way to get even with his brothers.
'Mother,' he announced as he flung open the door and leaped into the kitchen, 'Lord Orome has given me a present!' He had decided this was the best way to deal with the situation; Mother wouldn't dare to protest a gift given her son by one of the Valar too much.
Mother was not in the kitchen, Maedhros was. He was preparing lunch, and there was so sign of Maglor.
'Where have you been, Celegorm,' Maedhros scolded. 'I was to go looking for you after lunch! That meant I was not going to be available to help Father this afternoon, and he was not happy.'
'Where are Mother and Maglor?' asked Celegorm.
'Maglor has taken Father's lunch out to him; he can't leave the forge right now. And Mother..'
'Is right here, and wondering why there is a dog in my kitchen!' said Nerdanel, as she glared at her sons. She had been attending to little Caranthir, and heard the voices and came to see where her third son had been all morning.
'Lord Orome gave him to me, a special gift, he says because I have been such a good student of his.' The pup had moved to sit at Celegorm's feet, and his eyes pleaded with the boy. 'His name is Huan.'
'That may be so, but he and you are filthy;' Nerdanel was clearly not amused. 'You have torn your clothes, too.' She sighed, and shook her head.
'Directly after lunch, both you and he are being thoroughly bathed. We can't refuse a gift from Lord Orome, particularly as he said you earned it. I will object to having such a very dirty dog in the house again. You will keep Huan clean, and he is not sleeping in your room at night. You will feed him and be in all ways responsible for his care, or I will take Huan back to Orome myself and tell him that you are not yet old and responsible enough to have such a gift. Is that clearly understood?'
'Yes Mother.'
'And you will help to launder and repair your clothes, that might teach you to take better care of your things. You look as though you have living in the wild for weeks, my son,' said Nerdanel more affectionately now.
'Yes, Mother,' said Celegorm rather meekly.
'Here is your lunch, Mother,' said Maedhros, handing Nerdanel a plate.
'Thank you,' she said, kissing her eldest son in thanks. 'I think I will take this outside to eat, Caranthir would like an hour or two in the garden, I believe.'
'We will join you soon, Mother,' said Maedhros.
'Well, that went better than I thought,' remarked Celegorm brightly once Nerdanel was out of earshot.
'Mmm, wait till this pup chews up Father's boots or something, and see how popular you and he are then,' remarked Maedhros as the boys joined their mother in the garden. Celegorm shrugged, he'd cope with that sort of thing if or when it happened.
Over the next few weeks though, Celegorm did discover two things, pups required almost as much looking after as a new little brother, and his older brothers were rather envious that a powerful Valar had given their annoying little brother a gift. Celegorm's revenge at his brothers for laughing at him was complete.
The child sat in the grass, long tawny blonde hair hanging in wild disarray about him. A smudge of dirt was left behind on his cheek as he impatiently pushed the hair back out of his face with a grubby hand, revealing a pointed ear as he did so. His tunic was mud covered, and a large hole gaped in the knee of his breeches, the skin underneath scraped and bloody. A small black and tan hound puppy came to the boy, shoving its hard black nose under the boy's hand, seeking to be patted.
The boy smiled, thinking how proud his father and brothers would be to see how the powerful Valar Orome favoured him. Never before had anyone been given one of Orome special hounds! He worried however, that his mother might not be so happy, she would more concerned that the little pup would track mud into the house, and want to sleep on the boy's bed. The child shrugged, father would talk mother around he was sure, but it was growing late in the morning, and he didn't want to upset his mother any more than necessary by being late for lunch.
Celegorm stood, 'Come on Huan,' he said. 'We'd better get home for lunch, if we don't hurry my brothers will eat all food and we'll have to go hungry.' Tongue lolling, puppy feet nearly too big for him to manage, Huan followed his new master home.
As Celegorm ran the up the gravel path to his home, Huan trailing behind, he wondered how to explain the state of his clothing to Mother. She was not going to be happy, he knew, especially as she was so tired lately. That was because of his new brother, Caranthir. It puzzled Celegorm that a baby was so small, yet required so much work and looking after. The whole family had to help, and the child could not even move much, or speak yet! His protests that he himself couldn't have been so much trouble had caused his older brothers to laugh so hard Maglor had fallen off his chair, and Maedhros had nearly choked. Celegorm had not been amused, and since then had plotted a way to get even with his brothers.
'Mother,' he announced as he flung open the door and leaped into the kitchen, 'Lord Orome has given me a present!' He had decided this was the best way to deal with the situation; Mother wouldn't dare to protest a gift given her son by one of the Valar too much.
Mother was not in the kitchen, Maedhros was. He was preparing lunch, and there was so sign of Maglor.
'Where have you been, Celegorm,' Maedhros scolded. 'I was to go looking for you after lunch! That meant I was not going to be available to help Father this afternoon, and he was not happy.'
'Where are Mother and Maglor?' asked Celegorm.
'Maglor has taken Father's lunch out to him; he can't leave the forge right now. And Mother..'
'Is right here, and wondering why there is a dog in my kitchen!' said Nerdanel, as she glared at her sons. She had been attending to little Caranthir, and heard the voices and came to see where her third son had been all morning.
'Lord Orome gave him to me, a special gift, he says because I have been such a good student of his.' The pup had moved to sit at Celegorm's feet, and his eyes pleaded with the boy. 'His name is Huan.'
'That may be so, but he and you are filthy;' Nerdanel was clearly not amused. 'You have torn your clothes, too.' She sighed, and shook her head.
'Directly after lunch, both you and he are being thoroughly bathed. We can't refuse a gift from Lord Orome, particularly as he said you earned it. I will object to having such a very dirty dog in the house again. You will keep Huan clean, and he is not sleeping in your room at night. You will feed him and be in all ways responsible for his care, or I will take Huan back to Orome myself and tell him that you are not yet old and responsible enough to have such a gift. Is that clearly understood?'
'Yes Mother.'
'And you will help to launder and repair your clothes, that might teach you to take better care of your things. You look as though you have living in the wild for weeks, my son,' said Nerdanel more affectionately now.
'Yes, Mother,' said Celegorm rather meekly.
'Here is your lunch, Mother,' said Maedhros, handing Nerdanel a plate.
'Thank you,' she said, kissing her eldest son in thanks. 'I think I will take this outside to eat, Caranthir would like an hour or two in the garden, I believe.'
'We will join you soon, Mother,' said Maedhros.
'Well, that went better than I thought,' remarked Celegorm brightly once Nerdanel was out of earshot.
'Mmm, wait till this pup chews up Father's boots or something, and see how popular you and he are then,' remarked Maedhros as the boys joined their mother in the garden. Celegorm shrugged, he'd cope with that sort of thing if or when it happened.
Over the next few weeks though, Celegorm did discover two things, pups required almost as much looking after as a new little brother, and his older brothers were rather envious that a powerful Valar had given their annoying little brother a gift. Celegorm's revenge at his brothers for laughing at him was complete.