Rusa AU AU

Co-written with Rogercat, creator and owner of the Silmarillion AU "Rusaverse" aka "Warg Rider".

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Indis sniffed.

The Vanyar born Princess was sitting at a table and arranging miniatures of nerri and nessi on a board. She was frustrated to the extreme by the circumstances of this reception. Although she had always found planning balls, parties and all sorts of occasions to be a delight, an opportunity to apply Order and Godliness to otherwise excessively chaotic life of the Eldar, this time around the task daunted her. Indis was trapped in indecision – what should take precedence in the seating arrangement – age or precedence at court? One was older by a very large degree, yet her lineage was not as illustrious as the other's. Then again, the younger's line, although unblemished by Avari taint, was from a cadet branch line ...

Indis sniffed again.

She was not sure whether to cry – which would be proper and ladylike, although not very productive, or to rave, rage and rant – which would be unseeming. And not productive either. The blasphemous thought of throwing something at the wall like Maedrhros had done once crossed her mind. Several prayers to the Valar cleansed her mind of thoughts of such wanton hurling.

Yet the Queen of the Noldor was still unsettled. She allowed herself a snarl.

Damn that cacique of that band of savage rustics! Damn Taurion for that ... outrageous and ... vulgar idea! And why oh why – she asked the Valar for time uncounted – did ANYBODY, especially the girls involved, think this to be a good idea? The poor little blonde gem, in the clutches of that killer! She sniffed over the impeding fate of her fair headed great-granddaughter.

Oh why did the Valar make the neri so susceptible to the demands of their ... unmentionable? She sighed, this time over her own lot. She herself had succumbed to the charms of the lust driven Finwe, her husband of Four Ages. She should had listened to her mother and married Sanwëon instead! Base instinct driven animals, the lot of them! What a chore it was to herd them into following the Laws and Customs of the Eldar the Valar themselves had designed! Yet it was a wife's lot to suffer, to prod the husband in the direction of Godliness, and to pray to the Valar for her Lord's enlightment.

She sighed again, swept the figures off the board representing the table in the smaller ball room and began to arrange them again. Although deserving of the larger reception hall, its use would imply her acceptance of the reason for the reception. Which, Valar judge her Soul, she did not and could, in good conscience ever give. So the smaller hall it was to be, and the second best dining service. Or should she use the third best, her mind wandered, but not before a final sigh of disgust and disdain – nerri!

Some time later.

Indis, as was her right as the top ranking female of the Noldor Kindred, led the all-nissi dawn service preceding a marriage ceremony. Her mind continued to recoil at the thought that the Valar were condoning this, that Manwe had not descended from Taniquetil and forbid this disgusting ... INNOVATION! She sought peace of mind in singing the prescribed hymns, their familiarity soothing her battered soul. Nevertheless, having TWO brides in front of her, not one, continued to offend all her sense of Proper.

How had things came to this!? Damn it, damn every one of those Elves who had insisted on that the only way to truly heal the old rift between Feanor and her own two sons was by a marriage between their grandchildren! Claiming that one of their sons' unwed granddaughters had to be a bride to Rusa, "unite the Houses in a peaceful way", as if that was true. And then the brawl about which one, Maeglin or Saira, which should be the bride. Some had supported Maeglin as she was nearly as hopeless as Rusa when it came to upbringing, others backed Saira in the hopes that her sacrifice would tame Rusa's wild nature, her sweet personality dulling the edge of his violence prone fea. Then, the words that had been dropped like a mirror and breaking everything:
"Why not let Rusa have them as sister-wives? As in, marry them both?"
She did not know how Taurion had climbed up in that tree and listened to every word of the family council, only that his words had broken the deadlock over who the bride would be. What madness had befallen those present to go with that IMMORAL idea?!

Maeglin ... her poor Nolofinwe's youngest granddaughter, who Turgon had tried in vain to correct into a proper Noldor princess. Already too late to domesticate the Avari side of her personality, as she had already been 80 years old when Aredhel – that naughty, wilful girl! - had brought her back to civilisation in the hidden city of Gondolin. There had been very little Turgon – bereft of a wife to guide him - had been able to do in that case, even with sweet Idril's help.
Saira, the only daughter of her youngest son Arafinwe's eldest son Ingoldo. So innocent, dutiful and obedient. A role model for proper maidenly behaviour. Just stepping into the age of a fully grown nis. Why had they insisted on that she should marry Rusa? Could not people see that Rusa and Maeglin would destroy her innocence, with there being a risk for that ... for that ... for that Warg Rider - with no sense nor knowledge how civilised society worked - to use his wives against one another?
And imagine if they had children! Which child would be Rusa's heir, the firstborn child or would he chose? Indis would not put throwing dice to decide upon the heir be beyond what that ... Morgoth's Ward could do!
Knowing nerri as she did, she could see that Rusa was fond of both, thank the Valar for that! Or not? She was confused whether this was a Blessing or a Curse from the Powers ... At least he would not hurt them. Yet did anyone fail to see the risks of him favouring one wife over other one? Indis had seen the couples together, with Rusa being much more forward – shockingly so - in his behaviour against Maeglin ... and that ill-bred and ill-raised nis welcomed his untoward attentions and made - UGH - advances of her own ... it was as if they knew something that no one else did.
With Saira Rusa was much more circumspect, tender, protective, close to treating her like a fragile vase of glass that would break at any rough treatment. But her grandmotherly eye could see the unmistaken signs of barely constrained primal lusts, all his gentle manner notwithstanding. Astonishing that having known him since she had been ten Saira still fell to his seductive ways. And she fell for them so terribly hard! By the Valar, what errors had Finrod and that wife of his made? Oh, why had she not stepped in earlier to stay the child from corruption!

Although the thought of chubby baby cheeks warmed her heart and made this whole mess worthwhile, the thought of Rusa begetting elflings with her pure, innocent jewel Saira made her stomach churn. Hopefully The Talk she had given them both had infused the blonde – she had no hopes for Maeglin – of the proper attitude. To lie still on her back, to close her eyes and to think of the Valar and their Blessings.

After the final hymn, imploring Yavanna to make the union ... unions ... fruitful, her keen elven ears caught the girls whispering. Hearing Maeglin relate:

- ... seeing me in breeches he could not keep his hands to himself. He was all over me. I grabbed his hams and ...

Indis swirled to yell at her to stop speaking such filth, but the dreamy expression on Saira's blushing face while she giggled:

- ... he kissed me on the skin above my stockings. He kissed me ... teehee ... everywhere ... teehee ...

made the matriarch of the Noldor scream NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Indis' screams of

- NOOOOOOOOO!

brought in a half-awake Finwe to her bedroom.

... what's ... what's the matter ...

Indis could only grab the front of his nightshirt and hide her face in the fabric and shake uncontrollably. Still half awake her husband ran his hand over her hair and back and patted her head soothingly, cooing sweet nothings, clearly confusing her with one of their children or grandchildren in times long past.

Comforted by her husband Indis slowly calmed down. Her last thought before sliping back to slumber was -

- "by age or precedence ... ?"

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AN:

Please note that this is not canon material for the "Warg Rider" AU.