DAUGHTER OF FEANOR
It had been a very unusual rainy och windy day in Valinor. Most of the elves living in the city of Tirion had chosen to stay inside, as it seemed to be a rare storm tonight.
Inside the house belonging to the High King Finwe's oldest son Feanor and his family:
- I and Huan am finally home…Wah!
A strong wind brew into the house when Feanor's third son Celegorm opened the door, making both Celegorm and Huan fall on the floor.
Thud!
- Ow! No, Huan, don't shake off all the water on me…..agh! Stupid dog! was heard from the hall.
- Boys, please make a hot drink for your brother and get two large towels for them both, said Nerdanel, the wife of Feanor, friendly to her other sons while she put the finishing touches on a small statue of her family.
- Yes, Mother!
Some seconds later the oldest son in the house, Maedhros, was passing by with two large towels and a dry set of Celegorm's clothes, and Amrod and Amras right behind their oldest brother. Nerdanel looked up from her work to court the number of sons that was home:
- Maitimo, Macalaure, Tyelcormo, Carnistir, Atarinke, Ambarussa and Umbarto. Good, only your father that is missing. I hope that he will be home soon, I don't like this weather…..
A loud yell in surprise from the kitchen, revealed that either Caranthir or Curufin were about to set the dinner food (roasted chicken and vegetables) on fire.
- Younger brothers….., groaned Maedhros in a annoyed voice and followed his mother to save the dinner.
Lucky, they managed to save the dinner before it was too late.
- Apart from the weather making no one go outside, everything was normally, told Celegorm while he dried his silver-blonde hair with one towel. Amrod and Amras helped each other to dry Huan with the other towel, and got each a happy lick in the face as "thank you" from the dog before Huan hid himself in his dog basket.
- Don't worry, Huan. We shall not go out anymore today.
Maglor looked up from his latest work of harp music, asked worried:
- Where is father? Should he not have been home now?
- Given that it took your brother and Huan half a hour longer than normal to get home from Fingolfin's house in this weather, I am sure that it make your father a bit longer to get home from your grandfather's palace, Nerdanel answeared as she began to set the table up with plates and cutlery.
- Amrod, Amras, have you two taken my book that I am halfway though? Caranthir wondered.
- NO!
The twins said this in an such manner, that told their fourth older brother that they were innocent this time.
- Alright, alright, just checking. Because I laid it upon the table in front of the fire place when Mother asked me to help Curufin with the dinner…..
- I laid it on the chair beside, right before Huan came into the house! called Maedhros from the kitchen. Caranthir turned around and found the book on said place. The door was open once again, this time with Feanor himself in the door frame.
- Cold! said the twins loudly at the same time.
He closed the door with a bit of difficulty due to the strong wind, before saying the words:
- Sorry for being later than normal, dearest, boys. I almost believed that I was about to be blown away a few times on the way home.
Nardanel took his wet cloak.
- Please go and change to some dry clothes, and we will start eating together.
After dinner, they was gathered in front of the fireplace, for some family time before it was time to sleep. All nine of them were working with something in their hands: Feanor helped Curufin to fix a working toy, Nerdanel was sewing on a new work shirt for her husband, Maedhros tried to make the twins do some homework, Maglor continued on his music notes to a new harp song, Celegorm was checking on Huan and Caranthir read in the book. It was now pretty clear by now, that would indeed be a stormy night. Suddenly, Feanor rose from his chair without saying anything. His movement caught the attention from the rest of the family, who looked up at him.
- Dearest?
Nerdanel hade stopped sewing on the shirt, which now laid in her knee.
- Call me crazy out of tiredness, but…..for a short moment, I though that I heard the sound of a crying elfling out there in the storm, said Feanor, who had not taken his eyes from one of the closed windows. Caranthir responded, without looking up from his book:
- You are too used to the sound of crying elflings, thanks to us seven, Father.
- Hush! commanded Maedhros, raising a hand.
This time, everyone in the family listened. Indeed, it really was the sound of a crying elfling out there in the strong wind. The sound of an abandoned elfling.
- Which elvish parent is so irresponsible, that they takes out a small elfling and then just leaves it alone in a storm like this!? That poor little thing must be scared half to death by this terrible weather! said Nerdanel angry and rose from her own chair.
Feanor had already taken their cloaks, when Maedhros said:
- We are coming too, Father.
Both himself and the younger six sons had raisen from what they hade been doing. Nerdanel signed.
- Alright. Get some stable lanterns and bring each a small cloak with you, who knows how long that poor little one has been left alone in this storm…..
- We goes two and two: Your mother and I, Maedhros and Maglor, Celegorm with Huan, Caranthir with Curufin and the twins together. No missing family member here, please! said Feanor behind her.
- Yes, father!
It was a hard wind, and raining outside. Yet it did not stop them. They had to find the elfling as quickly as possible. This was not normal. Elflings was a pure treasure for adult elves, due to their long lives and the price for their immortality was few children. Sure, Feanor and Nerdanel had seven children which was far more than normal for elves, but still. They had been parents long enough to not ignore that sound. The sound of a crying elfling. With seven sons, two of them being twins, they had learned to react to a crying elfling so much that they mosty did it out of pure harbit those days.
- We have to hurry and find the elfling! I think that the storm will be even worse! Feanor yelled over the wind.
Almost as proof of his words, a small tree branch were close to hit Maglor in the face.
- I hope that the Valar will try and stop this storm, for I do not belive that this is their doing!
- Yes, I highly doubt that they would let Valinor feel the power of their anger if they were fighting over something…..
- Try not to be blown away! I do not want to seek after you too, boys!
- We will try, Mother!
Maedhros and Maglor left in a direction, Celegorm and Huan took another, Caranthir and Curufin took a third, Amrod and Amras took a way against their Grandfather's palace while Feanor and Nerdanel went towards the Two Trees of Valinor. Something led them there. A instinct? Or something else? They could not describe it, only that they felt it was the right direction to look after the elfling.
Soon they arrived at the Two Trees. The winds were softer here, but still strong.
The crying was stronger here. Nerdanel turned around. There, among the roots belonging to Telperion, the Silver Tree, she saw something: A blackhaired child, no older than a year, dressed in a strange way of babyclothes in elvish point of view, with a bleeding wound on her forehead. The baby's emerald-green eyes looked up at them with big tears, before reaching the small arms up while crying out:
- Mama! Mama!
- Oh, your poor thing!
Nerdanel hurried forwards and picked up the small elfling in her arms with the grace of a mother that had birthed no less than seven children. The child began to cry again as Feanor come closer. Carefully, he looked at the wound. Still bleeding, he could see that the wound was in the shape of a lightning bolt.
- Who can hurt a elfling like this…..
Feanor let his fingers draw away some of the elfling's hair from of the ears, checking for any other injuries that the small elfling might have.
- Hm?
He gasped in surprise when he saw something very unusual about the elfling's ears: They were round, not pointed as normal elf-ears. Was it possible that the elfing's parents had been so ashamed of the child's strange ears, that they had kept quiet about it and then chosen to abandon their own child? No. The elfling was clearly about a year old, it did not make sense that the parents had abandon their child a whole year after the birth. A weak whimper was heard from the elfling, who was now safely wrapped in the cloak that they had bought with them. Nerdanel held on tighter with her arms around the elfling.
- Come. Lets take the elfling home. Who knows for how long it has been out here alone, said Feanor with a nod towards their home.
- Yes….
The elfling refused to let go of Nerdanel.
- Mama…
Around half a hour later, back into the house:
Huan hurried inside and shook the water off him as the three oldest Sons of Feanor got inside.
- Jeez…..of all places for you to get hit in the face by something in the strong wind, it just had to be your eyes, Celegorm….., signed Maedhros in a worried voice and closed the door after his two oldest little brothers, while Maglor took a look on the third son of Feanor. The main reason to why Celegorm was the only silver-blonde individual in Feanor's family, was because he had been born with albinism, which was even more rare among elves than humans. Celegorm had been having difficult with his seeing at times since a young age due to this, and had to be careful in order to not get hit in his face with something.
- You would also be a bit dizzy after being hit by a roof tile, that made you fall backwards and getting hit in the back of the head too….., groaned Celegorm sitting down on a chair. Huan gave his master a gentle lick on the hand.
- Thanks, Huan, thanked Celegorm as Maedhros took their cloaks in order to hang them up to dry. Maglor wetted a small cloth in cold water and told his younger brother to press it against the area around the eyes, to lessen the minor swelling that was about to show up on their brother's face. At the same moment, a knock on the front door was heard.
- Must be our brothers or parents, said Maedhros and went to open. As Maedhros opened the door, yet another strong wind came and pushed the other four of Feanor's and Nerdanel's sons inside.
- AAAH!
- What on Arda!?
Maedhros badly had time to step back, before his four youngest brothers fell into the house, landing on top of each other. Poor Caranthir had the misfortune to be closest to the door and such, getting the other three brothers on top of him.
- OW! Get off me, you guys are heavy! I can't breath! Caranthir protested out loudly, trying to get some air. The twins and Curufin hurried to get off him. Maedhros helped Caranthir to rise up from the floor. Amras closed the door.
- No one of us found the elfling…
They heard something from the old playroom, and their Mother's voice from the upper floor:
- Dearest, did you found some of the boy's clothes from when they were toddlers?
- Yes, I found Ambarussa's old clothes, I am coming.
Feanor came out from the old playroom, with some small clothes for a toddler in his arms.
- Ah, good that you all six are back home. Can someone of you go to the kitchen and cook some milk, to put in a baby bottle? Your Mother and I found the elfling, they are upstairs…Yes, Nerdanel, I am coming with the clothes!
He hurried upstairs at the sound of her calling. The brothers looked at each other.
- Better do as he says…
Upstairs, in the bath room:
- There, there, sweetie. That was better, right? To be warm and safe, right? smiled Nerdanel as she dried the child with a towel. The elfling had turned out to be a little girl, when Nerdanel had taken of the clothes to bath the child. The girl's large, emerald-green eyes never left her, but she did no longer cry. Someone knocked on the door, before opening it and Feanor came in.
- Found some of the twin's old clothes, as they were the last elflings born in this family 70 years ago. Good thing that we did not throw away all of the baby clothes as they grew older.
Nerdanel smiled.
- Aye. And it seems like we have a little lady here, but I don't think that she will mind bearing clothes for a male elfling. Can you take her orginal clothes to the lower floor, so we can wash it later? I wonder what her name is….she has not said a sound since we returned home.
- Doubtless very tired, and she might be in shock due to the wound on her forehead.
Together, they dressed the little elf girl in some light green clothes that had belonged to the twins in the same age. Feanor also put a small bandage around her forehead, as they did not want the small elfling to get a possible infection in the open wound. It was pretty clear that it did hurt, as the little girl began to cry again.
- There, there, sweetheart. It is alright, said Nerdanel and held the little elf girl close to make her feel safe. Feanor, who had a lot of experience from their toddler sons hating being in this situation, hurried to finish the bandage before she tried to crawl out from Nerdanel's arms.
- I belive that the boys must have got the milk bottle ready by now, so I suggests that we takes her down to meet our sons.
Inside the kitchen:
- Good, it is neither too hot or too cold, said Caranthir as he checked the cooked milk's temperature on his skin. Even if he was not so good at this as the oldest three brothers in the family, he was good enough to not burn the milk. Beside the oven, Maedhros wetted a new cloth in cold water and squeezed out as much as possible of the water, before giving it to Celegorm.
- Ow…remind me to never go out in a storm like this again, muttered Celegorm as he held the wet cloth against his eyes. Curufin was checking on a small wound that Amras had gotten on his left knee by tripping on the wet street stones in the storm, while Maglor was putting a bandage around Amrod's elbow. They heard their parents come down the stairs.
- Father, Mother….!?
Maedhros paused in surprise, when he saw the small elfling in his mother's arms. It was a sort of nervous mood, where no one of the seven brothers dared to move or say something in the shock. The female elfling looked around on them, looking like she was about to start cry in fear.
- Ah! said the elfling suddenly when she noticed the milk bottle in Caranthir's hand and tried to reach it with her small hands.
- It seems like you were right in that she was hungry, dearest. Caranthir, can you please give her the bottle?
Caranthir went forwards at his mother's words. Once he was close enough, the female elfling almost ripped the milk bottle from his hand with her own little hands. She held the bottle in one hand, sucking hungry while she looked around again.
- She is a very cute little one. I wonder what made her getting lost from her parents in this storm? asked Maedhros and carefully studied the small elfling in his mother's arms from a safe distance, making sure that he did not scare her. The elfling grapped hold of Nerdanel's red hair with her free hand, probably to feel safe among all those strangers. Her emerald-green eyes took sight of the unknown home where she now was. Yet she did indeed feel safe, and did not start crying again as she had done before. That she was bathed, dressed in warm clothes and even got a milk bottle, helped her to relax a little in the arms belonging to the unknown woman, who still was so alike her Mama. Halfway though the milk bottle, she began to get sleepy.
- Someone here is tired. Can you boys be so kind and fix the old crib in the nursey for her? asked Nerdanel, holding the small elf-girl on her hip.
- Sure, Mother! Come on, little brothers, said Maedhros as he rose from the chair. Of course, the oldest ones protested about being called little, but followed him out from the kitchen. Feanor came to Nerdanel and carefully took the milk bottle from the girl's hand.
- Time for bed, little one. You can barely hold your beautiful eyes open, he smiled as he set the milk bottle on the table.
- Not sleepy…., mumled the girl quiet in protest, rubbing her eyes with a small hand. Feanor hid a knowing smile: how often had he not heard just those words from his sons in the same age?
- Mother, we have finished in the nursey now, said Celegorm, sticking his head inside the kitchen while stopping Huan from entering with a foot.
- Well, sweetie. How about a little story then? I think that you will love to hear about how Eru and the Valar created Arda….
Once Nerdanel had went into the old nursey with the female elfling, Feanor told his sons about where they had found her and what he belived to be the reason to why the little she-elf had been abandoned in this storm. Of course, this was not liked at all by them:
- She was abandoned due to being born with round ears instead of normal pointy ears?! (Maedhros)
- Why wait a whole year after the birth? That does not make sense at all in my eyes…. (Maglor)
- That is not even half as strange as me, who was born with whitish-blonde hair instead of my brothers black or red hair! (Celegorm)
- If I knew who her parents are, I would go to their house this very moment and make them explain themselves! (Caranthir)
- I agree with Caranthir in this, Father! (Curufin)
- Would it not be better to go and ask the Valar if they know something about this? (Amrod)
- Not in this storm, stupid twin brother! (Amras)
Feanor ended the started argument between his youngest sons by faking a cough loudly, as Maedhros nodded towards the nursey with the words:
- Hush! Or we might scare the little one!
All six of Maedhros younger brothers shut up at once, while Feanor looked at the blue clothes that the little female elfling has been wearing then he and Nerdanel found her. He noted something that looked like writing letters on one side of the strange clothing, but it was a huge rip in the fabric and it looked like some of the sewn letters were missing. He followed the remaining letters with a finger, trying to read them:
- H….a…..r…i? Hari? Her name means "Emerald-child"? Well, whoever her parents are, they did give their child a very pretty name for not wanting her anymore.
The sound of his voice, make his sons look up too. They had almost the same facial expression, making Feanor wonder for a moment how his seven boys could be so similar once they really agreed on something.
- Well, we will continue this discussion tomorrow. It is late and we are all tired after have been looking for Hari in this storm, said Feanor and rose from his chair. Almost like showing their father's point, the twins yawned and looked the most tired out of the brothers. Then again, they were still only 70 years old, more or less teenagers in elf years and like all teenagers, they needed a lot of sleep.
Shorty afterwards, as Feanor and Nerdanel made themselves ready for bed:
- Did she fall asleep fast? I saw some letters on her clothes, and I belive that her name is Hari.
- Oh, that is a very wonderful name. Do you remember that we once used to talk about naming a daughter like that? A daughter with a name similar to those gems that you loves to made jewelry of.
They kissed each other, smiling fondly at the memories of their younger days before their home got filled by their seven sons. Sure, they had never expected to have that many children, or that all of their offspring would be males, but they were still happy together.
- Yes….I am sorry that I never has given you a daughter. With all those sons of ours, it feels sometimes like I have neglected one of my duties as a husband: blessing our family with a daughter among all those sons.
Nerdanel smiled and hugged him. This was not the first time that Feanor blamed himself for not giving Nerdanel a daughter, mostly because he feared to lose her in childbirth just like he has lost his own mother Miriel.
- Stop thinking of that, dearest. Or I will let the boys have your share of the breakfast pancakes I plan to make tomorrow.
- Oi! Don't even think about that!
Feanor's protest, along with Nerdanel's giggling, were the last sounds in the house for that night. What they did not know, was that their lives were about to change forever. All thanks to the little female elfling named Hari, that now slept inside the nursey.