Mud makes the world go round
Brothers are annoying. It was something she had long since decided upon. Older brothers certainly -she couldn't comment on younger ones since she didn't have any, and considering her cousins reactions to them they didn't look any less annoying.
Male cousins however could also be annoying. She couldn't really comment on female ones particularly. Being one of only two girls in her generation rather put a halt to that.
For some reason boys assumed that, as she was a girl, she would be uninterested in anything that they chose to do. Adventures of swimming, walking, climbing, hunting she would find boring, and wouldn't she much rather spend her time learning how to darn? Not likely. This would explain how she found herself rather alone and rather wet. Sitting in muddy puddles after you fall from a pony that you had commandeered to chase after your older siblings and equally older cousins would tend to result in that occurring.
Of course you weren't hurt physically, your pride was a little bruised (along with your thighs) but nothing serious. The only thing that was serious was the fact that you don't know where your requisitioned pony has decided to gallop.
It was these thoughts that were travelling at breakneck speed through Írissë daughter of Ñolofinwë, eldest granddaughter of Finwë's mind as she lay back with an audible thump the shallow murky water filling her boots and soaking her back, she knew there would be an answering squelch when she finally stood up again but for now there was only quiet.
Brothers are annoying.
So are parents for that matter, thinking that she wouldn't, shouldn't be running around after her elder brothers.
Why shouldn't she run around after them?
It made sense didn't it, to run after them since they were clearly doing things far more exciting than learning algebra. Turukáno insisted that the reason they didn't have to learn it was because they had already learnt it when they were her age, but all the same it just wasn't right! What they were doing was far more exciting.
She closed her eyes and folded her hands behind her head. An insect tickled her nose.
Cousins are annoying. Especially older ones.
So were younger ones for that matter, especially when they couldn't have the good grace to be more than half a year younger than you. It didn't matter that they barely saw each other, and when they did it was never eye to eye (not helped by her 'baby' cousin being slightly taller than her). It also didn't help that everyone seemed to be enchanted with her baby cousin's hair. Her hair! She scowled, it was quite simply not fair. Her own hair was, well... normal. Normal Noldorin hair. Her cousin's was some sort of mutant Vanyarin-Telerin thing, and she got to swim everyday...in the sea. So perhaps she should comment on female cousins: they're annoying too.
Írissë lifted her head once and then let it drop back down with another audible thump. She was certain that there was grass in her hair, more than certain in fact, but since it tended to look like a rats nest anyway she honestly didn't care. It wasn't her fault that her idiotic brothers and her idiotic cousins and her idiotic pony had all left her behind, granted the first two didn't know she was following them but that just wasn't the point they had all left her and now all she felt like doing was wallowing in the dirt. It was still better than arithmetic.
The insect tickled her nose again. She swiped at it, but refused to open her eyes.
Insects are annoying too.
They also don't know when to stop tickling noses, she sneezed and then froze.
A noise, a low noise.
A low, very low, quiet noise.
A low, low, quiet noise that sounded rather like an animal moving next to her.
Slowly, carefully, warily she opened her eyes to the sight of a giant tongue hovering above her.
She gulped, the tongue disappeared and the muzzle appeared settling down next to her pressing into the side of her head.
Huan.
Dogs are annoying.
Dogs are also rather sweet if smelly. She rolled onto her side her hip sinking into the mud and further engulfing her clothes in dirt; not that she cared. Sighing she faced him, burrowing her fingers into his double-coat and finding the spots she knew the hound loved to be scratched.
"I'm pretty certain that you're not supposed to be lying in the mud today. Think Findekáno said that was going to be your task on Friday."
Cousins are annoying, especially when you can't see past their giant dog to where you know they must be standing.
"Well I decided to change the schedule. Don't you know mud is good for the skin?"
"It might be, but most of that is on your clothes, not your skin. Thought we left you doing your sums like a good little girl?" Amusement! He was amused! He wasn't supposed to be amused, she pursed her lips.
"Perhaps you did, perhaps I decided I didn't want to be left?" She burrowed her face into Huan's neck inhaling the earthy, peaty scent with a hint of fresh spring grass that could only be found in his fur. It also helped that doing so hid her away from her annoying cousin, a fact that he was quick to notice, as always.
Leaves from last year's autumn fall crunch under the weight of his boots. "We gathered that when we caught sight of Belan galloping passed us riderless. Your brothers were terrified."
She snorted, smudging dirt across her cheeks as she pressed one to the large and still growing dog's side, her arms about his neck now.
"Alright they were worried, we were all worried. We didn't know what had happened." A shadow falls across her, blocking out the light, he must be stood upon Huan's other side. A noise, a rustle, he's crouched down, hands stroking his dog's head, she can see them.
"And now you do." Short, succinct, to the point; cousins are annoying.
The hand stopped stroking, stills, silence falls between them, tense.
Cousins are annoying. Their fingers also hurt when they suddenly grab yours.
"You could have been hurt, Írissë. You frightened us. Findekáno and Turukáno are worried sick. We've been looking for you for over an hour."
Cousins are even more annoying when they won't let go of your fingers!
She lifted her head from her furry companion's side to glare at him, her elbow propping up the rest of her body. "Well you didn't need to, I'm fine. I didn't ask you to worry, I didn't ask you to come looking. Now let go!"
Cousins are very annoying! They also look rather annoyed, with their usually well-presented and well groomed hair a right sorry mess sticking all over the place and hanging out of their normally tight plaits.
"I'll always come looking for you; always! I didn't wait this long to get a girl cousin to lose you just because you've been thrown from a stupid pony." They also sound rather fierce and adultlike when they're annoyed. They also make you feel terrible. Cousins it would seem are not only annoying but also terrifyingly loving.
"Tyelkormo..."
"Sit up." It's an order not a request and so she follows it with a sheepish expression. "You're not hurt? Good." He still hasn't let go of her fingers and tugs her onto her feet.
"Where is everyone?" Her free hand brushes her clothes as she follows after her much taller cousin. Well... was pulled after her much taller cousin.
Squelch!
She stopped and cringed. Her boots had indeed filled with water, and now her feet were wet. Yuck.
Water it would seem is also annoying.
"I told them to stay where they were and hang onto your ridiculous pony. I doubt they have. They're probably already halfway here." He huffed air through his nose in a little chuff of amusement at both her brothers and her own rather dainty footsteps. If he didn't know better he would have thought she was walking on glass, the quirk of an eyebrow is of course all it takes to ask the relevant question.
She grimaced before admitting, "Water-logged boots."
He laughed, a great roaring, bellow of hilarity swinging her arm by her fingers high in the air and then using his other to lift her off the ground and into his arms; his face beaming, Huan barking joining in the fun.
Cousins are annoying as are their irritatingly intelligent dogs.
"Tyelkormo! Put me down!" She shuffled and wiggled and generally tried to be awkward.
"Not a chance. If you think I'm letting you walk all the way to where I left Belan, little baby cousin, you can forget it. I'm not putting up with you moaning all the way." It was annoying, more than annoying in fact it was humiliating, she could feel her cheeks burn. How he was managing to carry her securely on his hip as though she were a small child she wasn't certain but it was clear that he was more than used to carrying younger members of the family in this way.
Cousins are ridiculously annoying! Especially older ones that have dogs and ride stupidly tall horses and treat you like a small child. Even more so when you're not a small child but twenty-five years old!
She soon found herself even higher in the air sat side-saddle with her boots abruptly pulled off without her even giving permission. Of course she complained, but what could she do? He ignored her every word, knotting her laces together fixing them to a bag hung about his gelding's neck, her toes bare and cold.
Sullen silence.
"Now, sit properly and we'll go and find them, they can't be far." That said, and when she was sat correctly, her cousin climbed up behind her and urged the horse to a light trot, Huan lolloping alongside.
"Why did you come looking for me?" Accusation, but then she doesn't feel particularly forgiving to the person who has ridiculed her and treated her like the small child she certainly is not.
She can hear the smile in his voice, his words echoing from his chest through her back. "Because I love you, idiot baby cousin. Even if you are an ungrateful brat."
"I'm not a brat!" Indignant. Stupid, idiot cousin!
"Well you're acting like one. Why didn't you just say that you wanted to come with us instead of pretending indifference and then following?" A shake of the head, exasperation, fond exasperation.
"Because I didn't think you'd believe me! Besides Turukáno always says that I need to know that stuff." she shuffles, wriggles around to find a better position. Riding duo was never fun, it always ended with her leaning her back against whomever she was with, just like that. Oh dear.
"You're brother has a stick bigger than anything Huan can ever carry shoved up his rear." She can feel him grumbling good naturedly, his arms wrapped more securely to her sides even as he keeps tight grip to the grey mane before them both. She couldn't help but laugh, it was true after all, even if she did love him. "Promise me something?"
She turned her head, listening, not promising, but listening all the same.
"Next time you decide to ride out here on your own, tell someone you're going. Tell Findekáno where you're going. He's terrified. Can't say I like seeing your eldest brother terrified. I know you can ride Írissë, and I know you can ride like the wind when you put your mind to it. But I don't know how he, how either of them would cope if anything happened to you." It was not what she was expecting; annoying cousins are expected to be annoying not serious, they are especially not supposed to add things in undertones: "I don't know how I'd cope. You're my baby cousin, Írissë."
It might have been nice if she had agreed with him, but she didn't, she had her pride and her pride said that she shouldn't promise anything of the sort even if her heart said that she should. Besides cousins are annoying after all.
It hadn't taken them long to reach her pony and her rather relieved looking elder brothers, less than a matter of a few minutes, an assuredly shorter time than it would have otherwise taken them if her cousin had been forced to adjust his long stride to her much shorter hopping ones.
"You found her!"
But brothers are even more annoying than cousins.
"Don't know about a her, think I found a swamp monster instead." She shuffles around attempting to hit the equally annoying older cousin.
"You're right, think we should call you Ar-Feiniel?"
However brothers are most definitely the most annoying of people and even more so when a name sticks like mud.
Notes:
All mistakes are my own. This fic remains unbeta'ed but I got sick of it sitting on the harddrive, so here it is in all it's weird glory. I hope you all enjoyed it all the same.