2. The Vanyarin capital
Rûsa greatly enjoyed the journey with the Wood clan to Valmar. It was not often the House of Fëanor travelled to the Vanyarin capital, mostly because of that some of their worst enemies was among the pious moral guardians there. It was from these people that the most complaints about Maedhros' marriage to Rog and her refusal to name Rûsa's father came from. Other Vanyar Elves simply had accepted the unusual situation and understood that nothing could be done about it.
"Well, everyone, there it is. The city of Valmar," said Taurion as the first riders in the Wood clan spotted the white city. The famed bells could be heard ringing in the spring air.
"I have asked it before, and I will no doubt do it again; How on Arda can they stand the sound of all these bells everyday?" groaned Rûsa and held for his ears when the bells rang for the midday prayers. Taurion patted his shoulder in agreement; it was not uncommon for outsiders to be annoyed by the bells and the daily prayers, especially if they had to stay in Valmar for a longer time.
"Different life-styles, little brother, different life-styles."
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Inside the royal palace, Saira and Maeglin were talking about the coming Spring Ball.
"Really, we should try and stay close to him. There are many social climbers who will be at the ball and seeing that Rûsa is third-in-line to the kingship of the Noldor with great-uncle Fëanor as the Crown prince and lady Maitimo as second-in-line after him, many will try and hook him as a law-son by having a daughter married off as his bride." Saira said in a slightly worried voice as they walked towards the throne room where they would meet up with Ingwë. Now when she knew about Rûsa's past life in the First Age as the Warg Rider, she saw everything with him in a new light. It explained so much about his behaviour, why he seemed so socially awkward at times and such. Such small details that she had spotted over the years since their first meeting in Fourth Age Year 22 and often wondered about when thinking back.
"This is why it would have been better for him at his rebirth if his mother just was a normal Noldorin commoner, and not the Noldorin High Queen at his birth in Years of the Trees. Being a royal is so different from Angband that he likely feels surrounded by power-hungry Orcs instead of normal nissi at events like this. It is in such situations that he needs protection…and gives the current rumours about a possible marriage between our families some weight…" groaned Maeglin and massaged her forehead. Thanks to those idiotic rumours that had no ground in reality, a lot of people had started to openly comment on which one of her and Saira that would fit as a possible bride to one of Fëanor's two grandsons. As not many people knew that Celebrimbor actually was married to Narvi, it was a little unnerving for them to hear such things. And while both of them were good friends with Rûsa, there were no romantic feelings between any of them…right?
"I care for Rûsa as a friend, I really do, and I admit that I did truly have a crush on him for a couple of years before Cúwen was born, but…he is not my One. If he had been, I am sure that we would have noticed it earlier…"
"Noticed what?"
They spun around at the sound of the new voice. Rûsa was standing there in the hall a bit away, his thick hair ruffed from the outside wind and half-way free out of the braids that he had made the same morning after waking up.
"Rûsa!"
"Hi there, you two. It is a while since the last time I saw you. Small and pretty as always, Saira! Do you get enough to eat, little bird?"
Laughing, Rûsa was able to easily lift up Saira thanks to the difference in height and body weight between them.
"It is your height and muscle mass that makes her look extra petite and delicate beside yourself, you over-grown giant of a Elf. Lord Finrod and lady Amarië feeds her more than well enough. It is others who claim that she actually has started to get a little chubby and needs to lose a couple of kilos," said Maeglin with a faint smile at seeing him. Rûsa nearly dropped Saira in surprise and faint horror over what she said.
"Saira having to lose weight for being a bit chubby?! Bah, nonsense! Those people really have no idea how rich different foods in Aman are for us who suffered thought starvation as slaves in Angband…you both are beautiful with that pear-shaped body of hers and your own rectangle-shaped one, Maeglin."
That comment caused Maeglin to blush deeply and earned Rûsa a rather painful pinch in the cheeks from Maeglin for nearly revealing exactly how he knew the shape of her body from their time together in Angband. This minor lack of tact was a perfect example of how Rûsa saw things in a very different light thanks to his past life as a slave in Angband. Any hint to a possible diet in order to lose weight or not eating enough to have a healthy body weight could awaken his memories of the starvation that had haunted his first life.
"How do you know about…"
Saira was about to start asking Rûsa how he knew Maeglin's body shape when she never had shown herself to him without clothes on, as her own body shape was more clearly seen despite any clothing she wore, when a pair of giggles could be heard from behind a curtain. Six young Elflings of both genders then hurried away from their hiding place, just as Ingwë himself revealed himself behind the large curtains that acted like doors to the throne room.
"Now, now, children, back to your lessons so your parents can focus on their work here…Ah, you girls got your second-cousin first! Should have guessed so from the start…welcome to Valmar, prince Russafinwë, I hope that the journey here went well?" he asked with a welcoming smile. Releasing Saira, Rûsa bowed for the Vanyarin High King as greeting. This was the very first time that he was on an official visit to another royal court without his closest family members and he had no wish to make a fool out of himself. He could accept the painful fact that he was horribly socially awkward the very moment he was not among commoners, and if he was honest with himself, Rûsa was actually a little bit scared for the different High Kings. In the former slave-part of his mind, their royal authority made them stand on a completely different status, basically straight after the Valar and Maiar.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Outside Valmar, the Wood clan had set up camp. By a new tradition, one of the six Avari clans every sixth year would be there and have a small spring market with the Vanyar Elves around the time for the Spring Ball. This year, it was the Wood clan's turn.
"Is everything going well here?" Taurion asked as he walked among the market stands that his clan members had set up.
"Yes, sir. Everything is fine."
Already Vanyarin Elves had started to come look at what the Wood clan had brought. Most of them were fairly young, hardly more than children or early adolescents, as many moral guardians among the older generations in Valmar often were not too fond of having "savage" Avarin Elves so close to their holy city and tried their best to keep the youngsters away every year. But they seriously underestimated the younger generation's treasure of ideas in how to sneak out to the Avari camp without getting caught.
"Sorry, mister. Can we be allowed to look on those?"
At least they were well-behaved and actually thought before saying anything. Not every adult among the pious Vanyar Elves acted as if the Avari Elves actually had a culture of their own.
"How much for this small wooden horse?" a young girl asked.
"What is this necklace made of?" said another youngster.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
In Tirion:
Indis was having a tea gathering with some of her friends. Some of them were from her childhood, others from the early years in her marriage.
"How nice to hear that princess Nelyafinwë will have her third child this autumn!"
"Yes, it is, especially after these horrible rumours that Russafinwë would be her only child…"
Indis could trust her friends in what she spoke off. Like her, many of them had married a Noldor husband back in the Years of the Trees and slowly broken away from their original Vanyarin ways over the Ages for different reasons, but they had all found at least one family member among the Exiles that had followed Fëanor to Middle-earth.
"Really, I actually find it rather…repulsive in that it has started to come new rumours with doubts about the paternity of her new child! It seems like those scandalmongers willingly "forget" that we Eldar never commit adultery! It is starting to get rather tiring that it is almost only Nelyo who is the focus in these rumours, all because of the mysterious father to her firstborn…"
Even if Finwë had told her the truth in that Rûsa's father actually was Taurion, Indis knew that it was not her place to reveal his identity. It would be a deep betrayal of his trust and given how sensitive information it was, it was a grave risk in revealing it.
"I agree on that, it is someone who clearly wants to harm the princess. As if that poor girl does not have it enough with her past deeds in the First Age…"
All of the ladies fell silent in an uncomfortable silence. This was something that one did not talk lightly about.
"Prince Russafinwë is one of the main characters in these rumours about a future marriage between your husband's descendants, my queen, alongside princess Maeglin and princess Saira. Most likely because of that they seem to be good friends and such."
Indis signed as she was offered some more tea in her cup.
"Good friends, yes, but possible lovers? I do not think so. With my great family, I have learnt to spot signs of romantic between two Elves and…that sort of spark is missing between Saira and Russafinwë. Sure, they are still very young and that sort of feelings might not always show up in a young age, but…no, I do not think that will happen between those two at least. But Maeglin is a different matter; she is much older than him and their behaviour around one another is far different."
She could not reveal what Maedhros had told them little over 14 years earlier, that Rûsa actually was born in Years of the Trees 1498 and thus was far older than Maeglin by 338 Years of the Sun.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Inside his guest chambers in the royal palace, Rûsa had packed up his travel bags and was checking on his dress robes. Even if it was his best one, he now saw that it did look a little provincial in contrast to the robes that he had seen the Vanyar Elves wearing.
"Then again, clothes back home in Formenos are meant to be practical and useful for working, not grandiose!"
It was a robe in fine dark green colour, so if he just added some minor details with some gold and silver thread on the front and arms it would look like new again. Sewing had been a skill of survival in Angband, especially if one needed to close a huge wound, and Rûsa had been taught some new techniques of sewing from Caranthir over the years since his rebirth as well.
"Rûsa? May we come in? We have brought the sewing accessories that you asked us to bring."
It was Maeglin who knocked on the door. Rûsa was quick to open the door so they could enter, and he left the door open so no one would wonder about exactly what the trio was doing.
"So…what details do you think we should add on your robes? I think that a couple of golden tetragons would be nice. Maybe some silver leaves too," suggested Saira after taking a close look at Rûsa's robes to see what details they could add.
"It is you ladies who know best in that. I am totally in the dark about those things," muttered Rûsa half aloud, once again showing how hopeless he could be about Elven fashion thanks to his life as a slave in Angband. Both Saira and Maeglin gave him an understanding look. Rûsa always did his best about things, but he would forever be marked by his first life.
"Well, you have gotten better over the years even if you do not think so yourself. There is still hope to make a good Elf lord out of you."
And with that, they each took a sewing needle with some thread and started to sew on the new details onto his robes.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Author's note: Maeglin is born in First Age year 320 (both canon and in this AU), and Tolkiengateway mentions that one full Year of the Trees would be like 9 Years of the Sun, so logically Rûsa would be about 338 Years of the Sun older than Maeglin as he is born in Years of the Trees 1498, which would add 18 Years of the Sun to his age. (Terribly sorry if I confuse you readers now!) Saira is meant to be born on March 25 in Fourth Age 1, the fourth anniversary of Sauron's defeat, so she is 90 years old currently and will come of age in ten years at age 100