25. Coming of age
Two months had now passed since the rescue and thr time had finally came for Rûsa's coming-of-age ceremony. Maedhros had, in all her heavily pregnant glory, given orders that her oldest son would not have to go though a full Noldorin coming-of-age ceremony, or in her own words:
"He has enough trouble already with being fourth-in-line to the throne as my son and the former Warg Rider at the same time! No, give him the basic ceremony and then let him enjoy some freedom with the coming-of-age hunt that the Avari Clans have!"
That logic had been very difficult to not disagree with, given that the whole Noldorin royal family knew the truth about his past.
"Brother! Brother, wake up!"
Rûsa had barely heard the voice of his sister, before he suddenly got no less than three rather heavy body weights around and on top of him.
"Uff! Get off my stomach…!" he gasped in pain from getting a knee right in said body part.
"Sorry, Rûsa," Frëja apologized and got off him. Yuë had gotten the best place at his older brother's head and gave Cúwen a warning glare from trying to take that spot from him. Laying his head back on the pillow, Rûsa removed some of the hair from his face so he could see them better.
"What are the three of you doing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, mentally wondering how his two siblings had managed to get Frëja out from her room in the guest wing without waking up Celebrimbor and Narvi who slept in the room beside hers. And Frëja tended to walk a little more loudly than pure-blood Elves thanks to being half-Dwarf, so it was pretty natural that she would cause more loud noises when walking.
"Waking you up, of course! Have you forgotten what day it is today?"
Rûsa had not forgotten, but he had not expected to be awakened in this manner when the day barely had started.
"I believed that I would be allowed to sleep at least half an hour more…"
And with that said, Rûsa took his pillow from his younger brother and rolled over to his stomach before pulling the pillow over his head in a failed attempt to get back to sleep, for the much younger trio was not so easily tricked by that and attacked him together, leading to it ending up becoming more of a child-friendly wrestling match between the four. After a couple of minutes where he found himself attacked from three angles at the same time, Rûsa won thanks to being much larger and having more weight on his adult body.
"Back to sleep, you three," he said calmly, already half-way back into sleep, without removing his head from the pillow where he had trapped Yuë. With Frëja being the most heavy of the three children, it seemed natural that he had trapped her under his body in the most softest part of the mattress so he did not hurt her, while Cúwen found herself latched between his long legs and could not get loose.
"Brooooooother! Let us go!" Cúwen protested while kicking with her legs.
"Nope. You caused this by waking me up too early."
And with that, Rûsa fell back into sleep.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Outside Tirion, it was reasonably quiet as dawn arrived. Some of the Avari Elves in the Wood clan started to make fires, careful to not wake up others who were still sleeping.
"Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?" asked Taurion and kissed Atara on the cheek, trying to not wake up the two grandsons who slept between them.
"The same for you, Taurion. Now, shall we try and get those young ones awake back to their own beds?"
"Yes."
It was not uncommon that they ended up having a night visit by someone of their grandchildren, for the young elflings enjoyed to sneak into their bed and surprise them in the morning when they woke up. While Taurion and Atara enjoyed it, there was times when they wanted some more privacy for a bit of more adult fun between a wedded couple.
"At least not all of the children has chosen to have offspring as well…" whispered Taurion carefully as he lifted up the younger grandson in his arms and Atara took the other one. Out of Tauron seventeen's children, about nine had chosen to not marry and have children for different reasons.
"Thankfully for that." Atara answered as they quietly put the boys back to their own bedrolls. Not too long afterwards, by going out and borrowing some hot ember from the fires outside, along with using some flint for getting the fire started faster, Atara soon had a fire done. While she focused on the fire, Taurion checked on how many fresh berries they could have to the morning porridge.
"Grandpa? I had a bad dream..."
One of their granddaughters, hardly more than a toddler, blinked sleeply as she dragged her blanket behind her in one small hand.
"A bad dream, you say? Well, come over here and see if helping your grandmother watching the fire might banish that unpleasant dream for you, sweetie," Taurion offered with a knowing smile as he carefully picked up the girl in his arms.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
By now, the rest of the Noldorin royal family had woken up. Much to her amusement Maedhros, still dressed in her white nightgown, found her oldest son still sleeping calmly despite the trio he managed to trap under himself.
"Did you three try and wake him up?" she asked with a smile as Frëja finally managed to pull herself free.
"We did, but then he surprised us…!"
Yuë was still trapped between the bed headboard and the pillow Rûsa's head laid on, but he simply shugged on his shoulders before trying to get free. Maedhros picked up a small pillow from the sofa at the window.
"Okay, Rûsa, time to get up or you will be late." she said out aloud before she suddenly brought the pillow down, much to the shock of the three present children. Out of very old instinct and reflexes, Rûsa was quick to wake up for real and roll over when he sensed something coming flying against his head and did not seem too surprised when he happened to roll over the edge of the bed and land on the floor.
"Ow! Should you really be doing this kind of task when you are due any day now, ammë?" groaned Rûsa as he rubbed the back of his head where he was pretty sure it soon would become a bump.
"A pillow does not weight that much, honey. Yuë, you can take the morning bath with your brother in here. Cúwen and Frëja, please come with me to another bathroom." Maedhros answered as she rubbed her stomach. It was true that she was to be due any day now, but she saw no reason to remain in bed just because of that.
"Yes, great-aunt Nelyo."
As Maedhros led out the girls, Rûsa nodded to Yuë to come along to the bathroom so they could clean themselves and not be late for breakfast.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
About a hour later, the family breakfast had been finished amd the different family members went to get dressed.
"How come that it always has to be so many layers of robes in events like this?" Rûsa asked in a displeased voice while he got some help by servants in getting dressed in a emerald-green Jubba. It was embroidered with gold thread into small versions of the eight-rayed Fëanorian star on his chest and the hem. There was a gold decorated border on the sleeves too. A girdle of gold was set around his waist, then a belt made of red silk placed just so to hang loosely from his hips.
"Part of being royal, Rûsa. Do not worry, great-grandfather has tried to shorten the ceremony as much as we can, or your mother would have his head," assured Gil-galad as he put on a silver circlet. By now, Rûsa had learned that such sayings was not to be taken literally and smiled faintly at the words, knowing rather well that Maedhros tended to swich mood a little more often now when her due date was getting closer.
"What is this? A gift from chieftain Taurion again? Just how many gifts have you been given by him over the years, Rûsa?" wondered Argon and opened a basket made of braided reeds. Inside there was a light outer robe in a plum purple colour and a Fëanorian star in silver thread on the back.
"Wow...that is a Khrui, right? I have seen Taurion and other high-ranking members of the Wood Clan wearing such robes at important events before. It has been made especially for today," said Maglor and held it up to get a better look.
"Quit speaking rubbish and help me get that outer robe on me. The faster we can get the ceremony over, the sooner I can get out of these!" Rûsa complained as he tried to get some space between the skin on his neck and the silver collar on the Jubba with a finger. Knowing how uncomfortable he could be in formal attire, the others went to help him.
"Easy now, kid. This is a event that only happens once in life. Try and enjoy your entry into adult life a little more, won't you?"
The dressing of Rûsa was finished with placing a very thin hair veil of white linen on his hair.
"For some reason the hair veil makes me feel like a bride…" Rûsa said just as Maedhros entered to see how things went. Hearing what he just had said, she walked over and carefully removed the veil from him without a word at first.
"You shall not need to feel like you are dressed up in that way. As for how the robes are...well, I blame the fashion that was around when your Haru was having his coming-of-age ceremony and somehow they remained into becoming the ceremonial robes for the Noldorin princes. And yes, I was dressed like that as well when I came of age," Maedhros smiled in pride as she took in the full view of her oldest son. Maglor chuckled at the memory.
"I remember how some people was pretty scandalized over that sister was dressed like that, as most had expected her to show up in a nice dress."
Rûsa snorted in disagreement at hearing that, especially as Maedhros right now was dressed in a comfortable robe designed solely for very heavily pregnant She-elves. Maedhros rolled her eyes as well at the memory, and straightened her son's robe on the shoulders out of habit.
"There, you are done. Stand up straight, chin up, eyes front and keep yourself calm. Relax a bit, honey, you have already given a oath of fealty to my grandfather thirty-five years ago, so this ceremony is merely a repeat of that."
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Because of that she was likely to give birth any day now and got tired easy as a result if she had to stand up for long, Maedhros had gotten a comfortable chair to sit on during the ceremony. The rest of her family was standing around her. Finwë was already standing at the foot of the giant, faceless marble statue that was meant to symbolize the All-Father Himself, with a sheathed sword in his hands. He hoped that things would go reasonable well without anything that could cause trouble today.
"If I hear one single word in protest that the firstborn son of my oldest granddaughter has his coming-of-age ceremony here in Tirion, l will turn a blind eye to whatever fight my son and his own six sons might start on Rûsa's behalf…" the High King thought to himself.
"Too bad that we could not paint a nice drawing on your belly since it would only be covered by the robe, ammë," whispered Cúwen to Maedhros from where she stood beside Rog, who held Yuë in one arm. The Fëanorian princess smiled at her daughter.
"Still thanks for the kind idea, sweetie. Ah, here he comes."
It was well-known that Rûsa was very handsome, even exotic-looking for some people thanks to that he had been fathered by someone from the Wood Clan and thus looked rather different from the classical Noldor appearance with black hair, pale skin and grey eyes, but today he really looked drop-dead gorgeous for anyone who might be interested in him. The green Jubba and the purple khrui brought out the red colour in his dark red hair, high-lightening his summer tan and the black depths of his eyes.
"Perhaps it actually was somewhat good that he was not around our sister during the First Age in one way, or I dare to say that Nelyo would have needed to chase away marriageable and love-stuck maidens from him!" whispered Caranthir to one of the twins at seeing some of the looks Rûsa got from the present noble-born maidens. Both Amras and Amrod nodded, knowing that Rûsa would be very uncomfortable around those unwed maidens.
"Are you ready, Russafinwë?" Finwë whispered in a gentle voice when Rûsa knelt in front of him. Rûsa nodded before he bent down his head to kiss the sword and spoke in clear voice as his royal great-grandfather placed the sword blade on his right shoulder:
"I will to my lord, High-King Finwë of the Noldor, be true and faithful, and love all which he loves and shun all which he shuns, according to the laws of Eru Ilúvatar, the governance of the Valar, and the order of the world. Nor will I ever with will or action, through word or deed, do anything which is unpleasing to him, on condition that he will hold to me as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will."
Because of their military history, especially during the first two Ages of the Sun and with nearly everyone of Finwë's male descendants being warriors in some way, it was only natural that an coming-of-age ceremony for the new royal generations would hold some of that story inside. Once Rûsa had spoken, Finwë placed the sword blade on his left shoulder.
"I hereby grant you, Russafinwë Arion Ceuraquen Nelyafinwion, the rank of Knight in the Order of the Stars."
There was several surprised gasps at his words. Order of the Stars! The highest-ranking Order of knights and warriors in all of Valinor, the best of the very best. To be given a rank in that Order when you just had came of age was extremely rare, and required a very special event for a such allowment. But Finwë knew that Rûsa's past as the Warg Rider would make him the perfect spy against Morgoth and Sauron when the Dagor Dagorath would come. Having lived all his first life as a slave so close to them in their own stronghold inside Angband, he would be able to use his personality as the Warg Rider against them. The very weapon they had used against the House of Fëanor, now turned against themselves in the coming Final Battle.
"You already know why we shall need you in the Dagor Dagorath alongside your maternal family."
Finwë removed the sword from Rûsa's shoulder in order to give it to Fëanor who stood beside his father and then held up a golden circlet with emeralds, which he placed on Rûsa's head as a sign of his royal rank.
"Arise, prince Russafinwë."
Maedhros could not hold back a couple of tears in mother's pride as Rûsa stood up to face the crowd. For a moment, she remembered her first look on her firstborn son back in the War of Wraith, and how different he was now. To know that the Warg Rider had been her own son…
"No, none of those sad memories now! It is a special day for Rûsa today, I have to focus on his happiness!"
Maedhros smiled when Rûsa gave her a side-glance from the corner of his eye. Clearly he must have remembered their first real meeting, his birth not included, the shock of understanding that the other, who each one had believed to be dead, actually had been alive the whole time. The long years in the Halls of Mandos, where Rûsa had needed all help he could get to free himself from the horrors of his first life. The years after his rebirth, where he fought so hard to try and fit in despite the obvious problems and unusual behaviour he had now and then.
"Big brother Rûsa!"
Brother!
Unsurprising for anyone in the family, Cúwen and Yuë rushed over to him without any warning first. Out of habit because of the height difference between them, Rûsa quickly lowered himself down to pick them up in his arms.
"I know, I know, I will try and play with you for a short while when I get out of those robes," Rûsa smiled at his two younger half-siblings with a small laugh that they seemed to have forgiven him for the event in his guest chamber earlier the same morning.
~X~X~X~X~X~X
Author's note: Jubba is an ankle-length, robe-like garment, usually with long sleeves, especially worn in Middle East. The khrui is a light outer garment worn as a gown or robe in certain ceremonial settings in Thailand. It is long-sleeved and open at the front, and is made of a sheer or mesh fabric, lined with a band of satin, felt or other material, and may be exquisitely embroidered. For a full idea on how Rûsa looks like during the ceremony, check out the image Royal couple by the artist Develv on Deviantart. The Order of the Stars was inspired by Knights Templar, for with the Noldor history as warriors, surely it would be logical for the Elves in Valinor to have some sort of knight order?