All the characters belong to Tolkien.
As I recover my sight I see the last traces of Telperion's gentle light through the brighter light of Laurelin. It is late already, I almost wince as my feet hit the cold floor, ignoring the cold I splash yesterday's washing water on which an oily layer of soap remnants float in my face. I try to pull my night robe over my head but because I am so hasty my head gets stuck in it and it takes even longer to get it off. I dry my face with the night robe before I throw it towards my bed, and franticly scan the room for a relatively clean shirt. Nothing, I now try a less likely place to find clothing, in the bottom drawer of my closet I finally find an old musty smelling shirt which does not seem to have grass or dirt stains on it. I manage to pull it over my head and around my shoulders, though the tightness around the chest and the colouring, which would have even been too bright for many of the Teleri, suggest it was not made for a 20 year old boy. I shrug, it will just have to do. I tie my hair back, lest it should catch fire whilst working in the smithy, without combing it as I can find neither brush nor comb. I put on the trousers I found lying next to the musty shirt, last winter was a harsh winter and I remember that I sometimes wore them underneath my night robe.
I leave my room walking in a healthy pass, yet I do not dare to run, for I twice bumped into my father when running through the corridor, the first time he gave me a scolding I should not have had forgotten, and the second time, when he dropped a few of his notes because of me he gave me a beating I will never forget. I walk down the stairs and open the great wooden kitchen door, mother is there feeding the baby, who with his endless wailing is the reason why I awoke late. She looks at me and for a moment her eyes seem to contain disapproval, but then she gives me a sincere warm smile and her eyes shine at me. I give her one of my rare real smiles as a reward. She glances at little Carnastir as if apologizing. "It is quite alright mother, I do not need morning cuddles anymore, I am not a baby anymore" I try to reassure her. Oddly this fails and now a different light shines in her eyes, "Oh, so you are big enough to remember to do simple tasks, such as for example taking your clothes to the washing room and brushing your hair." I feel a blush appearing on my pale skin and stand dumbfounded in the middle of the kitchen. "At once!" my mother adds to make it absolutely clear it were not just random examples she chose to use. Carnastir stirs, but mother hushes him. "But mother, I shall arrive late in the smithy, and father…" , I try, but she interrupts me "It only takes a few moments, to bring yesterday's clothes to the washing room, unless of course, you have piles of dirty clothes lying about your room, but I am sure you being such a big lad that that is not the case" I open my mouth to protest again, but the look mother throws me is enough to prevent any sound from coming out of my mouth. I swallow hard, tears threatening to leave my eyes.
I promptly forget my new attitude towards running in the corridors that my father inspired me to, and run up the stairs into my bedroom, I push all the little piles of clothes into one pile. I grab as many clothes as I can hold on to and run to the washing room, passing the kitchen on my way, and realise with a shock that I forgot to close the kitchen door, but mother seem to engrossed with Carnastir's needs to even notice me. I sigh from relieve. Aira the washing maid seems too busy washing to notice me, I quickly dump my dirty clothes in on of the baskets while mentally rebuking myself for not taking more clothes at once, surely I can take more with me than that, and run up to my room again, but half way bump into someone standing in the corridor, I bump with my head into his chest. Startled I look up but with relief not that the chest belongs to my eldest brother, Maitimo. He seems to be slightly amused, I follow his glance and see my dirty socks and underwear and even an odd shirt all over the corridor, I look slightly panicked. And find Maitimo looking at me, a smile still gracing his face, "Forgot to take your clothes to Aira for a few weeks on a row did you?" I count in my head and am shocked to find out that indeed it has been over two weeks. His smile broadens, "So how do you like not being the youngest anymore little brother?" I smile back at him "I suppose I should be grateful I am not the eldest" "That depends which way you look at it. I have some experience in tolerating wailing infants around me, though not even you, Tyelkormo was quite as bad as our lovely baby brother is", he replies. I pick up all my clothes in the corridor, and before I can protest Maitimo enters my bedroom, and exits again with his arms full of clothes. Having gathered the clothes in the corridor, I enter my bedroom again and grab the last few clothes, and run after Maitimo. We pass the kitchen door again which is now closed, but Maitimo's fast stride does not leave me with much time to ponder about that. This time we are not as fortunate as to come unnoticed. Aira bars my way, looking from me, to Maitimo, to me again. "So the little princeling, finally remembers that clothes need to be washed ey? Well I am sorry but I also seem to have to wash about 20 diapers so I don't think I'll have time or energy to do all that." She looks at me, Maitimo, and then the basket I just filled before. I want to protest loudly against this insolent servant, but Maitimo's glance, shuts me up. "I am truly sorry, Carnastir is such a lively baby, that mother has been so preoccupied with the new arrival that she has not had much time to spare little Tyelkormo here. You would truly do us a great favour if you managed to wash most of this sometime this week" he says after which he smiles his most charming smile, and makes a courteous little bow, the washing woman instantly looks much kinder. Maitimo pushes his foot gently against my shin. "I … I would be most grateful if you would wash some of my clothes sometime this week" I try to imitate Maitimo giving the washing woman what mother calls my cherub smile but do not bow. Aira raises her eyebrow "and…" it seems to say. "And…" pausing to think what she might have meant, I look at Maitimo, he can more easily be read. "And…" I repeat "And, from tomorrow on I will bring my dirty clothes to the washing room every morning" I grant her my cherub smile again, and make a curt bow. "I will make sure that he keeps his word" Maitimo adds. Now Aira gives us a little nod "I will see what I can do about this collection of stained clothes throughout the ages" she says. Maitimo and I carefully leave my dirty clothes in some of the baskets, and bow (me curtly of course!) as we leave the washing room.
"So that were the clothes now what about the body" Maitimo says as we leave the washing room. "I am perfectly clean" I argue. "Oh I see, you smell like animal fodder because that the latest fashion in perfume is it?" he says semi interested "Father will have my skin, if I do not instantly go to the smithy" I explain. Sadness seems to creep through Maitimo's smile, "Oh do not worry, he is in the library with Makalaurë discussing a new style of writing" I should be relieved, but oddly enough I feel jealousy. I cannot understand Maitimo's sadness however, he might not be father's favourite, he still is father's heir, thus indirectly Finwë's heir, next to that he is also Mother's favourite though she does not show it, and most definitely grandfather Mahtan's favourite grandchild. Maitimo grabs my hand and pulls me into his private bathroom, one of the benefits of being the heir, before I can protest he has discarded me of my clothes and put me into his bathtub, filled with the bathing water he used himself this morning, luckily it is still warm. He uses a musky smelling soap bar to wash me, and peppermint water to wash my hair with as I squeeze my eyes shut. Then he scoops me out of the bath, and towels me dry, taking care my hair is as dry as he can get it, I know I should protest, I am far too old to be treated this way, but it has been so long since anyone deemed me worthy enough to spend some care on, I cannot get myself to protest, he puts on my clothes. He gives me a hug and carries me to his bedroom, he puts me on a big chair in front of a mirror, hands me an apple, and starts combing my hair, untying knots with every stroke of the comb. After he made my hair look presentable again he carries me downstairs in the smithy, he puts on my boots, apron, and kisses my brow, "I will go up to the library and tell father that my poor brothers has been waiting for him in the smithy for over an hour" he puts his finger on his lips and winks at me.
I look around me, the furnace is not even on, I get it going and wait for my father to come. I wish I was outside, not in this depressing room without windows. The door opens, startled from my day dreams I look around, and see my mother. "I regret to inform you, your father will not be able to make it" before I can feel rejected, she winks at me and says, "So you will just have to make do with me" I smile, not as good as I had hoped, but much better than spending the day in the windowless stuffy room with my father. "Your father told me, you should improve the work you did yesterday" blushing I take the golden thing that is supposed to be a ring from the cupboards, mother clicks her tongue and shakes her head, "Well if nothing else, you do have guts handing that in to your father" she says as she smiles and puts on an apron. "What about Carnastir?" I suddenly remember, she smiles "Maitimo" she says, and she does not say more. She pick up a piece of silver and when the furnace is hot enough we start making a ring, she guides me in every step along the way in making a ring, and soon we have one that looks far superior to the one I produced yesterday. She takes off her apron and takes mine from me. "So do you want to go for a little walk love?" mother asks me. Of course I do.
When we are outside I see that Laurelin's light is still at its strongest, and I do not see any hints of the light of Telperion yet. My mother lies her hand on my shoulder. "I am sorry I was a bit grumpy this morning dear, your little brother has kept me awake for two nights on a row" "Me too" I answer. I suppress my tears, but fail miserably, we walk to the bench on the east side of our garden next to the woods, mother sits down, and gestures that I should sit next to her. I do, and she puts an arm around me, and with her other hand takes a bar of dried fruits and roasted grains glued together with dried honey from her pouch and gives it to me. "Thank you mother, they are my favourites" I sniffle. She smiles. We sit on the bench for a bit, but after a while I get bored, and run off to climb a few trees. After some time mother calls to me and says she'll go back to the house. I climb another tree, but then both Telperion and my stomach remind me it is probably time to go home.
During dinner Makalaurë and father still haven't emerged from the library. Mother, me, and Maitimo, looking far more tired than he did this morning chat happily while little Carnastir rests from another day of drinking, wailing and grabbing locks of hair. After dinner, we move to the living room, where Maitimo and mother drink apricot wine, and I try to read a bit. Father and Makalaurë enter the room, Makalaurë looks just as tired as Maitimo does, and Maitimo offers him a glass of apricot wine. Father kisses mother, who smiles her most lovely smile, and kisses him back, then he amicably slaps Maitimo's shoulder, and ruffles my hair. He is in a good mood, he must be really pleased with Makalaurë. "Father, did you see the ring I made with mother?" I ask him enthusiastically, being well pleased with the result myself. "Yes, yes I did, with lots of practise and determination, there is a chance, however small, you might once be a decent smith" he tells me, ruffling my hair again. My smile leaves my face, Carnastir starts wailing, mother hurries to tend to him, as I suppress my tears I curse my own stupidity for thinking things might be different for more than an instant.
The names of Fëanor's sons in the birth order according to the Silmarillion
Maitimo: Maedhros
Makalaurë: Maglor
Tyelkormo: Celegorm
Carnastir: Caranthir