Category: Tolkien-Universe

Rating: M

Couples: Egalmoth/Rog, Maeglin/Salgant

Warnings: AU, canon-levels of Everything

Chapter: 34

Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate and/or mynameisjessejk, Plot & OC´s © by me

Authors note: Set in the Otter(less) Mayhem Universe of abovementioned mynameisjessejk on AO3. Unofficial sequel to 'The House of the Mole'

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That Midsummer was a grand happening and Tinnuion suspected that especially the people of the Hammer of Wrath and Heavenly Arch were still partying off the 'we didn't lose our two Lords after all'-feelings. To Rog's audible complaining for the week leading up to the event, which amused him greatly. It also gave him fuzzy feelings, as it proved how close the two of them had become. Just a few decades earlier, at most he'd see him grump during the actual event or merely overhear him complain to someone else.

He was very suspicious when the gifts were handed out though; he knew they were practically getting engaged right now, but was honestly wondering how Egalmoth would be hiding Rog's ring. Rog had made the hairdecoration to ostensibly replace the one the other Lord had lost in the Cirith Oron-incident, but Egalmoth was no smith and could not hide a ring in his craft.

Handing out his own gifts, he did his best to not too obviously keep an eye on his fathers and what they were handing out. Upon receiving the decoration, the Lord of the Heavenly Arch promptly turned to Ecthel - living dangerously, certainly - with the request to assist him in putting it on at once. Ecthelion gave no indication he noticed anything about the piece of jewelry in his hand, quickly and expertly replacing the clasp already in the hair.

He blinked a few times when noting the bracers that passed between them, slinking over in interest. He was caught off by Glaur, to receive his gift. By the time he could look over to the other Lords again, Rog had donned the beautifully crafted leather pieces.

"... from burning yourself." He just caught when arriving.

"I burned myself once this life. Once! When I was still regaining full control of my body!" The Lord of the Hammer of Wrath grumbled. "Ah, Tinnuion, perfect timing. Please assure your father that I know my way around a smithy."

"Is it a concern?" He held out his hands in a gesture anyone else would probably interpret as him wishing to see the craftmanship of the gifts around his father's fore-arms.

"No." He considered the supple leather as his fathers spoke up at once. "Yes." Quirking a grin at the just-below-surface laughter he heard in the other black-haired Lord's voice, his fingers trailed the embossed silver decorations. Where...?

He found his target on the other arm, several parts decorated in tasteful assymetry and here, above Rog's pulse on his wrists, was a line of silver rings and circles of descreasing width, the largest of which on this arm was a ring and on the other a filled-out circle. The two largest shapes were not embossed like the smaller ones, but instead held onto the leather with thin silver hooks. He didn't want to measure it too obviously, but he'd bet Salgant's wedding-gift that the ring would be a perfect fit for the hand currently held in his.

"It looks nice, at least." He grinned at them both, and then, to keep from giving people ideas he moved behind Egalmoth to look over the creation in his hair. Yep, the ring was actually in there, so there was no cheating involved. "Okay, maybe not with this outfit..." He looked over his white-haired father, who was leaning against a nearby statue in his formal robes with the leather bracers peeking out of the sleeves.

"One day, I will get Turgon to allow me to wear normal clothes whenever I want." Rog crossed his arms, and Tinnuion would bet something else that the caress to the ring was not just from the movement alone. "I wish I was like Coruneth, she can wear whatever she wants without it becoming a political incident!"

"Should retire from your Lordship then." As if her name had summoned her, the Avari Lady of Gondolin popped up beside him, causing Tinnuion to squeak a bit. "That way, your Lord has to field the complaints and not you." She grinned widely, holding a small stack of boxes. "Ecthel still gets letters about my fashion-choices, if I have to believe him." While speaking, she handed out the boxes to the three of them.

"And here I thought we'd intended to try to keep him from sending Tinnuion down Penlod's road." Egalmoth accepted it with a grateful nod.

"I am sure I can throw the House up the family-tree and make you go down Penlod's road." Turgon's nephew grumbled at the by now old tease. "I have an heirship to the entire City to worry about, I can't deal with two Houses!"

"Alternatively, make Rog your regent for the House of the Hammer of Wrath." Ecthelion joined his wife and friends with a wide grin. He was wearing Rog's gift, a cascade of sapphires for his hair to go along with the fountain-pin Tinnuion had gifted him long ago. "Nice bracers... not really the outfit for them though."

"Your face does not fit your outfit." Rog shoved their friend away from him. The youngest Lord in the group snorted when realizing that his other father also lived dangerously, using the arm that held the ring. He supposed there was little fun in the matter if they were hiding it all too well.