Finrod settles in at Formenos and teaches Mornel a thing or two. A surprise guest comes to Formenos.
8. A Surprise Visit
If there was one thing about Formenos which reminded Finrod of Beleriand, it was the cold. It was not as bitter as the Helcaraxe but there was enough of a bite to the wind which reminded him of the moorlands near Nargothrond when winter crept in on its hoary feet. In the early days of his stay, Finrod spent his time exploring the keep and the workshops. Mornel soon noted that keeping busy seemed to ease any lingering grief in her cousin. However, Mornel deemed Finrod not quite recovered enough to join in the hunting parties that stocked the larder with boar, venison, and other game for the cold months.
The following week, Mornel took some time out for a ride to the lake with her cousin. Silvery lake trout were caught barehanded by Silvan elves. Traps were laid for eels. The fish would be salted, dried, or smoked as food for the coming weeks. Finrod enjoyed himself immensely, his grief seemingly lifted. He tried his hand at trout-tickling, over-balanced, and fell into the lake to laughter from the fishing elves. He joined in their mirth good-naturedly. They stayed the night at Surihin's cottage and enjoyed a hearty meal of Avarin-Telerin fusion cuisine before departing at dawn with some smoked fish for the keep.
At the Harvest Fest, the last of the crops were ceremoniously gathered and brought in through the gates at the first moonrise of winter by Lady Mornel amidst prayers of gratitude to the Lord of the Hunt and the Queen of the Earth for their bounty. The elves then celebrated with song and feasting. There were games of skill and dancing. Finrod tried his hand at darts and beat Mornel. All the elves made merry late into the night.
Morning found a line of grumpy elves, many the worse for wear from too much wine, outside the common baths. The furnace had gone out again. Restarting the furnace was slow and tedious work. A cold bath was not so bad at other times of the year, but an icy blast had blown in and the baths were freezing. Mornel was perturbed to find among the waiting elves her barefooted cousin.
"Mornel, I think you need to revamp your furnace. When was the last time it was overhauled?" Finrod asked as he hopped from foot to foot on the icy stone tiles.
"When we rebuilt the baths," Mornel frowned. It had been a few yeni and the baths were one of the first parts of the keep to be rebuilt. Mahtan had personally put in the first copper pipes to replace those rusted or broken from disuse. The baths have since been expanded to cope with the growing population.
"I had a similar problem in Nargothrond… Cousin, if you don't mind, I think we need to relook at some of your city's workings, especially the plumbing and heating," Finrod suggested. "I'm sure Formenos has grown much since the early days…"
They did not manage to get the furnace started up properly in the end. They only managed to fill the baths with choking smoke. Everyone left knowing ice-cold baths would be the norm for a while. Few elves in the keep would trouble themselves boiling kettles of water for a bath. After a hearty breakfast of rye bread, berry-jam, and smoked fish, the cousins went to Mornel's study to spend a few hours discussing the plans for not only the bath-furnace, but the waste disposal and central heating systems.
It was dark by the time they concluded their discussions without even breaking for the midday meal. It would be a challenge to renovate the keep but one Mornel felt certain her people could meet. Moreover, Finrod's idea to unite the scattered workshops around Formenos into larger, communal ones based on craft made perfect sense for encouraging collaboration and more economic sharing of common resources like heating and waste disposal.
"I doubt we will have that many fish in the lake if the dyers keep letting their waste water end up there," Mornel jotted down her cousin's suggestion for water treatment.
"What of travel and communication between Formenos and the other cities during the winter?" Finrod added. He had remarked on the rough road even in good weather and daylight. What more during the winter?
"We get few visitors after the frost but we still keep in touch by pigeon. Do you wish to write to your parents, or perhaps Amarie? The weather is fair enough to send one aloft." Mornel reared a colony of trained pigeons noted for their speed, stamina, and willingness to fly even in rough weather. Pigeons were never on the menu in Formenos since Mornel took charge.
"I will write to Amme," Finrod decided as he banished Amarie's smiling face from his mind's eye. He did not have the will to face her yet.
"You are late to visit Formenos," Tatie chided in her accented Quenya. She led a gelding on which a hooded figure sat cradling her arm. The road was uneven and each jolt brought a whimper of pain from the rider despite the guide's best efforts to avoid the potholes.
"Most riders here know to watch for ice on the road at this time of the year. You could have lain there till spring if not for your friend…"
"Lay off her, Tatie. You are starting to sound like that windbag in Valmar," Helwien called out from some distance behind them. She was leading a mare with an injured leg. They were fortunate that the leg was not broken or they would have to put the beast out of her misery. She might have torn a muscle but they could only deal with it at the stables of Formenos.
"Oh, you mean Ingwe? He was a fussy baby. Helped his amme watch the little ones a few times, nothing like his sister… Indis, is it?"
They had arrived at the gates and Tatie hailed the door-elf, a sleepy-eyed ner. The elf rubbed his eyes and peered at the newcomers, greeting Helwien with a hug on recognizing his grand-niece. "You chose a bad time to bring a guest. Lord Manwe is feeling a bit testy and snow's coming from the heights. But Lady Varda will grant us a lovely sky-show this season."
"Send for a healer, Uncle. She took a tumble. I will see to our horses. Pray tell, is Finrod here?" Helwien asked.
"The lady and her guest have been in the study since morning. Problem with the baths again. Water's freezing. There will be Council called within the week. Your aunt just sent up their dinner," the door-elf replied, ignoring Tatie's tirade on elves going soft. What harm could a bit of cold water do?
The fire in the brazier crackled, warming the room. Outside the window, coloured ribbons of light danced in the sky. The elf-bards called them Lady Varda's ribbons. The beautiful sight was a consolation for the cold this far north. Mornel knew she would need to call the Council soon, especially the masons, smiths, and plumbers. The baths had to be closed during the works. A temporary bath-house must be provided for the inhabitants. Finrod shared much of his experiences dealing with a growing population. In Nargothrond, his task was complicated by the need for secrecy and the problems of living underground. He learned from the dwarves how to install shafts and vents for allowing fresh air into the caves and how to deal with the constant damp seeping in from the nearby river.
Both cousins dined heartily. Their plates were empty now, aside from a few bones. The cook's wild duck with thyme was delicious. Finrod had attempted to write a letter to his parents but gave up in favour of joining Mornel in watching the dancing lights outside. Mornel's study was tucked away in a tower and offered a stunning view of the surroundings from the windows which covered at least two-thirds of the walls. It had once been used as an observatory by the Noldor in the early days under Mornel, but a larger observatory had been built for the astronomers some distance away by the lake and the tower at Formenos was vacated.
The kitchens had also sent up a bowl of chestnuts. Mornel pierced the tough skins with a knife before setting them out on a grill over the fire. Soon the fragrance of the roasted nuts filled the study.
"Lady, you have a visitor," a snowy-white owl hooted as she alit on the sill of the open window. "She comes along the stairs."
"Who can it be?" Mornel asked softly in owl. Perhaps the kitchen had sent someone up to collect their plates. Finrod raised an eyebrow on hearing his cousin apparently reply to the owl. The only other Noldo he knew of who could converse so freely with the birds was Celegorm.
"Female, bright hair. Not one I know. Came with Loud Red Hair," the owl hooted before swooping down onto a hapless mouse scurrying across the empty courtyard. Owls had the sharpest eyes of any bird in the dark but they were prone to be easily distracted by prey.
Mornel rose to her feet, feeling the pins and needles from sitting cross-legged so long roasting chestnuts. Ever the gentleman, Finrod stood to help steady her. Mornel gently brushed his hand aside. Loud Red Hair was the owl's nickname for Helwien. Bird and nis had been at odds since the young owl dropped a dead mouse into Helwien's dying vat, ruining the entire batch. Helwien retaliated by trapping the owl and dying her feathers a bright pink. The feud now rested after much mediation by Mornel. The owls were of great aid controlling the rodent population and much loved by the local farmers.
Someone was knocking on the door, almost timidly. Mornel strode over to open it. She broke into a smile when she saw who was standing there. "Come on in," she invited her visitor. "And whatever happened to you?"
Finrod gasped as Amarie limped into the room. Her hair was a bit mussed and one arm was bound in a sling. There was dirt and grass stains on her skirts despite her efforts to clean them away.
"A-Amarie?" Finrod exclaimed. "T-this is a surprise…"
"Hullo, Findarato. I hope I am not imposing…"
"No, not at all. I trust a healer has seen to you already? You should be resting. I will have a room and warm bath prepared. Cousin, you will chat with our guest for a-while, wouldn't you?" Mornel chattered on. She stepped out of the room before Finrod could protest, leaving the lovers in awkward silence.
"Child, you have not yet told us how you convinced them to let their daughter travel to Formenos with you," Tatie exclaimed as she rubbed the ointment into the mare's injured leg. Helwien laughed as she brushed the burrs from her gelding's coat. The Vanyar had a tendency to fuss too much about propriety.
"We did not lie to her parents at all. Eldalote was in Valmar visiting at her aunt's and helped us a bit. We told her parents Amarie will be visiting Formenos with the wife of a Noldor prince as chaperone. We just did not state which one."
"What will Eldalote say if they meet her in Valmar?"
"She's no longer in Valmar. She left on the same day we set out, only she's gone to Yavanna's Pastures to visit her sister who is a disciple there. Despite what they say about the Feanorions, Carnistir is still a grandson of Finwe and prince by blood," Helwien replied. It had taken the pair a while to convince Amarie their plan would work. Poor Amarie had been moping about wondering if she would ever hear from Finrod again.
Amarie had been worried at first. She had not travelled with frost on the road before. Her boots were not warm enough and they had to buy a warmer pair from a house along the way. They were two sizes too big and she stuffed rags into them to make them fit. She managed admirably despite her inexperience and discomfort. It was only a few miles from their destination that her mare stepped onto a patch of ice and skidded, tumbling her rider from the saddle.
Helwien hoped Amarie had the good sense to rest up like the healer recommended. It was not as though Finrod was going anywhere.
"How was the new sheer fabric received in Valmar?" Tatie asked as she washed the greasy ointment from her hands in a basin of icy water and dried them on a towel.
"Ingwe did not find it that pleasing, but the nissi love it. I think their husbands would really enjoy the new material in their bedrooms, even they have to agree with their king in public," Helwien fumbled with her saddle bag and handed a soft scrap of fabric to Tatie.
"You had to stitch it into a sheer undergarment before showing it to the nobles," Tatie giggled and waved the lime-green chemise Helwien had taken from her saddle bag.
"The Crown Princess has placed an order, a bolt of each colour. I believe brightly-hued sheer sleeves and over-skirts will be all the rage in Valmar come summer. You know Sorna is quite a trendsetter," Helwien preened confidently before joining in with Tatie's laughter.
Author's Notes:
Mornel did not plan on having Amarie or Helwien visit but this is a golden opportunity with Finrod and Amarie stuck in Formenos thanks to snow. With Amarie injured, Mornel could find excuses to get Finrod to help take care of her.
I seriously doubt they would have the actual Northern Lights given the dynamics of their creation but I like the idea of something similar for northern Aman.