Sisters
Nerdanel always wished she had brother. Someone she could go to in times of need. Someone she could turn to when she was feeling adventurous and bold or particularly intrepid. Or when she was feeling isolated and alone and felt the need to be protected. He would be capable of matching her in skill and audaciousness. He would accompany her to the shores of the shadowy seas and even to the shores of Ekkaia although he would advise against it while still joining her to make sure she did not meet trouble. Perhaps one day she would even be able to talk him into climbing the Hyarmentir and peek into the Avathar's dark shadows for fearsome creatures were said to live there and no Eldar had ever attempted such a journey before. But they would. They would climb to the highest point and lean against the wind; arms outstretched and take flight to lands unknown.
They would work in the forge together, side by side, she and her brother. Creating objects of wonder and beauty and her father would praise them saying how the Valar had blessed him with such children whose depth of imagination and potential knew no bounds. Her brother would understand her art, insisting she follow her own vision, never conforming to society.
"Shock them," he would tell her. "Wake them, make them uncomfortable and pull them in."
Her brother always thought she was beautiful. Often he would scare away potential suitors, having weighed and measured and found them wanting. And if she tried to her hide her face he would stop her, likening it to hiding the stars.
"Be proud Nerdanel," he would say, "for you are worthy."
He would be fearless and strong, audacious and resolute. Together, they would be unstoppable.
But she did not have a brother. She had a sister. Two to be exact, although who was counting. And they were not capable of matching her, and often she wondered if they were truly capable of anything other than reminding her of their embarrassment at her behavior and the plainness of her looks. When they were younger she always ran faster and played harder than either of her sisters. When she rode on horseback she never rode to the side in the manner of her sisters in their fine dresses, but stradled the horse in boys breeches for it was more convenient and far more practical than having both legs to one side and twisting around to face forward. But her sisters would object until her father would intervene and she would don a loose skirt to please him and quiet their nattering.
They never understood her fascination with the ford or her creations either. Complaining of how her presence there was shocking and inappropriate. That her attire when she worked was vulgar and shameless and her creations confusing and strange. They admired her statues for no one could find flaw with the recreation of those images. But often she liked to make things of her own mind, objects strong and strange but in her opinion beautiful. But her sisters did not understand.
"Shocking," they would cry. "Put those things away before they are seen for they are disturbing."
And often they would remind her of the plainness of her face and the awkwardness of her body. When they were very young they could be brutal in their critiques. Teasing her for hair that grew wild atop her head and chin that was too strong. Her eyebrows were too thick and her lips too thin and a nose that was slightly too big for her face. As they grew older and she continued to work in the forge alongside her father, the blatant insults took on more subtle tones as she had become quite strong and was not opposed to giving her sisters gentle taps on their dainty arms when her father was not looking. But more importantly suitors had begun to call and her sisters did not wish to seem ungracious in front of their guests. And so obvious jabs at her appearance turned in to discreet sideways looks and indirect comments.
"Oh," they would say, "that dress is a lovely shade of blue but perhaps we could let out the hips just a touch."
Her sisters were willowy and beautiful and garnered the attention of every eye in the room. It was always easy for her to slip unnoticed in the background.
Yes, Nerdanel always wished she had a brother.