Laurië Lassi – Golden Leaves by Esteliel

Determination

"There would be no one to frighten you if you refused to be afraid." -Ghandi

Write a story or poem or create artwork where the character conquers his or her fears.

Determination

Laurefindil hesitated in the stables. He rubbed Alcaran down with vigor, scraped the drying mud from his hooves, disentangled the glorious white tail until the stallion snorted with impatience and mouthed at the crib.

With a sigh, Laurefindil gave him the oats he deserved after the long run, then slowly made his way towards his family's mansion. Stalling would avail him nothing. Even here among his father's vineyards and pastures, news spread quickly, as did rumors.

He straightened his shoulders when he saw his parents wait for him. His mother was as fair as his father was dark; both looked equally thunderous.

“You heard the news then?” he asked, hurrying onward before his courage left him. “It is true. All of it.” He hesitated, then proudly raised his head, meeting his father's eyes. “Yes, I whipped him. Because he let me. Because I wanted to. Because we both enjoyed it.”

There was a long silence. His heart thudded in his chest; he bit back the desperate plea to love him, to not send him away forever, because truly, he could not change who he was...

“Well. That is quite some news,” his mother said at last, her voice weak. “We wanted to ask if it was true that you got drunk with your cousins, threw up onto the steps of the Mindon and were then found fooling around with Makalaurë in your uncle Fëanáro's stables.”

“Well. Yes,” Laurefindil admitted sheepishly. “That was after.”