Sunrise Before I Ever Saw the Sun by Himring

Pig-ignorant

Young Fingon starts lessons with Maedhros.

‘Well, Findekano, it looks as if we get to spend a bit of time together’, says Maitimo cautiously and looks at the shipwrecked cousin that the parental storm has washed up on the library carpet.

‘He called me pig-ignorant,’ says Findekano and jerks up his chin to keep his jaw from trembling.

‘I heard’, says Maitimo. ‘Don’t let it worry you too much. He calls everyone that who is not a genius—and some that are.’

In fact, Maitimo is glad it wasn’t worse. It looks as if his father was exercising a minimum of restraint, in his nephew’s case. Good. He gets up.

‘Let me fetch you a chair. You look as if you need one.’

Findekano sinks down on the proffered chair.

‘Most students of Father’s are almost grown-up, you know’, says Maitimo.

‘I know,’ says Findekano. ‘But Grandfather thought…. Because we are related… He taught all of you…’

‘Yes, but according to Mother he began lecturing us while we were still in the womb. Mind you, I don’t know how much those lectures took… ‘

Maitimo hesitates.

‘Findekano, I know what Grandfather said—but did you actually want to study with Father?’

Findekano looks astonished.

‘Of course I did!’

‘And what did you expect to learn from him?’

Findekano makes an indeterminate gesture. ‘Why—everything!’  He looks anxiously at Maitimo. The recent interview has shaken his confidence badly. ‘Bad answer?’

‘No, no, good answer. Except I’m not qualified to teach you everything and, even if I were, we wouldn’t get anywhere if I tried to teach you everything all at once.’

‘Do you want to teach me at all? I just got dumped on you…’

‘No, that’s all right. I am a teacher, sometimes.’ Maitimo pauses to think. ‘Findekano, your father has a library, doesn’t he?’

This is shameful, he thinks, I ought to know whether my uncle has a library or not. But almost everyone of rank in Tirion does.

‘Yes’, says Findekano.

‘And do you use it?’

‘Of course I do’, says Findekano indignantly.  I’m not that pig-ignorant!

‘Of course you do’, says Maitimo apologetically. ‘Have a wander about the library here, about half an hour or so. Pick five books from the shelves that you think look interesting. Make them as different as possible if you can. Then come back and explain to me why you think they look interesting.  Can you do that for me? It will give me an idea of where to start.’

***

They are deeply immersed in their first history lesson when Findekano raises his head abruptly and says defiantly: ‘I’d rather be taught by you than by him anyhow!’

‘Everyone wants to be taught by Feanaro’, answers Maitimo mildly. It is not a reproof, just an observation about the laws of the universe.

‘You said… Did he call you pig-ignorant, too, when you were younger?’ asks Findekano daringly.

‘That’s still rankling? Yes, he did, plenty of times. Still does, occasionally.’

Findekano stares at him. Still does? Maitimo?!

Findekano concludes that whatever else Uncle Feanaro is, he is clearly crazy as a March hare. He reaches out and squeezes Maitimo’s hand. Maitimo looks surprised, but gratified, and gently squeezes back.

Still holding hands, they bend over the book again.

‘Now’, says Maitimo, ‘the Mindon Eldalieva…’

Chapter End Notes

Of course, crazy as a March hare here actually translates an obscure Quenya phrase which obliquely refers to the erratic behaviour of the hare during breeding season without actually containing the word March!