Things of Comfort and Joy by LadyBrooke

Chapter 1

Finarfin glances away when he sees them, Eärwen’s hand tightening around his wrist. He greets them, refusing to look down at their clasped hands. 

Aredhel always stares coldly back, uncaring about the whispers that have erupted about her. Only when she hears the whispers of how Nerdanel must be insane to take another member of Finwë’s family as her lover does she angrily turn to snap. This is the way that it always goes. 

But Nerdanel’s arm is around her waist now, holding her back. Aredhel stops, turns forward, and faces her Uncle again. Finrod is there too, with Amarië, and they react much the same as Finarfin and Eärwen always do. Galadriel smiles however when she sees them. There are whispers about Galadriel too, about how she married a dark elf and then the dark elf refused to join her in Valinor. Aredhel had laughed at this. Dark elf or not, Celeborn would either come on his own time, and then Galadriel would flaunt her marriage and her husband before all the elves of Valinor.

“Grandmother,” Elrond says. He always takes Nerdanel’s hand and kisses it. It was a reminder of family for them, separated from the rest of their family. 

Aredhel could see Idril’s hand tighten into a fist at this, but what was there to do? Idril’s son had chosen his path, and Maglor had been the one to raise Elrond. Idril refused to speak to any of them now, and Anairë had long ago left the city with Indis to return to the Vanyar. Of the House of Finwë, only the House of Finarfin was truly in the city any longer.

Nerdanel had long ago left the city for the woods, where she kept a house with a few reminders of her long lost sons. Fëanor as well was remembered, in the books that dotted shelves, still full of his notes about this or that, and scraps of paper that Aredhel would find every so often addressed to Nerdanel. The house itself was located where Fëanor had so long ago taken his sons and wife on trips to explore, Aredhel herself coming on a few of them.

Aredhel had brought more reminders of their family with her when she had come to stay, showing up late one night and throwing herself at Nerdanel. There were still whispers that the two were together because Nerdanel was reminded of Fëanor when she saw Aredhel, and Aredhel was reminded of Celegorm.

That was nonsense of course, as Turgon had said the one time he come to visit them, before the pressures of family had broken him and caused him to flee further outwards towards the shore, beckoned by the light and the sea. Turgon had never quite been able to cope with the fact that Fingon had refused to leave the Halls. But he had known that neither his aunt nor his sister where the type to hide in the past, but instead would flaunt the present love between them. 

She had been lost in thought, she realized, as Nerdanel and she were walking past, on their way out of the city. It would have been nice to speak longer with Elrond, but they were no longer welcome there. Too much had changed for many reminders of Fëanor or Fingolfin to be welcome, and that was what they both were.

The sun was setting, beckoning them to hurry on their way to home and safety. Their little house, full of reminders of the past, but also of new memories that Nerdanel and she had made together, all of them things of comfort and joy. And though grief had long been a part of both of their lives, it was mingled with love and hope, and perhaps in the end love would be the stronger of the two. She could hope for the day when she would see her son again, and Nerdanel would be reunited with all of hers. Though, how they would fit everyone together would be a problem. Aredhel was quite sure that Eol and Fëanor would not be willing to go off and form their own little side love affair, though there was always hope that the two would get distracted in some sort of smith competition.

But those were dreams for another day. Today, she intended to make sure that Nerdanel was well aware of how deeply she was loved. The fact that this would be deeply enjoyable for Aredhel as well played no role in these plans, of course.

Chapter End Notes

This is the first time I've ever written femslash, and I rarely write romance in general. It was also a sort of experiment with how to make it clear that all the actions in the story are things that repeat themselves over and over again in Valinor. New things are somewhat nerve racking, so any suggestions welcome.