Neighbourly Relations by Himring

Bonus ficlet: First Meeting

The first time Andreth saw Aegnor, she was still very young.

Written for Talullah for Fandom Giftbox 2017. She had asked for Andreth/Aegnor and "Something sweet"!

Rating: Teens. (Choose not to warn.)

Andreth's POV.

Andreth was a big girl, practically a grown-up. She had made much progress in her lessons with Adanel recently, reaping hard-won and well-earned praise, and was also taking on more responsibilities in the household. On some days she felt the weight of those responsibilities on her shoulders. But today was a holiday and her little cousin Beren, especially, had wanted to play tag. All the children agreed, and Andreth had shaken off her new-found dignity and joined in with a will.

She found she did not care as much who won or who lost—indeed at one point she pretended to stumble and intentionally let little Beren get away—but the sheer joy of running, just for the sake of it! That she felt as maybe she had not felt it before, when the pleasure had been more common-place. Her cheeks flushed. Her skirts flew and her hair streamed out behind her. Sun gleamed off the surface of Tarn Aeluin.

It was her turn to be chased and she laughed, swerving suddenly by the shore to throw off her pursuer. Beneath her feet a spray of gravel flew up. But then out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed tall figures. She halted, and little Beren, who had not seen the grown-ups approaching, caught up with her and, throwing his arms around her legs, cried out: ‘Got you!’

It was her father and he had brought a guest—and no mere guest, for the golden-haired stranger, even taller beside him, clearly was an elf!

‘My daughter Andreth,’ said her father. ‘Andreth, this is my lord Aegnor.’

Momentarily, Andreth was mortified to have been caught dishevelled and playing tag by the first elven lord she had ever met. But she looked up and although she was quite dazzled by the light in his eyes and the sun on his hair, she still knew Aegnor did not mind at all, even before he had said a word. It was the sun and the running, of course, but, just standing there before Lord Aegnor on the shore of Tarn Aeluin, Andreth felt herself warm and alive and glowing of a sudden, a feeling that seemed to tingle all the way down to her toes.

Chapter End Notes

Little Beren in this story is not the great Beren Erchamion, but his maternal grandfather. According to HoME, he was 13 years younger than Andreth.