The Eight-Pointed Star by Tyelca

Day 3 - Celegorm

Day 3 of Fëanorian Week, starring Celegorm! The promps were Childhood, Hunting, Oromë & Huan, Strength & Beauty, Wickedness, and Love/Unrequited; all are used.

Summary: On their way to Nargothrond, Celegorm realizes he loves Lúthien.

Characters: Celegorm, Curufin, Lúthien, Huan

Warnings: None

Tyelcormo is not a stranger to desire. Longing, want, he does it aplenty. And he is aware of it; knowledge is power, they say, and know thine enemy, they say too, and Tyelcormo knows himself. He wishes that what he feels is desire; it would make everything so much easier if he could accept it was one of his wishes that would remain unfulfilled.

But the feeling in his chest is something else, something different, and though he knows the name he is afraid to think it. Lúthien is beautiful beyond comparison, and her mind holds a strength but few possess. He covets her, but that is not all. Tyelcormo fears that, had he not known of the Silmarils and the mortal involved, he would’ve dropped to one knee and proposed the moment he first laid eyes on her. And the offer would have been genuine, and he knows he would have been happy with her at his side.

But there were the Silmarils to think about, as well as the prize for her hand; there also was the mortal to whom she’d pledged her love, so he had restrained himself and gallantly offered to escort her to Nargothrond. She rode on his horse, he walking on the ground beside her, and Huan had teased him about his uncharacteristic behavior. Curvo as well had a hard time smothering his laugh, commenting their father should have called him Morifinwë, but was supportive nonetheless.

He loves Lúthien, Tyelcormo is sure, and it fills him with uncertainty. He has never been in love; what seems so easy and natural with others feels like an obstacle course he has no chance to overcome. But he is determined to try, for he senses that unlike with granting a desire, the feeling of pleasure won’t fade away but increase a thousand-fold. And she already has him smiling like fool the whole day long.

Whenever he gazes upon Lúthien his breath is taken away and he cannot think of anything but her. Although the mortal has allegedly captured her heart, he is not here; Tyelcormo is. He might yet win her affections.

As they sit around the campfire, Lúthien regales them with tales from her life in Doriath and Tyelcormo offers stories from their childhood in Tirion in return. The conversation is pleasant and the evening wears on, until Lúthien shivers in the cool air. Tyelcormo raises and offers her his blanket, which she accepts with a smile.

“Won’t you be cold?” she asks, and Tyelcormo shakes his head. He calls, and Huan settles closer to the fire. Tyelcormo settles against the flank of his close friend, and between the flames and the body heat he is quite comfortable.

The fire crackles and they grow silent, and it doesn’t take long for Lúthien to fall asleep. Her breathing is quiet and even, and the sound of it lulls Tyelcormo into a deep satisfaction. He is just beginning to drift off when his brother quietly sits down next to him.

“What are you going to do?” he asks simply, and Tyelcormo shrugs. He does not yet know how he will win Lúthien’s love, for he is still too overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of emotion that seems to penetrate his entire being. The question does have merit, though, and Tyelcormo ponders it for a moment.

With time, Lúthien might forget about the human, and sooner or later the mortal will die anyway. Lúthien does not need to witness that process of decay; it is a terrible sight that Tyelcormo wishes to protect her from. She has not known the mortal for long; if her acquaintance with him lasts longer, the memory of Beren might fade in her mind and with it, her love.

In this instant, as he gazes upon her sleeping form huddled in his own blanket, the beauty of the Silmarils pale next to her. His determination shakes, but then the power of his Oath comes back and he banishes the thoughts of desertion.

In a way, his strategy for the conquest of Lúthien’s heart is not unlike the great hunts he has undertaken with the Lord Oromë: once he catches sight of his prey, he only needs to keep the animal in his vision and close in carefully, to prevent the animal from startling. The object of the hunt would only realize what happened when there was no escape anymore.

He tells his brother of his plan, and Curvo playfully calls him ‘Wicked’, and they share a laugh.

Chapter End Notes

Tyelcormo is Celegorm, Curvo (from Curufinwë) is Curufin.