B2MEM 2019 Double Drabbles by eris_of_imladris

O64

Summary: A young jewelsmith of Eregion tries to find her place in the Gwaith-i-Mírdain.

Prompts: OC artisan, fear of failure.

No warnings.

Gellin had heard of Celebrimbor before. Legendary skill beyond this world, a skill that terrified her even as she tried to demonstrate her own prowess before some of his peers. After seeing him work, who would want to see the paltry things she could create?

It was a test of sorts, nothing too formal. Just a demonstration of skill, what could go wrong? In her mind, absolutely everything. She’d hammer her own thumb, shatter every gemstone in the place, and then trip and fall into someone who would slam into the workbench, and of course it would be Celebrimbor himself…

Her hands were shaky and she fumbled with her tools more than once, each time looking to see who noticed. Her final product was passable, but nothing compared to what she’d heard the others could do. The only one who seemed confident was the dark-haired elf beside her, working with more precision, but stopping often to give her an encouraging smile.

“Welcome,” she heard at the end, not quite believing it until the smile on the dark-haired elf’s face got wider. “Your skill will be a great asset here.” Confidence spread across her face when he introduced himself as Celebrimbor.