Two for Trouble by oshun

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Fanwork Notes

As a mother I can assure you that the terrible twos are not a myth. The only thing worse would be to have twins. The boys may seem a bit precocious for two but this was conscious decision on my part.  Tolkien says that elves acquired language skills young and these two are, in addition to that, sons of Fëanor. Also, if anyone wonders how the tanner might know what Finwë would call his grandson, I would argue that they were the celebrities of their day and every bit of information would be circulated as gossip.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Written for the SWG July 2007  "The Terrible Twos!" Challenge.

Major Characters: Amras, Amrod, Maedhros, Nerdanel, Original Character(s)

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: General

Challenges: Terrible Twos, Ankle Biters

Rating: General

Warnings:

This fanwork belongs to the series

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 527
Posted on 5 August 2007 Updated on 5 August 2007

This fanwork is complete.

Two for Trouble

Read Two for Trouble

 

Every summer they come here. They buy all their leather directly from me. Take it from me to the cobbler and the saddler. Prince Fëanaro won't use their standard stock. Only mine is fine enough for his family. The first time I saw the two youngest they were with the oldest brother Prince Nelyafinwë, the one King Finwë calls Russandol, the best looking of a handsome lot.

Prince Nelyafinwë had driven his mother along with the two littlest ones. They stopped right here in front and he leapt down from the simple cart that they had ridden up in with the grace of a Vala taken elven-form. It was built like the kind a farmer might use to bring his produce to the market but well-painted and clean; bright red it was with black trim, a merry-looking outfit, well-maintained.

The Lady Nerdanel moved into the driver's seat and took the reins but those two, alike as two chicks just hatched from two eggs, set about fussing--squealing enough for a wagonload of ill-mannered brats. I couldn't hear what any of them were saying but it seemed the small lads wanted to go with their brother. The Lady looked to be scolding while those two paid her no more mind than if she were the wind in their ears. Then Prince Nelyafinwë laughed and said something to her and then to the boys. He lifted them out of the cart and set them on their feet. Made sure he had a tight hold on each of them and bade his lady mother farewell. She reached out, touched his cheek. Such a smile lit up her face whenever she looked at her eldest, nearly made her look a girl again.

The two wee demons, barely reached his knees they did, stood legs apart and chins up with a stance as proud as their sire. Their hair was as bright as that of their elder brother. Resembled him so much you could have mistaken him for their atto if you hadn't have known better. Pulling on their brother, they marched right up to me like they intended to make an offer to buy the place.

Prince Nelyafinwë looked from me to them and laughed like he thought they were right clever. He said to them, "I will only warn you once. One wrong move and I'll take you back to Amil." They nodded like they meant it. He said, "Fine. Now mind your manners. This is the Master Tanner of Formenos. Please greet him politely."

They answered both in one voice, "Good morning, sir."

Sounded and looked like cherubs they did, except around the eyes--full of mischief and more than bit wild. Then I asked, "And will you tell me what be your names, sons of Fëanaro?"

"Ambarussa!" they came back at me quick as you please in chorus.

The one on the right piped, "Pityafinwë," and the one on the left, "Telufinwë."

They've grown up to be fine young men, generous and well-spoken. Nearly as fair as their brother, though not as tall or strongly built. Yet still are always on the look-out for trouble. High-spirited they are, not ill-willed.


Chapter End Notes

 

1) The concept here (highly disputable, but I think not ruled out by canon) is that Formenos existed as a town before Feanor built his stronghold there when he was forced into exile.

2) Going nuts over the use of cherub. Can't think of better word. I'm willing to leave it and assume it is a translation from Quenya to English of a word I do not know. (How is that for shameless self-justification?)


Comments

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Awwww ... okay, they may be in the terrible twos, but I can never resist wee!Ambarussa. You have such a gift for voice in your stories; the tanner comes through perfectly here. Is this going to continue? I know, I know, just what you probably want and need: another work in progress! But I'd be intrigued to read more. :)

 Thank you so much. I am tickled pink that you liked it. I was worried when I had finished that the little devils ought to have been complaining about the smell. (I think tanneries smell bad or maybe I am mixing that up with a glue factory and a tannery side-by-side on the outskirts of the little town on the Ohio River where my mother grew up.) I almost continued the scene to include that element but it seemed like it would ruin the symmetry so I decided I wouldn't worry. (Or maybe those clever Noldor would have figured out a way around that problem.) It definitely was a one-shot, although if I had had months to work on the Seven in ’07 I might have been inspired to do a whole series of ficlets of the impressions of different townspeople of Formenos (as you imagined it in AMC) had of their most famous summer residents.  So I won’t rule out continuing it.

(Believe it or not. it was inspired in part by your chapter of the visit to the healer in Formenos with Feanor, Fingon, Celegorm and Maglor. I know they appear on the surface to have nothing in common at all, but made me wonder how it would have been written from her POV which you communicated remarkably well in the POV of Celegorm.)

I agree with your opinion that the 'ordinary' people of Formenos would be interested in what was going on in Feanor's family as much as modern people are interested in the comings and goings of royal families today. :) Lovely tale. Thank you very much for sharing.

Happy New Year!

Binka

When I read your comment on Gold-Seven's image, I wondered whether you'd ever written about Maedhros and the twins and found that you had! I think I had missed this story before, somehow. What a nice glimpse of the family! And it sort of goes with your more recent story of Finno helping with the harvest.

I definitely think that they were constantly gossiped-about and, in my interpretation of them, spending part of their time in Formenos before the exile period means they would have had a following there as home-town celebrities. Dawn Felagund had the idea years before me that it is likely that it was one of their bases support, since a significant minority of hardcore Feanor supporters endured through the Flight of the Noldor and for centuries afterwards in Middle-earth.

Thanks so much for reading! I like bad little toddlers--they make me laugh. And, yes, they do drive me crazy also!