When You Smile by Keiliss

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Fanwork Notes

 

 

 

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A life shadowed by the past, a love that can never be. 

MEFA 2009: Genres: Character Study: The Silmarillion, Honorable Mention 

Major Characters: Celebrimbor

Major Relationships:

Genre: Drama

Challenges:

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 337
Posted on 23 January 2010 Updated on 23 January 2010

This fanwork is complete.

When You Smile

Read When You Smile

When You Smile

~~~ 

When you smile, it's that moment of stillness just before the sun rises and the world seems to hold its breath, that hushed quiet before the birds offer their greeting. When you smile, soft rain kisses the earth, sea birds call tales of the deep, spring blooms lift their heads to the warmth. When you smile, the whole world pauses to smile with you, knowing the pleasure that comes from being at one with all nature.

You do not smile for me, though. How I wish you did. How I wish something of the way your eyes light and your face warms was meant for me, but I am an irrelevance, my presence bypassed by your gaze. Despite my high birth - a prince, my lady, I am a prince, I want to shout some days - I fear in your eyes I will ever be a mere craftsman tainted by my grandfather's machinations. Not his politics; you would never be so crass as to tar me with that brush, you know how and where I was raised. Just - I make things. As he made things. 

And you see no poetry in me, no adventure, no flash, no glory. And my hair is not star-silver.

But I can create things, beautiful things, powerful things. And create I have. Not world-shaping as were the Silmarils, the product of my grandfather's final great making, but artifacts of power and wonder nonetheless. In the absence of he whose eyes have watched and whose elegant fingers have touched and prodded and ordered every other innovation in these last years, I have made something uniquely my own. Three rings, objects of great beauty and even greater cunning, all but sentient in their potency. 

Air, fire and water, making and rending, holding and shaping; Nenya will most meetly grace your perfect hand. Then perhaps I will be something more than an artisan in your eyes, the tiresome cousin always tongue-tied in your presence. Then perhaps I, too, will know your smile.


Comments

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I was just thinking the other day that I hadn't read anything by you in a while and that I missed it--then, lo and behold, you posted two stories the next day! :) This was a beautiful and poignant depiction of unrequited love; I think you did very well in showing not only Celebrimbor's tenderness toward Galadriel but, also, his frustration in being passed over in favor of another, all done very subtly and eloquently. Although the piece is short, a lot simmers just beneath the surface; it feels like centuries are built up behind it. In short: masterfully done! :)

Oh, I'm so glad you liked this. I was working through a series of prompts - take a word and write for ten minutes - and kept coming up with characters or settings I don't normally go near. This was my favourite. I ended up feeling quite sorry for him - hope she at least smiled when he gave her the ring. 

I have several fics I keep meaning to post and never get round to, really need to get down to it. Thank you for noticing I'd been quiet :)  

This is so very lovely, and also a vey interesting part of Celebrimbor's character brought out. Poor Celebrimbor, to long so for her attention, and to not understand why it will never happen in the way he wants...

<i>When you smile, soft rain kisses the earth, sea birds call tales of the deep, spring blooms lift their heads to the warmth. When you smile, the whole world pauses to smile with you...</i>
*melts*