Unexpected Nesting by Kaylee Arafinwiel

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An Interlude In Eldamas

Thank you to Daughter of Shadows for the chandler's name! I think she is probably half Vanyarin, half Noldorin.

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It was not long before the little ones began to fuss and fret, and Elwing sighed, exchanging world-weary glances with Eärendil. They remembered - barely - how their firstborn twins had raised a fuss when they were hungry and tired. "Forgive us, my lords, but I fear the excitement is getting to be too much for the children," Eärendil said reluctantly. "They have never yet been away from Aewellond so long."

 

"Yet they must learn to endure it, my son," Ulmo said kindly. "However, that day need not be today. Perhaps some time in Eldamas will calm them."

Elwing felt baffled at that. Eldamas, the town that served as home for those Elves who served the Valar directly in Valmar or nearby, was likely to be even busier than Valmar itself. But she trusted that the Valar knew what they were about.

"We usually do, daughter," Ulmo said and Elwing blushed.

The Kings and Queens, it turned out, needed to stay in Valmar, and Lindarion wished to visit with his sister, but Finrod and Ingwion asked leave to accompany Eärendil and Elwing to Eldamas, get to know their cousins, and spend some time with the little ones. That settled, and farewells properly made, the party now numbering four adult elves, two Maiar, and four infants made its way from the mansion of Ulmo.

 

They turned right and walked up the Landamallë Valion, the great malinorni-lined, gemstone-tiled Avenue of the Valar, to the northeast and then passed through the gate leading onto the Formenya Tëa, toward Eldamas.

The North Road was wide, though not so wide as the Landamallë, and before long they were passing houses, shops and inns on each side as the road. The Formenya opened out onto a large market square with a fountain gracing the center. Elflings splashed happily around the edges, watching bright gold, red and silver fish darting here and there, while indulgent parents watched them play. Around the square were picnic benches and many stalls that sold hot food and cold, household goods of wood, leather, and stone, animal pens - there were so many diversions that the group weren't sure where to look first. Suddenly weary, Elwing seated herself on a bench between the fountain and the chandler's shop.

Ingwion, exchanging knowing looks with Finrod, went into the chandlery with his younger cousin. Surely the chandler, along with her assortment of beeswax candles, had honey sticks. Elwing would no doubt appreciate the sweets.

"Fair day, Mistress," Ingwion greeted the elleth who smiled at them as they entered the shop, a bell tinkling somewhere high above them.

She curtseyed. "Fair day, Highnesses." She had never seen the princes close up before, but knew them at once by their tabards bearing their house emblems. "I am called Halawendë."

 

"I am Ingwion, haryon to the Ingaran, and he is my cousin Findaráto, haryon to the Noldòran," Ingwion said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Halawendë. You keep a fine shop," he added, for it was pleasant and airy, with none of the scent of tallow he had half expected.

Halawendë beamed. "Thank you, Prince Ingwion. My atar is the head of the Chandlers' Guild," she explained, "and my amillë is a beekeeper, so I sell beeswax candles, as well as honey and just the beeswax itself."

"Ah," Ingwion nodded to that. He turned in time to see Finrod picking up a bag of boiled sweets made with honey, and gave Finrod's hand a light smack. "Don't, Cousin," he said warningly. The look on Finrod's face made Halawendë smother a laugh. She shouldn't laugh at a prince, she knew; it wasn't proper.

"Did you want those, Highness?"

"Not for me, Mistress," Finrod said, stilling Ingwion's protest. "Our cousin Lady Elwing is outside. We brought her children for their Naming Day presentation before all the Valar and--"

 

Halawendë gasped softly. "Before all the Valar?" she whispered. "Even I have only ever served the Maiar--" Suddenly she realized she had interrupted. "Forgive me, my lord."

"There is nothing to forgive," Ingwion said quickly. "As Findarato was saying, we hoped some honey sweets might settle Lady Elwing. I thought perhaps the flavoured sticks that Inga--that Indil still loves so much." Finrod noticed what Ingwion had begun to say and hid a wince. He squeezed his cousin's shoulder supportively.

"Of course, Highness," Halawendë said, ignoring the prince's slip of the tongue. It was none of her business anyway. She brought out a basket of stick candy, made with various flavours of honey. "We have these, or we have the boiled sweets you were looking at, Prince Findaráto."

"Both?" Finrod asked hopefully, a light in his eyes, and Ingwion looked at his younger cousin with fond exasperation.

"Oh, all right. Both. You can have sweets, too," he agreed. Finrod's face lit up in an elflinglike smile and Halawendë couldn't help laughing then. She blushed when Ingwion gave her a knowing look.

"Reborn," he said simply, and Halawendë nodded knowingly.

"Oh. I have cousins in Tirion," she said. "How long has he been out?"

 

"Mmm...half a century, more or less," Ingwion shrugged diffidently. "Not so very long."

"Not long indeed," Halawendë agreed.

"I'm still here, Ingwi," Finrod said pointedly.

 

Ingwion smiled faintly. "So you are, otornya," he agreed, kissing Finrod on the brow. "Why don't you take these sweets to Elwing," he suggested as he gave Halawendë a silver coin. She gave him a small handful of coppers and brasses that he tucked into his money pouch in return.

"Can I buy Elwing some sticky buns at the baker's?" Finrod asked. For answer, Ingwion handed over three coppers.

"But stay with Melian," he ordered. "Do not leave her sight."

"Yes, Cousin," Finrod agreed, and left the shop with the sweets. Ingwion watched from the door as Finrod rejoined the party, and then turned to examine the candles and wax melts on offer. He needed some new scents for his chambers. Melian could take care of Finrod.

 

When Ingwion had finished his shopping, he had a bundle of several scented tapers - his atar would appreciate the citrus and pine for his study, his amille preferred roses, and he liked the apple-scented ones himself. There was a box of wax melts scented with sea-spray for his bathing chamber, and apple-scented melts for his bedroom. He returned to the party to find Finrod had returned from the baker's with a bag of sticky buns, and his face was covered with baker's sugar.

Earendil was rolling his eyes as he tidied the former King of Nargothrond up to make him presentable, while Elwing laughed. The Maiar were tending the quiescent elflings, and Ingwion shook his head, smiling wryly.

"I remember Arafinwë had a liking for baker's sugar too," he remarked. "Aunt Indis nearly had a fit when Ara turned up half covered in the stuff after we took him for a treat. Atar had to calm her down." Finrod snorted good-naturedly, blushing a little. "That sounds like Anamillë."

"Feeling better then, Cousin?" Ingwion asked solicitously, and Finrod nodded.

"Sorry."

"No harm done," Ingwion said gently. "Perhaps Eldamas is too busy for you after all."

"Perhaps, then, we should return to Valmar, or try another road," Earendil suggested. To this they all agreed, though where in Valmar - or out of it - they would go was less certain. There was not much to the City of the Powers, beautiful though it was - eight mansions, the bell tower in the middle of the Landamallë Valion, and the four roads which led away from Valmar. Nothing was keeping them here.

The group drifted back down the North Road, and something led them down the Númenya Tëa, the West road between the mansions of Nienna and that of Námo and Vairë. As they continued down the Númenya Tëa, they reached a road branching off of it, heading in a southwesterly direction. There was a signpost that simply read Mallë Mandëo.

Ingwion stopped with a gasp, staring down the road. "Ingil," he whispered. Eärendil and Elwing exchanged alarmed glances as the heir to the High King bolted down the road, into the silver mists, and was lost to their sight.

Finrod dashed after him before Earendil, Elwing, or the Maiar could react. "Ingwion!"