For Love or Money by Lady MSM

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Everything Screeches to a Halt

Chapter 12: Everything Screeches to a Halt

Towards the beginning of my stay here, Mahtan told me that I’d be expected to pay my rent every two weeks—two weeks’ board here costing 28 silver. I’ve been here four weeks and I brought along five gold, ten silver, and ten copper, meaning that I can stay here for…

Six more days.

Damn.

Honestly, is this fair? Are the Valar messing with me? I finally sort out my Nerdanel problems and get most of the people in Fana’s Crossing to like me, and then I run out of money? I’m not going to lie, this is incredibly depressing.

So I go to Harma, who’s been considerably warmer to me ever since she found out that Nerdanel and I don’t hate each other anymore.

“Sure, that’s not up to me,” she says when I explain my monetary woes. “I’d love to have ye stay, but Mahtan’s the breadwinner and it’s really his choice. I advise ye to ask him real politely if ye can stay. He’s got fond of ye and perhaps ye can work something out.”

With a sinking feeling, I head off to Mahtan’s forge. I really doubt he’s going to let me stay. Didn’t he say right at the beginning that I could only stay as long as I paid my rent and kept my hands off his daughter? But I have to give it a try, I suppose. I enter the dark room and take a deep breath.

“Mahtan, I’m out of money,” I say, deciding not to beat around the bush.

“Are ye now,” he says, barely glancing up.

“Yes,” I say. “But I don’t want to leave. And so I just want to know if there’s any other way I can pay my rent.”

“Yer nothing if not honest, Ernil, I’ll give ye that,” Mahtan replies. “Do ye happen to remember what I said about payin’ for yer lessons? Do some chores and don’t talk too much and ye can do what ye like. Since ye work hard and have helped me make a bit more money, and since ye finally learned to do yer chores and yer not nearly as much trouble as ye used to be, I see no reason why we can’t extend that plicy to yer rent.” He smiles. “Sure and I’m not particularly eager to get rid of a good helper like yerself.”

“What did I tell ye?” says Nerdanel when I tell her all of this. “Da will never kick ye out, even if ye lose all yer money and break both yer legs. The only way he wouldn’t want ye around was if yer hands stopped working.”

“And here I thought he considered me a surrogate son!” I shake my head. “My hopes are dashed.”

“Why would he want a surrogate son? He’s already got me, and I’m as good as two boys.”

“You’re certainly as stubborn as two boys,” I agree, and have to duck a blow.

So now, I’ve broken both the provisions Mahtan set out at the beginning of my stay here. Especially the one about keeping my hands off Nerdanel—that one’s out the window. These days, Nerdanel and I spend a good portion of our time making out in her workshop. Don’t worry, though, we’ve been good (mostly). I don’t think Mahtan knows, or else he probably wouldn’t have let me stay, but Harma’s certainly suspicious.

I don’t care. I love Nerdanel, and I love Fana’s Crossing too. There’s no point in me leaving now. I’ve got a home, a family, a job, a girl, and even a sort-of enemy (in the form of Bril, who definitely knows about Nerdanel and I and gives me dirty looks whenever I’m around him).

I barely remember my old life. I can’t remember what Indis’ shrieking sounds like or the smell of my bedroom or our butler’s name (I think it started with a T, but I can’t be sure). Sometimes I wonder if any of it ever really happened.

Two days after Mahtan agreed to let me stay I’m in the stable, feeding Chocolate a carrot. She sure doesn’t seem to mind living here. She’s been getting plenty of exercise, too—Nerdanel and I often take rides on her out in the countryside (try kissing a girl while riding a horse and see if you don’t have trouble keeping your balance).

Speaking of Nerdanel, in she comes now, with a letter in her hand and a grave expression on her face.

“Feanor,” she says. “Can I talk to ye?”

“Of course,” I say absently, patting Chocolate on the nose.

Then what she said sinks in, and I whirl around to face her.

“What did you call me?” I whisper, cold dread creeping up my spine.

“This letter came today,” says Nerdanel, handing it to me. “It was addressed to Da, but I opened it since he’s not about.”

I look at the front of the letter. It’s on fine parchment. The address is written in my father’s handwriting. The seal is broken, but I can tell it’s royal.

They’ve found me. After all this time, they’ve tracked me down.

“Well, go ahead. Read it.” Nerdanel gives a small half-smile. “Sure and I always thought there was something odd about ye, but I never suspected we were harborin’ a runaway prince.”

Wordlessly, I unfold the parchment and stare at my father’s familiar writing.

Finwe High King of the Noldor to Mahtan of Fana’s Crossing

Hello, Mahtan! I trust you and your family are well. Remember, if you are ever in the mood to come to court, my invitation stands.

I am writing to find out if you’ve seen or heard anything of my oldest son Feanor lately. He left home quite abruptly about a month ago and, unfortunately, neglected to tell us where he was headed. He is not staying with anyone in Tirion, and I have not heard from any of my contacts in Alqualonde and Valimar that he is in either of those cities, either. One of his friends received a very brief note from him stating that he was studying somewhere, and I wondered if he might be staying with you as he has always been an admirer of your work.

Please, if he is with you, tell him that his family is very worried about him and misses him greatly. His stepmother has not been able to sit still since he left, and his brothers ask about him every day.

The Valar keep you and yours.

With a thump, I sit down on the stable floor. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe three words in a letter I sent to my friend gave me away.

“So…?” says Nerdanel.

I look up at her. “What?”

“Tell me the truth, Er…Feanor. I want to hear the whole story. All of it.”

“Fine,” I say, throwing my hands in the air. “Fine! I’m a filthy, rotten liar. I’ve been lying to everyone here this entire time. My name’s not Ernil. My father’s not an ordinary nobleman. I didn’t come here to study with your father. I didn’t even know your father lived here. My name’s Feanor, my father’s the King, and I ran away from home because I had a fight with my stepmother.” I sigh. “And I’m sorry.”

“Hmm,” says Nerdanel, sitting down next to me. “And the story about yer brother sitting on the cat. Was that a lie?”

“What? No, that really happened.”

“And yer horse. Is she really named Chocolate?”

“Um…yes.”

“And is yer father really a bit of a pushover? And are yer brothers really spoiled brats? And does yer stepmother like to overreact to things? And are ye really an arrogant perfectionist who loses his temper when one of his shirts gets slightly wrinkled?”

“Yes, yes, all of those things are true! Although the last one is a bit of an exaggeration,” I say. “Nerdanel, I don’t understand why you’re asking me all this. Aren’t you angry with me for lying about who I am?”

Nerdanel laughs. “Don’t ye get it, Ernil? Ye didn’t lie about who ye were. Ye lied about yer name and what yer father does for a living. If ye’d been hiding who ye really were, would I have had to punch ye in the face for acting like a prince? I don’t think so. Sure and I’m not exactly pleased with ye—I really wish ye would have told me, I’m not bad a keeping a secret—but I understand yer reasoning.”

Honestly. Why was I not in love with her two seconds after meeting her?

Oh, right. Because she hated me.

“Thank you,” I say, kissing her on the cheek. “So what should I do now?”

“Well,” says Nerdanel, “that’s up to you, really. I mean…I love ye, Ern…Feanor, and I’d like ye to stay here. But I know I’ve got no right to say that. Yer home and family, they’re in Tirion. They miss ye. Ye can’t abandon them just because you and yer stepmother don’t always get along. So if ye say it’s all right, I’ll show this letter to me parents and we’ll make the arrangements to send ye back. And if ye don’t, I’ll give ye the letter and ye can go home when yer ready. It’s yer choice.”

I look down at my feet and think. On one hand, how can I leave Fana’s Crossing? How can I leave Nerdanel and Mahtan and Harma and all my Ward Seven friends? Where will I get sausage half as good as the kind from Bril’s da’s shop?

But on the other hand, how can I really stay here? Yes, Fana’s Crossing is a beautiful town. The people here are wonderful. Mahtan and his family have treated me like one of their own. Most importantly, this town gave me a chance to drop out of my complicated aristocratic life for a whole month, for which I’ll always be grateful.

But Fana’s Crossing is not my home. Tirion is, and always has been.

I look up at Nerdanel and smile.

“Show that letter to your parents,” I say. “I think I should be getting home.”

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For Love or Money by Lady MSM

Everything Screeches to a Halt