Regarding Storks by Lferion

Regarding Storks

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork," muttered one court-lady to another, the pair of them tasked with watching the current youngest Feanarion-Nerdanelion while his parents and older brothers were holding Court with High King Finwe. "Storks make more sense than that one. What is he thinking running into the water like that?"

Turkafinwe Tyelcormo was in fact playing with the storks in their pond in one of the royal water-gardens. Having an animated conversation apparently. Neither she nor her fellow child-minder could quite credit the tales that said the boy actually spoke with all the animals it was said he could. But all the Feanarions were strange.

Capable of conversation or not, unlike the storks, young Tyelcormo's court-clothes did not shed muddy water the way feathers did. He appeared not to have noticed, acting as though he were more bird than Elfling. The lady did not approve of such careless, inconsiderate, and above all unbefitting of his station behaviour. Princess Nerdanel was altogether too lax with this one. Not that telling her would be likely to change anything -- going on past experience, she was much more likely to laugh than chastise the child. That whole family did entirely as they pleased.

Happily chattering with the storks, Tyelco laughed. He knew perfectly well that his mother would never abandon him (or his big brothers, nor any siblings that might be to come); that was just silly. Especially over wet clothes. Didn't they know his atto had invented the stuff that made his tunic so shiny, and kept the soil and grass and water from staining? And he knew Elflings were not brought by storks, that was another silly story. She might be willing to let some storks come live with them though. That would be fun.