The start of a beautiful friendship by Aprilertuile

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The offer

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Upon arrival, Tyelkormo was welcomed by… His twin brothers jumping on him, making him stumble and fall on his back. 

“I hate you and I hate everything about this. Hi Troubles.”

“Why did you stay gone so long?”

“Because I found many things of interest to study in the woods of Oromë. Also, birds are really air-heads of massive proportion which didn’t help me at all.”

“Can you take us with you next time? It’s dull here.”

“Sorry, I can’t.”

“Why not?! It’s not fair that you and Nelyo and Kano always get to have fun while we’re stuck here listening to dull teachers!”

“Because you’re very much underage and our parent’s responsibility and neither of them will agree to let you come with me and you haven’t been taught enough to come with me anyway. That’s why not.”

“Ugh. Dull. You’re dull too.” Ambarussa said before leaving in a huff. 

“Brothers. Why do people ever want to reproduce?” Tyelkormo sighed, getting back up. 

“Because children are a beautiful thing, dearest son of mine.” Fëanáro told him from the entrance, before eating a spoonful of jam. 

“I draw the line at siblings. Specifically little siblings. Also don’t let mom catch you doing that, she hates when we eat jam straight from the pot.”  

“She’s the one who finished the bread and didn’t see fit to replace it.” Fëanáro answered with a careless shrug. 

Tyelkormo tilted his head to the side at that. So both his parents were passive aggressive against each other again, uh? He was NOT staying here for long. He didn’t want to be overtaken by the urge to put something or someone on fire accidentally on purpose. 

The first thing he did was to leave his bags on the floor of his room and go take a bath. 

By the time he was done, and warm water was a luxury to be thoroughly enjoyed, his bags had been pretty much emptied and his father was checking out the two notebooks he had filled during his absence. 

“Not bad at all.”

“Thank you, I try.”

“You could have gone in more depth in places though.” Fëanáro pointed out as he was reading an entry of the herbal book. 

Tyelkormo’s smile was perfectly polite as he nodded along, pulling clothing from his cupboard. He had no plan to start an argument with his father so soon. 

“Where are my clothes, dad?”

“Where you left them in the cupboard.”

“The ones I came with and the ones that were in my bag?”

“Oh, in the fireplace. Your mother, although happy at your return, took offence at the state of them.”

Tyelkormo eyed him judgmentally at that. 

“The fact that my bags are, well, mine, doesn’t actually ensure that my things stay untouched does it?”

“You know how it is in this house.”

Tyelkormo snorted at that, carefully not pointing out the sheer hypocrisy of the one who had his nose already in notebooks that might have been privates for all the elf knew before he stole them. 

“So did you do what you wanted to?”

“Not really. I mean yes? I made progress on my hunting practice and general knowledge of hunting but there’s more I want to learn. And Tilion, one of Oromë’s maiar asked if I wanted to spend a full year there, and so I’m here to ask if I could before they come to talk to you about it.”

“I see. I’ll discuss it with your mother.”

“I feel the sudden need to remind you I really want to do that, and I am an adult.” Tyelkormo answered sharply. 

“And I feel the need, my dear son, to remind you that I’m not your only parent, and your mother usually has strict rules about her unmarried sons leaving our home for a long period of time despite traditions. As I said, I’ll discuss it with your mother.”

Then, Tyelkormo thought, hopefully Nerdanel would be in good disposition, because it’d be extremely tiring to have to fight his parents for the right to go to the Hunt for a year. 

He settled to take a nap, and he woke up to find both his elder brothers in his room:

“The notion of private space in this family is interesting.” 

“Tilion and Yarlossë are here to discuss things with our parents.”

Tyelkormo grimaced: 

“How big an argument is going on?”

“Mother’s not in favour of you going “for so long”, and father is in favour of you going. He says that you’re an adult but young and even if he thinks that it’s stupid to lose a year doing who knows what in those woods, doing stupid things is something that youths are entitled to.” Makalaurë said amused.

“Yes, because older elves only have the right to be wise and responsible, never to have fun or take pleasure in what they do, ever, as shown by our own parents who absolutely hate what they’re doing of course and never do something silly for the fun of it, just in case the world would disintegrate if they did.” Tyelkormo answered deadpan.

“I mean… Have you met grand-father’s councillors? They certainly do seem to think so.” Maitimo grimaced. 

“I can still put the palace on fire next time I’m sent there if you want.”

“Do avoid us that please. I’d rather not have to deal with the fall out of having an arsonist brother.”

Tyelkormo laughed at that. 

They kept talking out of the way of the argument happening in the living-room, until they were called. 

Nerdanel looked at him straight up when they entered the room:

“I don’t want you to go there for a year, it’s far too long to be proper, your father seems to think it’s harmless to let you go.”

Tyelkormo raised an eyebrow at that. 

“Tyelkormo, going there for a year will damage your reputation. Hunters of Oromë of course are never short of work but they’re known to be solitary people. You do not want to have that sort of reputation at your age, when you should be looking to settle down.”

“Yes, actually. I really, really do.”

“Well, I see your father is right and you haven’t yet matured enough by now to know better.”

“Or, I matured enough to know I have absolutely no interest in marriage, and prefer to further my knowledge of my craft rather than to play the prim and proper prince that I’ve never been and never will be, because I’m just not interested .”

“Fine, if you’re decided to ruin your social life to this point, go! What do I care! I’m only your mother after all!”

Tyelkormo had to bite his lips to stop himself from answering that. 

“Thank you for your agreement mother, I appreciate it very much.”

She slammed the door behind her as she left. 

“Alright dad, why the fuck is she acting on the palace’s rumours now?”

“Why do you think your mother is thinking of the court’s opinion?”

“Because the Hunters of Oromë only have the reputation of being solitary people at court. The people generally speaking tend to treat it as a feast when someone joins the Hunt, or when the Hunt comes by.”

Fëanáro grimaced at that. 

“Well, she failed to convince Nelyafinwë to meet with hopeful brides to be last season. She really wanted him married or engaged before he started to work at court and started to live in a house by himself most of the year since it’s almost unheard of at court for unmarried children to leave their parents’ home, and you know we're already the target for malicious rumours for our chosen lifestyles."

"She really tried? Everyone of us know that Nelyo has no interest in courtship, or girls in general. Most of the times he doesn't even realise when people are attracted to him. I mean... Perhaps if one girl desguises herself as a really, really good book she might have a chance...?"

"Be nice with your brother, Tyelko. Anyway, after that Makalaurë decided to apply to study with a master musician in Alqualondë. We received confirmation he was accepted there, and king Olwë was nice enough to have someone help him find a house to settle there for the duration of his studies, and now… You.”

Tyelkormo winced at that. His brothers rebelled against their mother’s wishes in the pursuit of their craft of choice be it politics or music, and he just joined them in that. 

“That’s hilarious because the mother can’t stay home half the year, and is known to travel even without you despite what is prim and proper and yet she wants now for us to act like we’d never even imagine life outside of Tirion’s court’s sense of propriety?!”

Fëanáro sighed quietly at that, a sense of quiet helplessness around him, something Tyelkormo wasn't used to see about his father and he really didn't like it. 

"Nerdanel is tired. It's... Always difficult to be the target of malicious rumours and... I think she wanted to prove the courtiers wrong about their... Opinion of you by making sure you could be a better prince and courtier than they decided you would be. Which of course includes not disappearing for a year in Oromë’s woods, and seeking marriage at some point soon now that you’re of age."

"Why ever for? We never cared about rumours."

“She didn't tell me but... she must have heard some… Unpalatable rumours about your parentage. You know it affects you but also her honour as a woman, a wife and a mother. After the difficult birth of the twins... It became too much to bear I suppose. ”

“Those rumours have existed since my birth. The best way for those to disappear, along with the shadow of shame it brings mother, would be for grand-father Finwë to put back in the palace the portraits of queen Miriel. So long he refuses to do that, and hence to prove my hair is exactly the same as hers, then there will be no stopping the rumours and me playing by the rules of the courts won’t change that.”

“Only your mother is tired, and we cannot influence my father to aknowledge my mother, or that'd have been done long ago, before you were ever born, my dear, so she's trying to influence what she can influence, meaning her children.” 

“I’m sorry, I know it’s insensitive to say, but if mother is indeed that tired of the rumours, I suggest she stays away from the court, because the courtiers as a rule live off of rumours and they don’t have the decency to not cast those rumours for the fun of it, for the pleasure of a scandal animating their boring unmoving lives.”

“Don’t go and repeat that to your mother. She has a dreadfully good aim with her tools.” Fëanáro told him. 

“Also, dad? Apparently doing stupid things is something youths are entitled to?”

“I should know, I’m still young and enjoying doing stupid things now and then.” His father answered amused. 

Tyelkormo snorted in amusement at that. 

“Since when is it stupid to seek further teaching in a subject you are passionate about?”

“Everyone can hunt if they take a little time to learn.”

“Everyone can go in a forge and hammer at things until it takes a vague form. Does that mean that your job or mom’s are useless because anyone vaguely interested could pick up a hammer?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No I actually don’t. Do feel free to explain it.”

“Anyone can kill a beast.”

“Yeah, about the same way anyone can pick up a hammer and beat up metal to take a shape or another. The degree of skills will depend on the level of training. Funny that.”

Fëanáro snorted at that: 

“Not everyone can actually draw schematics.”

“Not everyone can draw a sustainable hunting plan.”

“Not everyone knows stones well enough to cut them into shape properly.”

“Not everyone knows how to recognize what animal can be hunted and what animal should be left alone.”

“Not everyone can just take the time to learn to do what I do.”

“And not everyone has the chance to go learn for a year to be a better hunter with the Hunt of Oromë.”

“I already said yes, nightmare child, no need to try to convince me.”

“Funny, ‘nightmare child’ is what I called my little brothers. Hm… Interesting that our common point is our parents.”

Tyelkormo stepped aside to avoid a thrown apple with a laugh, catching it in passing.

“So, when does the year in question start?”

“Whenever you come back to the woods. Now if you come back with us, later if you chose to come later. I suggest not waiting too long, but otherwise…” Yarlossë answered. 

“We aren’t opposed to taking you back with us today, but neither are we opposed to you getting to spend some time with your family before you come to the Woods again.”

“He’ll be there in a month time.” Fëanáro decided. 

“A month it is, then. Have fun during this month, little hunter.”

“Stay safe.” Tyelkormo answered. 

The two left, and Tyelkormo turned toward his father, hugging him:

“Thanks.”

“Be careful over there. Don’t hesitate to call it quit anytime if you think you need to. I will not think any less of you for it, and if they endanger you needlessly, I’ll burn those Woods to the ground.”

“I promise I’ll keep that in mind, but please, don’t actually put the Woods on fire, I like the place.” Tyelkormo answered with a smile.

Nerdanel was not happy at the news, but seemed to have decided to let it go.

Tyelkormo appreciated being the 3 rd child going through that, she’d have been far more stubborn and argumentative if he had been the first.

Being the 3rd was easier and more peaceful.