Merry Midwinter by Aprilertuile

Family

Tyelkormo was standing in a corner of the kitchen, sipping a cup of hot sweetened tea, that he brought home from the Hunt, the tea had been a gift from Vana to all of Oromë’s Hunters.

Around him his two older siblings were being the unique voice of reason in the house, getting their younger siblings to eat breakfast even as Fëanáro and Nerdanel were busy pulling out the decorations for the midwinter festival.

Tyelkormo himself never saw a point in that festival. The Valar controlled the weather in Valinor, and they decided that one part of the year needed to be colder for the sake of the plant life, but everyone knew that they’d bring spring back soon enough.

“Ah, Tyelko, if you’re free, can you see if you can find the box of lights I made last year?” Fëanáro asked him.

“You mean the box of lights that you let your apprentices take back home last year as a memento of the insane celebration you decided that everyone needed to participate in?” Tyelkormo answered wryly.

“… Did I do that?” Fëanáro blinked, turning toward Nerdanel who frowned:

“Yes, dad, you did.” Maitimo answered even as he seemed to give up on stopping the food fight that Ambarussa were apparently desperate to start with Carnistir and Curufinwë.

Makalaurë and Maitimo joined Tyelkormo on his side of the kitchen, bringing their own mugs of their drink of choice, and all three of them, side to side, watched, as Ambarussa, Umbarto, Carnistir and Curufinwë were busy trying to paint each others with jam and cake, and their parents in the background were busy trying to see what decorations were left and what decoration needed to be replaced.

“Here’s to another chaotic midwinter, brothers.” Maitimo whispered, raising his mug.

“To our family.” Tyelkormo answered, gently hitting his brother’s mug with his own.

“May it be filled with less chaos than last year.” Makalaurë added amused, hitting their joint mugs with his own as well.

There was a crash near their father and the food fight stopped, as the children of Nerdanel and Fëanáro all looked looked up to see Fëanáro looking startled with the remains of a glass decoration in his hands.

“… To my defense…” Their father started, looking somewhat lost at what just happened with the decoration.

Nerdanel snorted at that.

Fëanáro instantly had a face of usual annoyance and Tyelkormo sighed. Family. He loved them, but he was just back and already started to miss Oromë’s hunt.

Next to him, Maitimo sighed, eyes wandering the room:

“You know what, brothers? I’m going to go gather firewood, if you want to come, you’re welcome, if you prefer to stay… Good luck and may your sanity rest in peace in Námo’s Halls.”

“Fleeing for dear life?” Makalaurë cackled.

“If you want to stay and clean up that mess, be my guest.”

Makalaurë grimaced, looking between their brothers who were back to eating, looking like a bakery just exploded on and around them, and their parents who were surrounded by glass shard and glitter…

The minstrel of the family followed Maitimo’s lead of walking toward the kitchen door, and Tyelkormo laughed slightly:

“Mom, Dad, we’ll go gather wood.” Tyelkormo said quickly even as Makalaurë and Maitimo were making their escape, himself on their heels, too fast for their parents to answer anything.

They were laughing when they reached the woodshed in the far side of the garden.