Not For Arda

[Curufin]

Findaráto saw the stubborn set of his brother's jaw and sighed.

It is to be a battle of wills, is it? he though with a sigh. Standing, he went and retrieved the book from his bedside table and returned to the chair, opening it, crossing one leg over the other and using his knee as a table, looking over the book at his brother, then sighing loudly and returning to his book, trying to get across to his brother that he had all the time in the world to break him.

[Aikanáro]

If that's the way he would have it...

Aikanáro reclined on the couch. It was comfortable, and he could rest here while his brother read, if that was what Findaráto insisted upon. It was maddening, though, the tactics he would stoop to so that he could hear what he wanted! Aikanáro's resolve to be silent struck him suddenly as an absurd one, as this whole situation was absurd, and so after a time he spoke again.

'Findaráto..' It was quietly he spoke, and solemnly, that this at least might be taken seriously as his previous objections had not been. 'There is reason I will not speak of it. It is a matter of the heart. There, you have forced me to admit to it, are you now content?' His tone was defensive, he knew not whether of himself or of Findaráto's own self-admitted weakness that he meant to protect him from. 'You see now why it is better that I say nothing?'

[Curufin]

Findaráto raised his eyes from his book, replaced the bookmark, and closed the book with maddening patience. He then put the book on the floor beside his chair and steepled his hands in front of his face, looking for a long moment at his brother.

Aikanáro was clearly troubled, and he clearly wished to tell him, or he would not have come to Nargothrond in such a hurry in the first place. But this would have to be handled carefully.

I shall speak as little as possible, and let his feelings come to the surface as they shall.

'No.'

[Aikanáro]

This single word Aikanáro could give no argument against, and it was becoming a great effort for him to keep his temper in check. Could Findaráto not simply accept that he had changed his mind, that he no longer required any counsel from him?

He stood, and began to pace back and forth across the room, impatiently. If Findaráto would ask more, then let him, and Aikanáro would answer, and set aside the notion of sparing his brother's feelings. If he would hear it-

'If you would hear it,' he said, and he wondered that he spoke aloud, without conscious intent, 'then I shall tell you, that I am in love, that I know it in my very fëa, and that that was the matter I intended to come to you with.'

Only when it was said did he stop pacing, did he turn again and face his brother, to see what reaction his words had wrought.

[Curufin]

Findaráto's only reaction was a slight look of suprise.

Then he stood, and crossed to his brother, taking his hands tightly.

'In love! Brother, but this is a blessing. This is wonderful news! You must tell me everything, at once.'

Then suddenly, he hesitated, becoming more serious.

'But there is more. Something you have not told me. You cannot expect my counsel if I am not told the situation in its entirety.'

He led his brother back to the couch and set beside him.

'Tell me of her. Tell me how you met, to begin with.'

[Aikanáro]

In his agitation Aikanáro hardly recognized his brother's reaction for what it was, only happiness for him, and it was not until Findaráto took his hands that he realized, and all at once the tension seemed to leave him, and he sat beside Findaráto again, and he told him the truth of it:

'It was by Tarn Aeluin I first saw her, her reflection in the waters. It was as if the starlight was caught in her hair, and it was that very first instant, Findárato, that I knew.'

He paused a moment, gave his brother a slight smile. 'I did not know it, that love could be so sudden, so certain. But so it was with Andreth and I that evening.'

'And I apologize,' he added quickly, 'that I let my worry get the better of me, I knew not how you would receive the knowledge of this.' He sighed, heavily. 'Andreth is of the Atani, brother. She is of the House of Bëor. And I love her.'

[Curufin]

Findaráto's face froze at those words, the look of joy in his eyes turning to one of deep concern.

'Brother, I would have thought you would have told me this first. This is serious, indeed. Love in all its manifestations is, of course, a blessing - a gift from Eru. But...but surely you do not intend to marry this girl?'

[Aikanáro]

'Serious, yes, enough so that the telling of it was difficult,' Aikanáro replied with a hint of reproach. 'But so it is.'

He paused then, for his brother's last question was indeed at the heart of the matter, and if he had an easy answer to give then surely there would be no need four counsel. But he did not.

'I - I do not know,' he said at last, and bowed his head slightly. 'Is it wrong, that I should wish to?'

[Curufin]

Findaráto's face became thoughtful, and he said nothing for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft.

'That you should wish to? Nay, my brother, it is not wrong. But I fear that it is not wise. The fates of Elves and Men are greatly sundered, and I fear that any joy you would gain from such a match would be but a brief flicker compared to the grief that must inevitably come. She is young now, and lovely, but like a spring flower shall fade and wither before winter comes. And so short is their blooming! Already I have seen several generations of Atani grow from chilidren to men, before withering away to a death from which there is no return. The time of her youth shall fade too quickly, in the eyes of our kind, and then you shall be burdened with sorrow, knowing soon that she shall leave this world and never return - a parting more final than the Eldar have ever known. Nay, such a match would not be wise.'

[Willow Oran]

Consummating their match in secret, and so hurried, had not been wise, Galadriel (she rolled the name, still new, over her tongue, just for the thrill of the sound) reflected as she followed the subtlely marked path into the heart of her brother's kingdom.

A rise in the wind and a sudden pattering of rain, adding to the already nagging feeling of being utterly lost in the wilds this night reminded her that wisdom had not lately been her strong point.

First, the reason she was journeying from Doriath to Nargothrond in the first place: the need to hold what was going to be an extremely awkward conversation with at least one brother...

And then her insistance that the primary reason for said conversation stay behind so as not to be murdered by said brother, which now that she thought about it - alone in the dark on what was proving to be an annoyingly stormy night - had been most unfair to Celeborn. He was half to blame in this affair. She ought to have granted him the chance to defend himself accordingly.

At the very least he could have talked her out of this third folly, riding alone, at night, over terrain chosen for its very difficulty while trying to locate and follow a trail marked only by beryls, placed strategically along the way.

Bah! This would be easier on foot. Galadriel (how had she gone with such dull names before!) dismounted, keeping the reins grasped tightly in one hand, and searched the ground, moving slowly forward as she did. She was close, she could feel that much, and the last marker should be here... or, she thought, looking up at a sudden sound and coming nose to tip with an arrow, one of her brother's scouts would do equally well.

Reaching up and calmly nudging the arrow aside (the elf at the other could see her clearly, after all) she smiled at the scout, who had relaxed his stance and was looking quite flustered to have come upon his king's sister so unexpectedly, "Good evening," she said, "I am come to visit my brother and seem to have strayed a little from the way. Accompany me to the city?"

[Curufin]

The scout smiled and bowed.

'Of course, my lady. I shall be glad to show you the way.'

He made his way through the forest quickly, holding the branches out of her way.

'I am sure that King Felagund will be overjoyed to see you, my Lady. It has been some time since you have graced these halls. I am sure you shall also be pleased to hear that Lord Aegnor has arrived today from Dorthonion.'

In a short time, they reached the entrance, and the gate-wardens allowed them to enter. She was led into the Great Hall while the guard went to inform Findaráto of her arrival.

In moments, his quick footsteps were heard in the passageway, and he burst into the Great Hall, brushing his golden hair out of his eyes; his eyes twinkling with excitement. Seeing her, he nearly ran to her, lifting her tightly in his arms and swinging her around with a laugh.

'Artanis!' he said after he had finally set her back on the ground, kissing her forehead. 'What a wonderful surprise! And just like you not to write in advance and tell me you were coming.'

[Aikanáro]

'It is not merely her youth that I love her for,' said Aikanáro softly, and he sighed, knowing the wisdom in his brother's words. 'And even if her time with me should be brief, still bright and glorious it would be, and by my reckoning perhaps worth the sorrow that might come after.'

And sorrow too there would be at their parting if he should turn away now, he thought. It was too late for them to be spared that. But this he did not say, for at that moment a message was brought in for Findaráto, the news of their sister's arrival.

It was perhaps typical of his brother that he went at once to greet her. Aikanáro smiled at this, glad both of the reprieve from the difficult conversation he knew he would have to continue at some point, and of the thought that Artanis was there in Nargothrond. That neither of them had heard from her in so long had been more than a little concerning!

Aikanáro followed after Findaráto, but stood back a little, letting him be the first to greet her. The pair had always been close, even as he and Angaráto had been, and it was a delight to see the joy in their reunion.

[Willow Oran]

"There is more than my presence to the surprise, brother," she said as soon as she regained her balance after Findarato's enthusiastic greeting, his joy was infectious and made her all the more determined to tell him her news before anything else.

"You recall our cousin? Celeborn of Doriath? He's given me the epesse 'Galadriel' and I've accepted it and -"

She was rushing to tell him all of it before he could react, "Please don't be angry, brother, we've gotten married."

[Curufin]

Findaráto froze, his eyes looking at her searchingly as if trying to discern whether or not her words were a joke.

Finally, taking on an expression very like their father, he clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head.

'That is impossible. He has not yet applied to me for your hand.'

[Willow Oran]

Galadriel winced, feeling very much like Artanis again, when she had just been caught getting into trouble. Nevertheless, she tried to explain,
"Ah... no... you see, I applied for his hand, sort of. I'm sure he's had a similar conversation with our uncle by now, in fact...
the point is we've plighted our troths and consummated the vows and we did have reason for not telling anyone before hand, but... possibly not very good ones from your point of view. Sorry."
She looked up at her brother, eyes wide, with an expression that had never yet failed to mollify his anger, "Forgive me? Though my decision was rash, you will see eventually that he and I are a good match."

[Curufin]

Although Findaráto felt something soften within him at her gaze, his growing anger was burning more brightly. He crossed his arms in front of him, looking down at her angrily.

'Rash?! You don't say!' he cried, sarcasm dripping from his tone. 'I had thought better of you, Artanis. Although of course such a marriage is, according to the laws of the Eldar, legal in every way, it is not honourable, and you know that mother and father would be quite dissapointed. Is it so hard to wait a year, Artanis? To have him go the honourable route and ask me for your hand, and to have an exchange of rings and a year of betrothal? I cannot help but wonder if he is in some way lacking, if he does not have the honour or the respect for you and your family to go about this in the proper manner! You are not a wood-dwelling Sinda, unversed in the ways of your position. You are a princess of the Noldor, and it is up to you to act accordingly, and behave properly. Your actions will do nothing except feed into the armories of those who wish to think poorly of us. And there are plenty of them.'

Findaráto paused for a moment. He had not been this angry in a very long time, and he did not like the feeling.

'Do you not think I was impatient to marry after I met Amárië? Do you not think that I would have liked to pass the entire ceremony and ignore the year that we were supposed to wait? I am not so cold or dispassionate that I did not suffer! But I had too much respect for Amárië and for my family than to dishonour them in such a way by marrying in such a low and circumspect manner! Whoever this Sinda is, he is certainly not a gentleman if he is willing to treat you in such a degrading manner.'

'Aikanáro!' he cried, not turning to face his brother, but keeping censuring eyes on Artanis. 'Take twenty of my archers and ride to Doriath. I wish you to bring this Sinda - ' he paused, and spat the name with distaste - 'Celeborn to Nargothrond. If he resists, shoot him.'

[Aikanáro]

Aikanáro had watched this exchange in shocked silence, had tried in vain to quell the rage that he felt, that this Celeborn, this Sinda should wed his sister with neither gift nor leave. If Findaráto had not said it, he would have. As it was, he simply nodded in grim agreement.

'Sister,' he said to Artanis then. 'It is a great ill he has done you.' He could not bear to think so of her, to contemplate her dishonor, and saw her explanation as the desperate excuse it must be. No, this was Celeborn's doing, and it was Celeborn that would suffer for it, he would see to that. 'I will see that he pays,' he added harshly, a dark gravity to his speech and a fire burning behind his eyes.

'I will see it done at once,' he told Findaráto, and spun sharply on his heel, not wishing to look again upon Artanis, meaning to ride out to Doriath with even more haste than he had gone to Nargothrond.

[Willow Oran]

"Aikanáro, hold!" Galadriel cried, before her brother could leave, "No good will come of you taking my husband," she deliberately stressed the word, "a prisoner from our kin and allies. Besides," she added, daring to take hold of both their arms, "You will not find him in Doriath. There has been an influx of Ungoliant's children along the north-eastern border of late, He will have left by now to go and battle them. Reports have described the monsters as very strong and many were expressing doubts that any who went would return. That is why we did not wait any longer and it was I who insisted. Celeborn is honorable, more so than many Noldor Princes I can name."

[Aikanáro]

Aikanáro frowned deeply at that. Her husband, she said, as if there were no shame in it, and she thought to compare him favorably to their own kin!

'There is no honor in what he has done,' he answered, 'and I intend to hold him accountable for it! You know as well as I, sister, that a time of strife is an ill-omened one for marriage. You ought not to have wed.' He pulled his arm away from her grasp, a little more roughly than he had intended. 'You ought to have known better, Artanis, if it were truly at your insistence!'

From the darkening in his countenance, however, it was clear he believed no such thing. He did not turn away again, though, but rather looked to Findaráto. It was he who had been insulted by this complete disregard for custom, and if Aikanáro went in search of Celeborn it would be by his leave.

[Willow Oran]

Artanis, Artanis, Artanis! The name and its inherent denial of her independence grated on her nerves till she could bear no more, "My name," she ground out, looking her brothers square in the eyes, "Is Galadriel. Call me Artanis no longer."