Returned to Valinor, Galadriel misses her husband for...many reasons. Perhaps some long-lost cousins can fulfill her needs while they are apart.
for @finweanladiesweek Day 3: Aredhel & Galadriel! oh, and Celegorm snuck his way in there, too.
Rating: E | No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aredhel/Celegorm/Galadriel, Galadriel/Celeborn
Characters: intersex Galadriel, trans female Aredhel, trans male Celegorm
Word count: 2.9k
I wrote something silly today because I had the starting scene in my head for a while now, and I wanted to work it into a little story!
No Archive Warnings Apply
Aredhel/Celegorm (mentioned), Fëanor & Fingolfin, House of Finwë Members & Maeglin
Attempt at Humor, Family Bonding, House of Finwë, Valinor in the Fourth Age of Arda, Fluff and Crack, Banter, Brotherly Bonding, One Big Happy Family, Nothing Hurts, Post-Canon, Everyone Is Alive
Summary:
Several members of the House of Finwë get together to plan the wedding of Irissë and Tyelkormo
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I detested every minute of drawing that horse, I will do it again!
Anyway, I hoped I would get this out before the end of the year, alas it became the first artwork of the year instead. It's the comic I mentioned in my wips notes, and yeah, I know it doesn't make much sense for Fëanor to not recognize Miriel but I needed it for the plot, okay 😭
Plot explanation + Nerdanel bonus under the cut:
Very well, I had this idea stuck in my head for a while due to my dissatisfaction with many post reembodiment fëanorian fic (don't get me wrong, I enjoy the heck out of those fics, they just happen to not fully scratch the itch) and how it's either the fëanorian basically throwing themselves to the ground to apologize to those they hurt, something I don't really see happening, apologizing requires a lot of vulnerability, it's something very raw that I just can't see the fëanorians being able to do right off the halls (and I'm not giving the Valar any credit *harunf*) or, it goes the opposite direction, and none of the fëanorians apologize at all and it's just accepted with at most some control from the Valar, I just can't accept this while also assume they just went back to their regular places in Tirion no problem besides some people being mildly mad at them.
So this was my concoction, the first two stories wouldn't be about Fëanor at all actually, it would be an Aretyel and a Curufinrod stories running concurrently:
The first one is about Aredhel not initially wanting to ever see Celegorm after he used her as a motivation to hurt Luthien, but after Maeglin reembodiement she thinks that if she can take her son back maybe she should give her former friend a chance.
The second is initially basically Curufinrod through the ages as Finrod decides to talk to Curufin despite his better reason saying otherwise, Curufin is at first very scathing and refuses any talk at all but after a difficult conversation with Ëarwen (which is mostly her calling him a bitch) Curufin decides to reevaluate his past with Finrod, eventually reaching Celebrimbor (who is a curufinrodion in this) and their complicated relationship
And then finally, the Fëanor one, it begins some time after the others already began but runs with them as well, the beginning is basically this comic, Fëanor arrives and finds no one besides the woman he doesn't know is Miriel and accepts staying with her rather than trying to talk with his brothers, the truth is that Vairë sent the wrong hour to Arafinwë so that Miriel would get time with her son (Miriel doesn't know this, she also thinks they just left Fëanor alone) (Vairë also thought that at most she would mildly inconvenience a perfectly well paid envoy that at most would get a disappointed look from the king, never imagining that Nerdanel would show up as well)
(Considering having shorted parts for Maglor, who already had his therapy sessions in Rivendell, meeting Maedhros and Elwing again, and another for Caranthir finding out that he and Haleth had a child, Erestor, and not knowing how to go about it)
Thank you for the prompt! Here's a little something from my Modern AU Holiday Prompts. 1.2k, Rated G, No warnings except a little swearing.
“How disappointing!” Nerdanel said as they stepped out into the crisp evening air. “I was really looking forward to that film.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you go to the indie theatres, mom. Their equipment is shit.”
Aredhel elbowed Celegorm in the ribs.
Ignoring him, Nerdanel inhaled deeply with a contented smile on her face. “The night is young and I have the rare pleasure of my son’s company. I had seven of you, you’d think it wouldn’t be so difficult to spend with one of you, and yet — oh, and you, Aredhel! I am so glad to have you back around.”
“Mom, please.”
“What? I am. So! What should we do instead?”
Celegorm gave Aredhel a look that suggested he’d been hoping the cancelled showing of The Helcaraxë Express would mean the evening with his mother, which she had been doggedly trying to make happen for weeks — ever since little Celebrimbor let slip to grandma that uncle Celegorm was seeing “that loud short lady with the poufy hair” again — was likewise cancelled.
“Oh, I know!” said Nerdanel, setting an affectionate hand on Aredhel’s shoulder. “Why don’t you two come over to watch a movie at our place? I’ll give you a ride home after. Or homes, if you prefer.” She winked at Aredhel.
A panicked look seized Celegorm’s face. “Uh, I don’t know if that’s—”
“Don’t worry, your father is at the office with Rúmil working on that app, he won’t be home until midnight. At the earliest.”
Aredhel looped her arm through Celegorm’s and grinned. “That sounds wonderful, Nerdanel.”
*
Aredhel surveyed the foyer of the elegant home. It was more modest than the Fëanorian’s hillside mansion in Valin, though of course located in one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Beleria on the very edge of the city.
“Would you two like something to drink?” Nerdanel called from the kitchen. “I’ve got wine, scotch, brandy, vodka… I could make a cocktail if you like? And I think we have some eggnog, let me see… Oh, there’s these beers the twins left behind on their last visit, I know you like beer.”
As he removed his boots, Celegorm muttered under his breath, “I’m sure as hell not drinking that college kid swill.” He slanted Aredhel a knowing smile, then called in answer: “Scotch, please. Neat.”
“For me also,” said Aredhel. “Thank you.”
They relocated to the living room, where Celegorm sprawled on the leather couch in a failed attempt to appear at ease. Aredhel probably shouldn’t have found it endearing that when it came to the tactics he employed to cover up discomfort, he’d hardly changed in five years.
“You okay?” she asked, and perched on the armrest beside him.
“Fine,” he said.
“You know, you should be grateful that I can see right through your insecure bullshit,” she said lightly, “or I’d already have dumped you again. Stop being an ass to your mom.”
“Thank you, Aredhel,” said Nerdanel, entering through the archway with scotch glasses in hand. “You always were a good influence on him.”
Celegorm groaned, but apologised as he accepted the drink from his mother.
Nerdanel slid open one side of the credenza under the giant wall-mounted TV to reveal three packed shelves of DVDs. Aredhel could sense Celegorm biting back a remark on the antiquated technology, and when he managed to say nothing, she gave his bicep a congratulatory squeeze.
“Hmm.” Nerdanel scanned the collection a moment then sprang up from her crouch. “Aredhel, why don’t you pick something for us? I’ll make some popcorn.”
“I can make the popcorn,” Celegorm offered, and traipsed into the kitchen. It brought back memories of a tall, handsome, and enchantingly unromantic 21-year-old not-so-casually strolling off when he caught sight of the campus police rounding the corner of the old chemistry building, where they used to pregame Friday nights with a six pack of Losgar Light (now referred to as “college kid swill”).
Nerdanel exchanged a pleased smile with Aredhel, who plopped herself down cross-legged in front of the credenza. As soon at the popcorn maker began to whir, Nerdanel said, “You’re an angel for taking him back.”
Aredhel grunted with amusement. “Well, let’s just say I’ve learned that I could do far worse.”
Nerdanel’s comportment tensed. “I’m really sorry about all that.”
“Thanks,” Aredhel said as she scanned the movie titles. “Don’t worry too much about it though. I got custody of Lómion — and I wouldn’t give him up to change any of it.” She cast a smile Nerdanel’s way. “Celegorm’s good with him.”
Nerdanel’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m so happy to hear it. I’d love to meet him sometime. If you ever need a babysitter! I mean, I’m sure your mother can’t get enough of him, but I do miss having little ones around, and Tyelpë, oof, that kid has attitude and energy— well, you know of course…” She trailed off. “So, do you see anything you like?”
Aredhel released a relieved breath. Nerdanel sure could babble, but she had always been good at sensing when a person didn’t want to continue with a topic (which wasn’t to say that she didn’t often persist to spite them, particularly if the person was a son of hers).
“Hmm.” Aredhel’s eyes landed on a set of plain white DVDs with handwritten titles: Formenos Christmas (1998-2004); Taniquetil Ski Trips (1992-1996); Cáno Recitals; Nelyo and Cáno Equestrian; Tyelko Hockey &— Aredhel squinted to make out the next word —Figure Skating.
“What?” she said aloud, and instinctively reached for this last one. A photo had been slotted into the sleeve: A skinny, gap-toothed Celegorm, grinning in his tight sparkling red leotard with gold-fringed epaulettes, hands on his hips and one skate-clad foot daintily extended.
“Oh my god,” said Aredhel, and turned to Nerdanel with her mouth hanging open. “What is this?”
“Oh!” Nerdanel laughed. “That was Nutcracker on Ice!”
“Celegorm did figure skating?” Aredhel asked, her brows climbing higher up her forehead.
At that moment Celegorm reentered the room, one huge bowl of popcorn in each hand. “Okay ladies, you can stop talking about me now—” he froze, looking concernedly between Aredhel and his mother, whose expressions were quivering with contained merriment. “Wait, you were actually talking about me, weren’t you?”
Aredhel flashed the DVD cover. “How did I not know you were a ballet dancer?”
The tips of Celegorm’s ears immediately pinkened. “Not ballet. Skating. You knew I skated.” Popcorn leapt from one of the bowls as Celegorm set it forcefully on the coffee table and fell back onto the couch.
“I know you played hockey, I did not know you twirled around on ice in shiny body suits.”
“That’s enough. Put that away. What are we watching?”
“Oh, we are definitely watching this. And afterwards,” Aredhel pulled out another title, “Formenos Christmas?”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” Nerdanel clapped. “I haven’t seen those in ages.”
Celegorm groaned and sank deeper into the cushions.
