#arothir

[art-of-firefly]

Preview - 3rd part of the Arafinweans

I'll post them every Saturday, starting with Orodreth

House of Finwë

[erunyauve]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

On the eve of Tumhalad, Arothir writes a letter to his son.  313 words.

[erunyauve]

Chapters: 2/?

Fandom:  The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Orodreth/Canonical Wife

Characters: Orodreth's Wife, Orodreth, Arothir

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Tolklang nerdiness warning

Summary:  Arothir's wife writes letters to her family. Inspired by A Woman of Independent Means, by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. #This fic follows 'The Match' and might be better understood in the context of what happens in that story.#

Chapter 2 posted - Meril meets the neighbours.

[erunyauve]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Orodreth/Canonical Wife Characters: Orodreth's Wife, Orodreth, Arothir Additional Tags: Epistolary, Tolklang nerdiness warning

Summary: Arothir's wife writes letters to her family. Inspired by A Woman of Independent Means, by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. This fic follows 'The Match' and might be better understood in the context of what happens in that story.

The main character, Bess, reminded me of my conception of Arothir's wife.  I don't think Arothir was really cut out to be a king, and while I give a lot of credit to Círdan for Gil-galad, I think he must have taken much of his personality from his mother.

I also liked the ways in which Independent Means showed that 'women's work' is hardly trivial.  Being mistress of Nargothrond would be a huge job - Arothir might have been the CEO, but his wife was the Chief of Operations.  I'm not a huge fan of the female warrior trope, not because I don't think women can be warriors, but because I'm not a huge fan of warriors in the first place.  I have far more admiration for Finarfin than for either of his brothers.

[erunyauve]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Words: 1,848 Relationships: Orodreth/Canonical Wife Characters: Arothir, Orodreth, Orodreth's Wife Summary: Fingon plays matchmaker to his cousin's shy son, but no one, least of all Arothir, expects the outcome.

Originally posted to ffnet in 2003.  Edited 2014.

[erunyauve]

Unwilling Heirs

This is a WIP ficlet I dusted off and finished in response to http://erunyauve.tumblr.com/post/69067412778 .  Usual degree of angst and misery.

Therefore the hearts of the people of Nargothrond were released from their dominion, and turned again to the house of Finarfin... . (1)

He found Artaher in his library.

"I am sorry - I should have spoken to you, but I wished to act quickly.  Your people will be restored to the watch-guard once we have finished the new orders and duty rosters."

Tyelperinquar took a step back, shaking his head.  "Not my people - they have pledged themselves to you."

"I never wanted this."  Artaher's soft voice rose in anger.  "Curse Thingol and his lust for jewels!"

"Ingoldo foresaw his doom," Tyelperinquar said.  "I cannot believe that he threw his life away for nothing."

"No," Artaher considered.  "He would not have."  He lowered his eyes.  "I should have followed him."

"You have a wife and children...Ingoldo would not have risked so much."

"Would that were true, but no.  I was too fearful."  He glanced up at Tyelperinquar, and then quickly looked away.  "Not all can be leaders, but I once had the courage to follow."

Tyelperinquar smiled without humour.  "Many times, I wished for the courage to fall away."

"But now, you have."

"Too late.  I am doomed as a Kinslayer.  I vowed that I would never again take up the sword, but the blood remains on my hands."

"We are all under the Doom," Artaher said morosely.  "Save, perhaps, our children."  A moment passed in silence.  Presently, Artaher straightened.

"Someone must speak for them."

"The children?"  Sometimes, Tyelperinquar found it hard to follow the Arafinwëans.  They perceived the thoughts of others easily, and so assumed that others would know their thoughts.  His own House, by nature and custom, was more wary of ósanwë-kenta and never used it among themselves.  Fëanáro's deepening paranoia kept his thoughts close, and he distrusted mind-speech as a trick of the Valar. (2)

"Sorry, no.  I spoke of the people of your House.  They will look to you as their representative.  And I would value your thoughts in council."

Tyelperinquar grimaced.  He loathed the infighting and manoeuvring;  worse, he had no patience for the fussy details of administration.  If he needed copper, he expected it to appear.  To see his request negotiated in council was similar to watching a sausage-maker at work:  some things, he would rather not know.  Still, Artaher spoke rightly;  if they had pledged fealty to him, they would nonetheless see Tyelperinquar as their lord.

"Duty, then."

"Yes, duty," Artaher sighed.  They locked eyes in shared misery.  "Aratamello tulë umbar túra.  Duty is laid upon us, whether we will it or no. "(3)

Notes:

(1) Therefore the hearts of the people of Nargothrond were released from their dominion, and turned again to the house of Finarfin... .

(The Silmarillion, 'Of Beren and Lúthien' p 174 pub Houghton Mifflin Kindle Edition)

(2)

The ability to communicate via mind-speech is stronger among those most closely affiliated, either by kinship or love, but it becomes more difficult if not practised.  We know that Galadriel was especially good at this, and Finrod's understanding of the Bëoreans indicates that he was also quite good at 'hearing' the thoughts of others. (Vinyar Tengwar No 39, 'Osanwe-kenta' pp 21-25)

(3) Aratamello tulë umbar túra. (Q)

Lit. 'From nobility comes great doom', or the closest I could come to 'from great privilege comes great responsibility'.  It's been ages since I've tried to write anything in Elvish.  Corrections and suggestions are welcome.  From arata, 'noble' (adj) with nominal abstract ending -më, rendered in the ablative case; tulë, 3rd pers sing aorist tense of tul-, to come; umbar, 'doom, fate'; túra, 'great'.

[erunyauve]

A new baby is a mixed blessing under the Doom. (Angrod, Arothir & assorted family) Fluff with the requisite amount of angst (considering that everyone except the baby will die a horrible death in the next 50 years).