Fanfic A Friend to All

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

To Our Sunshine




Itarillë ran through the halls of her father's house with a bounce in her steps.

There were quite a few reasons for her joy.
She was allowed to skip her lessons today and they were being invited to a banquet in Atar's Haru's palace which meant she could run around without being monitored by her parents and maids all the time and could have all the sweets she wanted.

But the most important reason was that her favorite cousin Laurefindelë and his mother, aunt Findis, would be returning from Valimar. Whatever was the reason, you might wonder?

For cousin Laurefindelë was turning one hundred today.

Finally an adult, her father had jested, saying the time had come for him to act like one too.

Itarillë, though, did not quite agree with her father, Turukáno. Adults were boring and always serious, like Atar and Ammë.
The thought of her cousin Laurë becoming boring like them brought tears to her eyes.

She imagined his quick laughter and generous hugs being replaced with a gentle yet small smile and a pat on her head, and this made her halt in her tracks, almost colliding with her father's steward who was just leaving the lavatory, making him shriek in surprise.

Itarillë paid him no mind though even as he scrambled to compose Himself, her body frozen in its place as her mind raced with her musing.

Her Atar was always right, so what if…?

No! It was not something she could allow to happen!
Cousin Laurë could not become an adult because…because that meant Itarillë would lose her best friend! She would never see his bright smile light up his fair face. He would never play dress up with her and have tea with her dolls because it was something adults did not do.

If Laurë became an adult too, Itarillë would be alone. Her mother, princess Elenwë, would argue with this, saying she had Tyelpërinquar, who was the grandson of her eldest grand-uncle, would be a much better playmate.

She didn't like little Tyelpë. He was even younger than her but a serious adult already, spending most of his time with his father and grandfather in the forges or studying. Or reading a book even when he was not supposed to be studying. Their mothers had arranged a playdate for them once.
Her little cousin had arrived, hiding behind his mother's skirt already. How adorable Itarillë had found him to be, promising herself to coax the young boy out of his shell throughout the time they were supposed to spend together.
She had taken his hand as soon as their mothers' allowed, dragging the reluctant little prince behind herself to her room.
He had played with her, of course, according to the rules she had set.
She did not like the look on his face though, as if he was her father, indulging her childish whims.
It had frustrated her enough for her to yell at him and strike him on the head.
Acting almighty he might have been, but he had been only a child like herself, and it had not stopped him from crying out in pain, silent tears streaming down his face.

Their mothers had rushed in shortly after, alerted by their crying.( She had started crying too, feeling frustrated and angry at herself and her stupid cousin.)
Elenwë had forced her to apologize, which Tyelpë had accepted with a grace greater than his age. His mother had not said anything then, but the lack of any future plans for playdates spoke loudly of what she thought about what Itarillë had done.

Laurë was different, though. His presence never made her feel small like Tyelpë's did, and his joy was genuine whenever he spent time with her.

To have him change just because he was turning one hundred was beyond unfair.

Ferinion's fingers snapped in front of her eyes, making her jump and look up at his smiling face.

"Princess? Are you all right?"

Was she all right? Of course she wasn't! She was losing her best friend and for some reason, everyone seemed happy by this prospect.

Her anger gave no chance for tears of sorrow to spill, and she stomped the rest of her way to her room, where she was supposed to be getting ready for the feast.

Once there, instead of the pretty shimmery white dress the family seamstress had sown for her just for tonight, she picked out an old, shorter dress with one of her few pairs of leggings. These were what she would wear when Aunt Írissë would take her to adventures outside of the city and in the surrounding forest. Something comfortable to move around in, her aunt had said after giving her these.

They had come in handy, even though she did not like wearing them.
And as pretty as her dress was, it was not something suitable for the mission she had ahead.

________


Laurefindelë was not sure how he had ended up in this situation in the first place. He just knew he was going to be in big trouble if he did not solve it as soon as possible.

But how? He thought with a grimace, watching little Itarillë pace across the door with a diligence he had only seen in the palace guards before, alien in the small features of her face.

When she first showed up at his door, wearing the hunting gear her aunt had gifted her instead of the elegant dresses she favored, he knew something was up. He just didn't know what.

He still didn't know what was going on exactly, besides that he had been somehow abducted by this little princess.

He spoke up for the first time since they had arrived there, voicing his concern.

"Itarillë? What…what are we doing out here? The feast is about to start and you know how our parents get when we take off on our own."

His tone was gentle as always, yet the look she gave him was as sharp as a knife. Whatever had he done to deserve it, he wondered, his heart sinking.

"Tintina?"

His voice quivered slightly as he shivered due to the lightness of his clothes and the chilly breeze in the air. If they were inside in the warmth of the palace, he would not have been complaining. But here in the royal gardens, the weather of late winter was not as kind.

His cousin's gaze softened, and she plopped down next to him with a sigh.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you enough time to dress properly. But I couldn't risk anyone showing up and ruining my plan."
"Your… plan?"

She looked up at him with determined eyes and nodded seriously.

"You're not going to become a hundred. I won't let it happen."
Her voice was low and her eyes were hooded, not looking like how toddler should look like.

He blinked owlishly at her, his jaw hanging open.
Did she even realize how ominous she sounded?

"What… do you mean?"
He tried not to sound as amused as he was, afraid he might break the heart of the little girl.

Itarillë rolled her eyes sassily, as if he was dumb for not having figured out what was going on inside her golden head.

"You heard me. I'm not letting you become an adult and…and leave me."
She turned away from him slightly, but not before taking his hand in her smaller ones.

The last part was barely a whisper, and ic Laurefindelë had not been listening attentively, he would not have caught it.

Leaving her? Now what kind of nonsense was that?

"Where would I be going, little one, when you're here?"
Her hold on his hand tightened and he heard her sniffle for the first time.

"Atya said so… said…you will become an adult with your begotten day. I don't want you to become like him!"

She shouted and threw herself in his arms, and the only thing he could do was hold on to her as she wept, not being able to help the few tears escaping his own wide eyes.

Her hysterical rambling had only left him more confused, and so he clung on to her until she had calmed down a little, perhaps realizing just how unladylike she was appearing.

She raised her head where it was resting on his shoulder, sniffling and wiping her small fists vigorously across her blue eyes sparkling with more unshed tears, and Laurefindelë decided that it was enough. He would not sit idle when his little cousin whom he loved like a niece cried like this.

"Can you tell what is going on without crying? I promise to not be mad or disappointed and anything else you fear in that pretty little head of yours."

And he kissed her forehead just to prove his words.

Itarillë pouted but nodded her head, leaning away from him to sit on his lap, secured by his arms on her back.

"Atar… he was saying how with you reaching your majority, you would become an adult and start acting like one."
"And why did it make you so upset?"
"Because!-"
"No shouting, little one. It's not like you to lose your temper so easily."

He chided gently, making her blush a little before she continued more calmly.
"Because, adults are boring, and they do not laugh easily or hug me as fiercely as you do. They're …they're not my best friend!"
She hung her head, whispering.
"I don't want to lose you."
"Oh Tina…"
And he hugged her close to his chest, letting her little head lie against his heart.
"I can never see you and not want to hug you, even if I turn one hundred, or two, or even a thousand. You'd still be my little Tintina whom I love so much. Just because I am an adult now, technically, doesn't mean I would like to start acting like one. I mean, look at Uncle Fëanáro. He's more than four thousand years old and has seven sons and a grandson. Have you seen him act like his age before?"

Itarillë frowned and shook her head, finding logic in his words.

He laughed and kissed her cheek repeatedly until she started giggling.

"Do you believe me now?"

She nodded with the brightest smile on her face.
Unfortunately, it did not last long enough as she spotted something in the distance.

"Uh-oh."

Well accustomed to that expression on her face, he didn't feel the need to turn around to identify the intruder.

"My Ammë or yours?"
"Both."

"Shall we make a run for it?"
"Can't. Too close."

"Laurë!"

Came Findis' cry of frustration.


Centuries later….


"Glorfindel. Psst! Glorfy."

He did not turn around even though his lips curved up in a smile.

The boy sighed with frustration before attempting to climb up the bed too high for him.

After a few minutes of the boy jumping up and down with little to no success, Glorfindel decided to take pity on him. He turned around within the blink of an eye and lifting little Estel in his arms, held him as he shrieked in shock and delight.

He held him up there as his shock wore out, raising an eyebrow at him in mock disapproval.

"What are you doing out of bed at this hour, young one? You should be sleeping."

The tiny Adan wriggled in his hold until he was lowered down to lie on his chest, peering at him from there.

"It's March 10th."
"I believe you're wrong. I just checked the calendar this morning."
"It's past midnight. It's March 10th now."

He pursed his lips together to keep himself from smiling widely, keeping up his act of ignorance.

"It still does not explain why you are out of bed. Your Ada would not like this at all."

Little Estel rolled his eyes, not allowing him to keep up his act any longer.
"It is your birthday, silly. I'm here to sing you a Happy Birthday."
"How very kind of you, little one! Sing then, for I am excited to hear it. Indeed, it has been too long since anyone had cared to do something like this for me. I am truly blessed to have you here as a frie–"

"You're such an idiot."

Erestor muttered from his place, leaning against the doorframe with a bored gaze.

Estel turned slightly, noticing the other two presence in the room for the first time. The look in Elrond's eyes would have made him shiver much like the young boy, if he were the young ellon he once was.
Hence his mixed feelings about aging.

"Uh-oh."