THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL! I am gleefully giddy over every second of it and was grinning the whole time! I loved it so much and
laughed so much throughout, hence why I ended up reacting with haha at the end.
I had so many thoughts here and there! (and made so many noises!!)
As hard as it was to stifle his bubbling extrovertedness...
Yep, that is so real. Particularly during sleepovers with cousins in the wee hours...! Which is pretty much into what
Glorfindel's headed!
Funny... this gave him a... shiny new idea
Ideas are very shiny. I would know.
Maitimo only hoped there was enough bounce in his step as he socialized with the guests at the ball. How exhausting it already was to pretend to be Laurë even just for an hour!
I could not stop laughing at this for some reason with Maitimo struggling to do the precise opposite.
Maitimo rushed up to them.
“This is outlandish, and I apologize,” he blurted. “But I am not
Laurefindelë. I am his cousin
Nelyafinwë Maitimo.”
They both stared at him incredulously.
Okay, this also cracked me up. It's so
precious he's so concerned, but I'm just picturing the parents' faces and dying over here.
"You look just like my son. I don’t understand.”
This also cracked me up because Findis is telling us if Glorfindel and
Maedhros were to Parent Trap them, it would go off without a hitch.
“If you had not told us this, I suppose I would have noticed how weary you look,” Fanyareno said. Though he was a dark-haired Noldo, Laurë clearly inherited his bright blue eyes from him. “I’d wonder what in all
Arda Laurë had been up to, to drain him so when he came here as bright and invigorated as ever.”
All three of them chuckled at the idea of Laurë behaving so wildly over the course of this one short evening that he somehow managed to deplete his vast reserves of energy.
Laughing here again. Both for the reason you're expecting but also because I think it is hilarious when
Elves say some version of "what on Arda", perhaps because I also say it. (And I wondered if perhaps you were making a reference to my frequent usage of such because it happens several times in the story. 😂 )
Laurë decided on somewhat of a compromise between the two: he didn’t touch any of the open
books, and he did nothing to the parchments except stack them into a pile and place them on the great desk. And he dumped out the teacups and put them in a stack so a servant could collect them to be washed the next morning.
Glorfy is so sweet and sensitive to Maitimo's tendencies. 🥺
Cracking open the door, he found Tyelko sprawled on his bed—lying on his stomach on top of the blankets, with one leg bent and resting on top of a pillow, one arm hanging off the bed, and his face on the very edge of the mattress.
That killed me. But also the absolute Tyelko-i-est sleeping position ever. Explains why he wakes up so easily.
Trying not to burst out in laughter, he crept closer to the bed… and then pounced on it.
Glorfindel succeeds where I would have failed because I would not have been able to hold it. 😂 I'm not even in the room, and I'm laughing. Then again, I'm not
the one who has to try, but I know the feeling all too well.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think you got possessed by our cousin Laurë.”
😂😂😂🧐🧐🧐
And he nearly jumped out of the bed when he saw his own reflection: a wild lion’s mane of messy golden curls, absolutely wrecked from a night (and half a day) of heavy sleeping.
At first he felt a twinge of guilt for ruining Laurë’s hair, but then he remembered it was his own hair, just a different color.
Laughing again now at Maitimo as I realized here I was still picturing the pair with their original hair colors sometimes and not noticing. I guess I see they'd really be able to fool everyone then!
Should I see her when I look like this? he wondered, making a vain attempt to smooth out his disheveled locks.
Oop. I was thinking what on Arda will Aranya be thinking if Maitimo-Glorfindel shows up? 🫨
Asfaloth was nearly impossible to look at in his blinding white coat, glimmering with the reflected light of Laurelin. But he paused and listened as Maitimo spoke, and lowered his head as though in respect.
The
horse needed no saddle or bridle, so Maitimo climbed up on him bareback, and he shot off into the woods like a loosed
arrow.
Maitimo had never ridden a horse this fast, yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit afraid as the
trees rushed past him and the wind whipped his hair back. Asfaloth’s gait was so smooth, it seemed more like he was flying than running. Maitimo couldn’t help laughing with delight.
I love your depiction of Asfaloth so much! It's extremely accurate to the books. (I love how he doesn't wear a saddle or bridle here as he has no need for such in
Valinor!)
Maitimo couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed when Aranya spotted him, and her face paled in shock. She dropped the apple she was eating, though thankfully it landed in her lap and not the water.
“Don’t be afraid, Aranya,” he called out to her, dismounting but keeping a distance away from her. “I know this is hard to believe, but it’s me, Maitimo.”
AwK. WaRd. Great way to introduce yourself while looking like a golden doppelganger! I did wonder how you were going to handle it.👀
She stared at him in bewilderment, much like Laurë’s parents had.
... “I like your real color much, much better.”
I admit I was relieved Aranya was not attracted to Maitimo-Glorfindel. That would be doubly AwKwArD.
“Oh, yes… you made the right choice.” Aranya slowly approached the stallion and held out her hand to him, and he placed his muzzle gently into the palm of her hand. “This handsome boy certainly makes the sight of Blond Maitimo tolerable.”
I love the trope when the person in question appreciates the horse more than the rider.😂😂😂
“I didn’t realize you hated Laurefindelë’s hair so much,” Maitimo commented as he lifted Aranya by the waist and carefully placed her on Asfaloth’s back.
“I don’t. I just hate when you in particular have any color that is not your own beautiful copper.”
It's also awkward when you might be picturing someone who isn't your love in front of you because of that hair. *
Coughs* But I am also very glad to know Aranya appreciates Glorfindel's hair where it belongs.
Asfaloth took off, swift as the wind.
Again, your depiction of Asfaloth is spot-on! I do wonder if you consulted LOTR because he is literally described like this.
So far, he had gone hunting with Tyelko and the twins, helped test Curvo’s latest Impossible Puzzle (which was aptly named), proofread Moryo’s essay again even though it didn’t really need proofreading, and gone out to feed
Huan. Laurë suspected the latter task was a further instance of revenge on Tyelko’s part. Apparently Huan in his eagerness to get fed would tackle the person and slobber all over their face, and Tyelko doubled over in laughter when he saw Laurë return with his face dripping with dog drool.
I absolutely LOVE this. I was cackling. Also,
Curufin creating Impossible Puzzles is a perfect hobby for him. But HUAN! Why?!
Makalaurë was the only one who had figured out his real identity without any explanation, and he seemed rather unamused with the whole thing, so Laurefindelë was a bit surprised he cared enough to warn him this way
I bet
Maglor was a little put out his favorite brother didn't let him in on the plan, hence his unamused demeanor, but he still has a heart! We love our watchful Maggy.
The next morning, the spell of
Vána was beginning to fade. When Laurë woke up, he noticed some gold highlights beginning to appear in his auburn curls
This is giving a very mild version of Polyjuice Potion, LOL.
“Timo’s coming back soon, right?” Tyelko asked. “I’m glad, but… at the same time, you’re better at morning hunts than he is.”
Laurë laughed heartily and clapped Tyelko on the shoulder. “Well, I am often awake at these early hours and would be happy to take Maitimo’s place in one of your morning hunts again, if you find my presence tolerable.”
“Hmm… I think you’re just barely tolerable enough. If you really want to, you can come tomorrow. Watch out, though: one wrong move and you’ll quickly become intolerable to me again, and then you’ll be uninvited from my hunts forever.”
Laurë nodded seriously, trying not to smirk. This was as high a compliment as anyone could get from the Hasty-Riser!
Yesss! I just love the wholesome Glorfindel-Tyelko dynamic. They're just hilarious and precious in their way. I am honored to have
risen (*
coughs*) to the occasion for our morning hunts.
(And you're making me want for my Madhelko back even more! 🥺)
And though Laurë was in his usual high
spirits when he returned, Maitimo tried not to laugh when he noticed the faint dark circles around his eyes. So it wasn’t just Maitimo: the sort of life he lived was exhausting to anyone, even Laurefindelë with his abundant energy and undying optimism!
The mental picture of sleep-deprived yet peppy Glorfindel is adorable.🥺
“I must admit, though, I am glad to return to a place where I won’t bathe in dog drool or be in danger of my face being a canvas for
food art during supper.”
😂😂😂...Valid.
The spell had faded about halfway for both of them, so their hair was half copper and half gold in each case. They looked absolutely indistinguishable from each other.
“I have a twin!” they both said out loud, in the exact same tone of voice.
I both loved and cackled at this literally beautiful moment. TWIN MATERIAL!
They grinned, bowed to each other, and parted ways.
😄You ended it almost identically to last time's.🥺🥺🥺
one reason why I picked that was because of that one art of Glorfindel playing the trust-fall game with the eagle!
I love that you remembered I shared this!!! 🥺🥺🥺 That is an excellent reference.
I also had fun playing with the subtle differences in Maitimo and Glorfindel's personalities, since they're so alike on the surface but have some important core differences
Indeed, and I love my two favorite Elves and their differences very dearly. This fanfic is a lovely representation of it all.
Thank you, mellon vuin, for your absolutely delightful gift to me. I am overjoyed to have another
Tolkien twin. *
Coughs*
(Also it's fun seeing how many twin things we have collectively come up with-- Fingon-Glorfindel, Aredhel-Maedhros, Fingon-Curufin, and Glorfindel-Maedhros! Who knows what might come about next? 👀)
