Fanfic An Exchange of Gold and Copper

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

For @Glorfindel Goldtress

The House of Finwë was hosting yet another brilliant ball, in which all the nobility of the Noldor and many of the Vanyar were invited to attend. Skilled players of stringed instruments played elegant waltz tunes. The great ballroom sparkled with golden candlelight and colorful ballgowns of swishing silk.

It was all starting to blur into a muddied mess before Maitimo’s eyes and ears, though. He was simply doing his best to stay awake.

“Maitimo! Are you alright?”

Maitimo glanced up, startled, and only noticed a blur of gold before his vision focused on the sight of his cousin Laurefindelë, son of Findis. “Hmm? Yes, I’m fine,” he said, puzzled. “Why do you ask?”

“That was the third time I called you,” Laurefindelë said, his bright blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “I’ve also noticed you haven’t danced or socialized much, when normally you do plenty of both at these functions. So, truly, is everything alright?”

“All is well. Thank you.” Maitimo smiled tiredly and tried to stifle a yawn. “It’s just that I barely got any sleep last night. Moryo needed my help on an essay he was writing for Atar, and that went on well into the night. Tyelko and the twins then pounced on my bed well before the morning mingling, as always. They insisted I come along on their morning hunt, and then my Ammë needed some help hauling stone from the quarry, and now I’m here.”

Laurefindelë nodded, his eyes widening ever so slightly in a mixture of concern and fascination. “That indeed sounds strenuous, cousin,” he said, putting a sympathetic hand on Maitimo’s shoulder. “I can’t help but notice you carry these burdens quite often.”

Maitimo lowered his gaze and tried not to think about it too hard. Especially when he was severely sleep deprived, the sympathy of others moved him a great deal.

“I wish there was something I could do to help,” Laurefindelë said, his golden brows creasing in concentration.

“It’s all right. These burdens are mine alone to carry, and it comforts me to simply know you care,” Maitimo reassured him, smiling.

“Well, if you think of anything I can do, be sure to let me know,” Laurefindelë said. “Perhaps for now I can simply keep your twin brothers occupied before they get into too much trouble.” He nodded towards the Ambarussar, who stood by the punch bowl stable, building a pyramid stack out of the delicate crystal glasses.

Instinctively, Maitimo stood from his chair and bit back a curse, but Laurë (or the “other Laurë” in Maitimo’s life) shook his head calmly, gave Maitimo’s shoulder a gentle downward push, and walked towards the scene. “Ambarussar!” he called out, his voice deep and resonant, carrying across the noisy ballroom.

The twins jumped. “Sorry, Nelyo—” they immediately called out. But as they recognized their golden-haired cousin rather than their redheaded brother, their playful faces turned to bewilderment.

Laurefindelë chuckled slightly. He and Maitimo shared a physical resemblance in every way except their hair, and even then, they both had a head full of bouncing ringlets even if they differed in color. They had the same fine facial features and elegantly arched eyebrows, the same tall and broad-shouldered build, and the same warm and deep voice.

Now that he thought about it, this gave Laurefindelë an idea.

* * *​

A short while later, Maitimo and Laurefindelë stood before the glistening fountain in the center of Finwë’s garden. The water sparkled with golden torchlight and the silver glow of Telperion. “O, Vána!” Laurefindelë cried out. Wherever she was, he knew she would hear, since he had a great friendship with the Valië of youth and spring. “You who adorn the world in flowers of every color, will you aid us now in a worthy cause?”

Maitimo shifted uncomfortably. He still wasn’t sure if he was totally comfortable with this plan. “Is this really a worthy cause, Laurë?” he whispered. “I don’t want us to manipulate a Valië.”

“We’re not,” Laurë said with an assertive nod. “I fully believe it’s a worthy cause to help you get a day of rest. Wouldn’t your lady friend Aranya agree with me?”

Maitimo’s face flushed redder than his hair, and he kept silent.

A moment later, an aroma of rose petals filled the breezy air. A swirl of pink petals formed in the breeze in the shape of a maiden, before it fully materialized into the form of a petite, golden-haired maiden with flowers woven into her hair.

“What can I do to help such fair ones of the Noldor?” she asked with a smile, and a spark in her green eyes.

“I humbly ask you to lend us some color,” Laurë said. “To make my hair appear copper for a brief time, and my cousin’s hair gold.”

Vána tilted her head in curiosity as she regarded them. “Is the purpose of such a request to deceive? That’s hardly what I would consider a noble cause.”

Laurefindelë shook his head. “Nay, lady. I wish my cousin and friend to take my place and have a day of rest, since he is overburdened with his family. And as we discussed this, we both realized neither of our families would be deceived. Even my horse Asfaloth will be quick to realize he has a different rider than usual. This is simply an easy way for us to swap places for a day, since Maitimo’s father wouldn’t readily consent to such a thing.”

One reason why he came to Vána for this request was because he knew she had an affinity for mischief more so than the other Valar. So this was all the convincing she needed to pull out two flowers: a deep red rose and a bright yellow daffodil. First, she took the rose and shook it gently over Laurë’s head. As a glowing pollen fell from it onto Laurë’s hair, it deepened to a dark copper. Maitimo was fascinated and unnerved to see a near-exact image of himself appear before his eyes.

Then, Vána shook the daffodil over Maitimo’s head, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it as he watched his own hair lighten into a bright gold. The color felt overwhelming to him, but then again, he would have to somehow muster up a lot of energy to pretend to be his cousin, too.

Laurefindelë let out a deep sigh, eerily imitating Maitimo. “I suppose I must collect my brothers now and return home. Good night, cousin.”

“May you have swift and pleasant travels home!” Maitimo replied, doing his best to imitate Laurefindelë’s enthusiasm and energy.

The two cousins grinned, shook hands, and departed.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

For my adopted-extrovert friend, @Glorfindel Goldtress

Laurë stayed quiet and out of the others’ way as he accompanied the Fëanorians home. As hard as it was to stifle his bubbling extrovertedness, he figured it would be best if he could make it home this first night without any questions from Nerdanel and Fëanáro specifically. Out of all the parties involved, they would be the most resistant to this scheme—hence the secrecy in the first place.

At first he was nervous somebody would start asking him too many questions. But he repeatedly rubbed his eyes and yawned, and made no conversation with anyone, and they all seemed distracted enough not to notice his presence much at all, let alone that there was anything different about it.

Telperion’s light was waxing by the time they left the ball, which meant the morning mingling was only a few hours off. Laurë recalled Maitimo telling him about how Tyelko and the twins jumped on his bed every morning before Laurelin’s first light, and his heart ached with pity for his cousin. No wonder he was exhausted all the time!

Funny… that gave him an idea!

Laurë grinned to himself and hoped none of the Fëanorians saw. This shiny new idea might risk revealing the secret a little too soon, but perhaps it was just the thing to teach Maitimo’s brothers some manners.

* * *​

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! Thankfully, his growing experience in court politics had taught him how to charm just about anyone with a warm smile and thoughtful conversation. All those he conversed with who didn’t know Laurefindelë well, didn’t seem to suspect a thing.

Laurë’s parents, though… Maitimo was a bit more worried about that.

Just thinking about the idea of trying to deceive Findis and her husband Fanyareno gave Maitimo such great anxiety that he resolved early on to come clean with the secret immediately. As soon as he found them at the end of the ball, leaving the ballroom and looking around for Laurë, 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. Both the parents had such an innocent and confused gaze that it filled Maitimo’s heart with guilt.

“What is the meaning of this?” Findis exclaimed. “You look just like my son. I don’t understand.”

Maitimo hurried on to explain the idea Laurë had proposed, and how Vána had helped them with the disguise.

“We only did this because your son is so kind and wished to alleviate me of my burdens with my family just for a day,” he concluded. “Between my family and my studies and my position on the City Council of Tirion, I’m always kept up late into Telperion’s hours and awoken before the morning mingling. There is no ill intent behind this plot at all, and I didn’t wish to deceive you. But this is the only way I can find some relief from my obligations for a short while.”

He carefully watched the expressions on their faces, and to his relief, they turned from shock and confusion to understanding and sympathy.

“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.

“And I grieve that you feel you have to go through such lengths just to get some needed rest,” Findis added, putting an arm around Maitimo’s shoulders. “Would your parents not meet you with understanding?”

Maitimo shook his head and blinked back tears. Nerdanel probably would have understood him just fine, but she was overburdened herself, and her first loyalty was to the will of Fëanáro. And Maitimo didn’t feel like explaining all that.

“Well, come. Asfaloth will bear you to our home swiftly and gently,” Fanyareno said with a warm smile. “And you may stay and rest as long as you need.”

* * *​

Laurë decided not to go to bed at all that night. It was only a few hours until the time came for his plan, anyway.

He bade the brothers good-night and closed Maitimo’s door, though he was careful not to lock it, since Maitimo spoke of how he never felt right in his conscience about locking his door. And he listened carefully, waiting for silence.

The twins chattered for almost an hour after that, but everyone else seemed to go quiet fairly quickly. As Laurë waited for them to finally go to sleep, he wandered around Maitimo’s room with curiosity and fascination. The place was a bit of a disaster, with open books and scattered parchments and half-drunk cups of tea everywhere. Laurë debated whether he should offer his cousin a helping hand. On one hand, the mess was clearly a result of Maitimo’s overwork, and he certainly would have preferred a calmer and cleaner environment to be in. But on the other hand, having his things moved might cause him even more stress when he returned.

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.

Before long, Telperion started to fade, and Laurë knew the morning mingling was about to happen. The house was dead silent. Perfect!

He tiptoed down the hallway until he came to what he vaguely remembered to be Tyelko’s room. Based on the smells of fur and leather wafting from the door, Laurë figured his memory was correct.

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.

Fascinating! Laurë thought.

Trying not to burst out in laughter, he crept closer to the bed… and then pounced on it.

“Good morning, Tyelko!” he sang, bouncing up and down. “Time to wake up!”

Tyelko yelped and fell to the floor with a thud.

“What in all Arda, Nelyo!” he exclaimed, climbing back to his feet and rubbing his reddened eyes.

“I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss your morning hunt,” Laurë said with an innocent smile.

“That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard,” Tyelko snapped, grabbing a pillow and throwing it in Laurë’s direction. It hit him square in the chest, but Laurë caught it gracefully in his arms upon the impact.

Tyelko tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Something’s not right. You’re never so energetic or coordinated in the morning. It’s why you’re useless in my morning hunts. What has gotten into you? If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think you got possessed by our cousin Laurë.”

“What if I told you you’re not terribly far off from the truth?”

Tyelko raised his pale brows, and Laurë went on to explain the story of his agreement with Maitimo and how Vána made it happen.

As he concluded the tale, Tyelko took another pillow and gave Laurë a firm whack to the face with it. Laurë uttered a muffled cry.

“That’s for waking me up the way you did,” Tyelko snapped.

“You do that to Maitimo every morning. And since he is, in your words, ‘useless in morning hunts,’ the entire exercise seems a bit counterproductive to me.”

A sudden change of mood took over Tyelko’s face: the anger and indignation faded to a sullen pout, but there was also some hurt in his eyes.

“Nelyo wanted to get away from us so badly that he sent you to come here and bother us instead, huh?”

Now Laurë felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. Had he done something wrong after all?

“You’re not the reason why Maitimo needed a break,” he tried to reassure his cousin. “He loves you, all of you, very much. The problem is, he knows you all need him and he feels too guilty to ask for breaks. And he doesn’t feel your Atar will give him permission to stop or slow down. I promise he will return and he and I will resume our normal places very soon, but everyone needs a break from such bustling activity sometimes. It’s not because he wanted to get away from you, Tyelko.”

Tyelko’s pout remained and he folded his arms, but his expression softened just a little. “But why did he send you here, then? He could have just left and gone somewhere else if he wanted. Why does he think it’s good enough just to send someone else who looks and talks like him? We’re not stupid! We’d have all figured out you aren’t him at some point.”

“We realized that. The purpose of this agreement was more to maintain the appearance of your household running smoothly so your parents would not be suspicious, since they would not have agreed to Maitimo leaving for a day or two.”

Tyelko shrugged and didn’t respond. Laurë took that to mean he had no further argument.

“Now,” Laurë said, standing up, “if you’ll excuse me, I have someone else to wake up! Two little twins, specifically.”

A mischievous grin lit Tyelko’s face. “I think I’d like to help with that!”

* * *​

Maitimo barely even remembered arriving at Laurë’s home and crashing in his bed. By the time he had any sort of consciousness, Laurelin’s light was beaming in at full strength: it was high noon.

Maitimo sat up and stared into Laurë’s mirror: a magnificent piece spanning from the floor to the ceiling, framed in ornate gold filigree. 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.

Now, it was almost time for Aranya to take her midday meal. Should I see her when I look like this? he wondered, making a vain attempt to smooth out his disheveled locks.

If it were just about him, he would have decided against it, but then he remembered Asfaloth. Aranya would absolutely adore him, and she might not get another chance to meet him.

After hurrying to get dressed and make his hair look somewhat presentable, he went down to the pastures, where Asfaloth pranced around in a sprawling green pasture.

“Asfaloth!” he cried out. He surprised himself with how much his voice sounded like Laurë’s in that moment. “Thank you for accepting me for now even though I am not your usual rider. Will you bear me one more time to a special place in the woods?”

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.

They reached the spot in no time at all, and 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.”

She stared at him in bewilderment, much like Laurë’s parents had. “What in all Arda did you do to your hair?”

“You don’t like it?” Maitimo feigned offense. Perhaps it was a little mean, but he couldn’t resist teasing her a little.

“It’s alright.” Aranya folded her arms and scowled. “But I like your real color much, much better.”

“Well, don’t worry, it’s not permanent. It will only last for a day or so.”

And he told her the story, feeling as though he couldn’t tell it fast enough for the sake of clearing up the misunderstanding. “I wasn’t sure if I should come at all because I knew it would be startling and confusing. But I also thought, since I have Asfaloth for a day, you deserve to meet him too.”

He gestured to Asfaloth, and Aranya’s dark brown eyes widened as she seemed to notice him for the first time.

“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.”

Maitimo chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Would you like to go for a ride?”

Her face lit up, and she glanced up at him in disbelief. “Can I, really?”

“Of course! Though I will warn you, he is very fast, so perhaps I ought to ride with you.”

“Well, if you insist. As long as you ride behind me, though, so I don’t have to look at your hair.”

“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.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” Maitimo mounted behind Aranya and wrapped his arms around her waist, and together they laughed as Asfaloth took off, swift as the wind.

* * *​

Laurë was beginning to regret his decision not to sleep at all that night.

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.

He caught himself starting to fall asleep at the supper table, and was promptly awakened with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

Makalaurë—the other Laurë—looked pointedly at him. “You’re just asking to have the twins draw something on your face using sauce,” he whispered.

Laurefindelë smiled gratefully. 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.

For perhaps the thousandth time that day, he pitied Maitimo and wondered how he managed to function as well as he did.

* * *​

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 (which were getting matted already, despite his best efforts).

Interestingly, Laurelin was already shining and no little brothers had woken him up, so Laurë hoped his lesson had stuck and Maitimo might have some more peaceful mornings from now on.

He doubted the brothers would appreciate a sentimental goodbye, so he headed out to the stables to fetch Morirámo so he could return him to Maitimo, and they would resume their rightful places.

To his great surprise, Tyelko, who was riding Huan and carrying a colorful pheasant over his shoulders, turned and rode towards him as he started to leave.

“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!

“I think you’ll find Maitimo in a very pleasant mood once he returns,” Laurë said with a wink. “Until tomorrow, then!”

With that, he urged Morirámo to a canter, and rode away.

It took him a much longer time to return home than he was used to. He had to keep reminding himself that Morirámo did not quite possess the same capacity as Asfaloth, and so not to tax him too much.

And Maitimo was only grateful he had managed to wake up in time to get dressed respectably and put Laurë’s room back the way he had found it before Laurë returned. He was even more grateful to see glints of copper returning to his hair.

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!

“Are you glad to get back to your peace and quiet?” Maitimo asked.

“What are you talking about? Your brothers were no trouble at all!”

Maitimo folded his arms and raised his eyebrows, and then Laurë broke character and grinned sheepishly. “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.”

Maitimo burst out in laughter, and Laurë couldn’t help but join in.

“In seriousness, thank you for doing this for me, my friend,” Maitimo said. “I very much enjoyed the company of Asfaloth, and the opportunity to rest uninterrupted. I needed this more than I realized, I think.”

“It was the least I could do. And, though they are little rascals, I truly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know your brothers better. If you ever have need of my services again, don’t hesitate to call on me.”

The two cousins shook hands one more time, and at that moment, they realized something.

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.

They grinned, bowed to each other, and parted ways.