Fanfic Mysterious Kisser

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

Chapter 1: The Hunter Or The Prey




(Link to the discussion thread)



Tyelkormo was stuck for good, even though it took him a good half an hour to admit it to himself. He felt like crying.

When he had first stepped foot in the woods for the annual competitions his master held, this wasn't how he had pictured things to lead to. Not at all.

Tyelkormo wasn't supposed to lose. He was the best, everyone knew it. He was supposed to hunt the largest game and slay it in the honor of his lord, and get the crown of antlers. The crown of the winner.

And he would have, if it wasn't for this stupid snare!

You're the stupid one, running ahead like a giddy elfling to retrieve your prize, not even sparing a second to make sure there were no traps. Fool of a novice…

His mind supplied unhelpfully and the tension caused by anger left his body, leaving him swaying, hung by the rope as the gentle wind of Manwë grazed the leaves and rocked him slowly. He would have fallen sleep if his foot didn't feel like it was going to fall off or the rush of blood towards his head didn't have him at the verge of getting sick.

All in all, the day was just getting better and better.

The one mercy he had been offered was the blindfold covering his eyes, he mused with irony.

If he didn't have it, the swaying motion of his body would have had him throw up on his own face, embarrassing himself even further. Not being able to look at the upside down world churning around him helped him to keep his nausea at a controllable level, and that was why the fabric covering his eyes was still held fast in its place.

Or maybe, the smallest of hope alive in his heart that he might actually win. Taking off the blindfold meant he had given up, and he would be damned before it. He was no son of his father if he did it.

His head turned towards the game he had shot down even though he could not see it, some of the damage brought to his pride lessening as he remembered just what monster he had brought down. He could swear it was almost three hundred pounds, and a head taller than Maitimo, even. Although his brother would not appreciate him using his tall figure as a measurement for stags.

The disapproving look he'd receive from his mother and the thought of the annoyed expression of Maitimo made him giggle out loud, the fact that he was being hung three feet above the ground and his numb ankle forgotten momentarily.

And it made him miss the approaching presence until it was all but a foot away from him, facing his front.

He gasped and his hand went to his dagger immediately, or where it should have been if he hadn't dropped it when he had tried to cut the ropes.

Who were they? Not a threat, surely. Oromë would keep them safe.

Not a threat to his life, but his chance to win, then.

His heart dropped and his face sobered up. Whichever one of his classmates it was, he knew they'd not be honorable enough to miss on the chance of taking his game for their own. As much skill as Oromë could teach them, most of them seemed to not really understand the point of his lessons. None but a few, and Tyelkormo was proud to say he could be counted as one of them.

His voice was cold when he spoke next, words pouring out of his mouth without a thought as he trembled slightly in anger and frustration.

"Go on, then. Take it and leave. The crown is waiting for the champion."

The stress on the last word made it clear just what he thought about someone else seizing his own hunt.

The stranger remained silent ere he spoke and for a while after it, and Tyelkormo could feel the weight of their gaze. When they did speak, though, he could hear the smile in their tone.

"I'm here for a prey of my own. Those of others do not concern me."

The voice was clearly female, but Tyelkormo could not for the life of him recognize it from any he had heard before.

Yet…yet it was familiar, as if he had known it forever, and it calmed him so as his arms fell on his side once more, no longer in a defensive position.

She had disarmed him in a blink of an eye, and Tyelkormo was fine with it.

Small steps were taken towards him. The huntress was exposed already. She cared not to sneak around. It was pointless.

His voice was calm despite his turbulent thoughts, his heart at peace even though his mind raced restlessly.

"What is that you hunt?"

A wave of hot air hit his face when she leaned down so that they were face to face.

She was too close, for comfort or anything else besides. He had to do something, keep her away, yet his arms felt numb much like his foot caught in the snare and for a moment, it was as if someone else had taken control of his body, ruling it in his stead.

And he did not mind it as he should have.

Small hand cupped his cheek and a thumb grazed his upper lip. It was just then when he realized his mouth was hanging open all that time.

The melodious voice spoke next to his ear, and the single word she uttered sent shivers down his spine.

"You."

And before he could decipher it, his lips were captured in a searing kiss.

His mind blanked and he gasped in what could be weakly considered to be surprise. In Tyelkormo's humble opinion, there wasn't any word in the Quenyan vocabulary suitable to describe what he was feeling at that moment. His father and brother might disagree and then Tyelkormo would argue and point out how neither of them were ever kissed by a strange nís, hanging a few feet above ground after getting caught in a snare.

Absentmindedly, Tyelkormo realized that the other hand of the huntress was cupping the back of his head, likely to stop him from moving away.

She had no reason to fear such. Perhaps his weak attempts of kissing her back wasn't enough to tell her he wasn't going anywhere.

They parted after what felt like hours to breathe, both gasping desperately for air.
Her hand fell from the back of his head, and he missed the warmth of it already.

The hand on his cheek left him also, and he had to stop himself from sighing in disappointment.

What was wrong with him?

Who was it that strung him along like a puppet for her own amusement?

Tyelkormo had to know, even if it meant he would be eliminated from the competition.

He raised a weak arm, meant to snatch away the fabric from his eyes.

An arrow whistle and before he knew it, he was on the ground, groaning at the awkward position he had fallen with.

It took more than a few seconds to compose himself and when he did, he sensed her there still, standing a step behind him. If she felt amused seeing his struggles, she was good at hiding it.

This time, his hand crept up towards his face more slowly, meant to catch her off her guard.

His huntress had yet to be bested though, for before he could even touch the blindfold, a dainty though strong hand circled around his wrist, stopping it midair.

"Don't."

His arm fell, head tilting towards the source of the command not unlike one of his own hounds.

She left him again, standing up.


Small steps were taken from him and not long was it before he could no longer hear the faint sound of her soft boots grazing the ground and like a she-wolf, she fled as silently as she had snuck up on him.


Tyelkormo wondered to himself after willing his numb muscles to move that this was how it felt like to be hunted.

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

Chapter 2: The Ugly Truth






"Go away, Tyelko. I'm busy."
"But–"
"You heard me. I don't have time for your stupid pranks now. Or ever, as a matter of fact."

Tyelkormo sighed but kept following his brother as he went back inside. He had left the door open. If he didn't want him there, he had no shame in slamming the door on his face.

Makalaurë passed by the giant, airy and so clearly Noldorin living room, heading towards his study upstairs, not glancing back once even though his sharp ears could not have missed the soft footsteps of him following.

He reached the door just in time before Makalaurë tried to close it, slipping in faster than blink of an eye, greeting the nasty glares of his brother with a cheeky grin of his own.

Makalaurë sighed and shook his head before shrugging more to himself and moving towards his desk, meaning to get some paperwork done.

Being third in line of an immortal king didn't leave Makalaurë with much to do regarding the kingdom itself, but all of them had to learn how to deal with the matters of their own household, at the least, for whenever they decided to marry and have their own state and servants.

So he only felt a little guilty when he pulled his reluctant brother forcefully to sit on a couch.

They needed to talk.

"Tyelko! By Varda's stars! What do you want?"

"Advice"

This caught Makalaurë who had readied himself for a full-blown nagging session of his guard. He looked at him warily, a strange look in his silver eyes before he finally relaxed and leaned back against the couch.

"Is Nelyo busy hanging out with Findekàno again?"
"No. Actually, I'm not sure but that's not important. Why do you ask?"

Makalaurë gave him a deadpan look as if to say, are you dumb?

"You never seek me out unless you feel like bothering someone. Forgive me for being a little skeptical."
Tyelkormo nodded sagely.
"True. But you never seek me out at all. At least I'm making some effort."
"Please don't."
"But I love you, Laurë. You're my second favorite older brother."

His brother didn't seem to appreciate his stellar humor, because he sighed and began to stand up. Tyelkormo pulled him down hastily by his wrist, and squeezed it gently before letting go.
Makalaurë had gotten the message, because he relaxed once more, although Tyelkormo knew he should thread more carefully if he didn't want to be thrown out of his brother's house.

Makalaurë nodded his head towards and spoke.
"Go on then. I don't have all day. What matters do you need advice about?"
"Níssi."

He was completely ready for this reaction from his brother. After all, why would Tyelkormo, the master flirt, need advice about níssi from Makalaurë, who had married the first girl he ever courted?

He nudged Makalaurë's jaw to clamp shut and waited a bit for him to calm down.

"You…you need advice about níssi from me? Why? You've been courting women from all around Aman even before you could spell the word court."

Tyelkormo's cheek reddened a bit when he thought about the encounter with the strange nís and he coughed to hide his embarrassment. It was going to be hard to tell Makalaurë this without him making fun of him, but he'd rather go through a thousand of Makalaurë's jabbs rather than tolerate worried glances from Maitimo, his eldest brother.

"It's…not about courting. Ah…something happened. I'm not sure what exactly. And I don't know how to approach this one. I need help."

He looked back at his brother, trying to show him all the frustration he had been feeling since the competition day and Makalaurë relented finally, and let him continue.

"So…you know how my master likes to hold competitions, right?"
"...Yes?"

Tyelkormo squirmed on his seat a bit, trying to kill time and find the right words.

"Well…uh…this competition had a few new rules. We had to hunt blindfolded and couldn't take it off until the competition was over, or we'd have been eliminated."

He paused at this, the heat radiating from his cheeks unbearable. How was he going to go through all of it?

Makalaurë who was getting more and more confused the more he talked, gave him an impatient look and he nodded. He should just go through with it rather than torment himself by taking breaks in the middle of it. Like a bandaid, he should just pull it.

"I was doing well, pursuing this really large stag. Eventually, I shot it down. But when I went to retrieve it, I got too excited, and forgot to check my surroundings for traps designed to hinder our path, and I got stuck in a snare."

"What does it have to–"
"I'm getting there, Laurë. Don't interrupt me, please. It's hard to talk about it as it is."

Makalaurë sighed but nodded, and ever so lightly, squeezed his wrist. Tyelkormo smiled in understanding and began his tale anew.

"I tried to free myself, but dropped my only dagger, and was just hanging there for …I think half an hour? I'm not sure. But…uh …it was when she arrived."

Makalaurë nodded once more, this time to encourage him.

"I…I'm not sure but I think I know her? I didn't recognize her voice, but it felt like I had heard it before? I don't know Kano. I…I thought she was another apprentice, coming to take my stag for herself to win the competition…but…but she was just standing there. She told me she cared not for the preys of others. That she had her own.
It sounded weird for some reason and she just kept coming closer. So I asked her what she was trying to hunt and…she said she's there for me."

And Makalaurë began coughing.

Tyelkormo looked up hastily, seeing his brother's cheeks to be red as tomatoes, eyes wide like saucers as he struggled to breathe.

"Kano?
"I'm…I'm all right…just..--cough--needed a moment."
He took a deep breath before smiling at him sheepishly.
"Go on. What happened then?"

And Tyelkormo went on.
"And then she kissed m–"
"She did what?!"
"...k-kiss--"

Makalaurë looked like he had swallowed a lemon and had bitten onto the pits in the process. Tyelkormo didn't know what to take of it.

Suddenly, his brother stood up, dragging him off the couch as well.
"Kano? What's wrong?"

Makalaurë gave him another one of his deadpan looks, but the effect had significantly reduced due to it being accompanied by his sour lemon consumer one.
"To Nelyo. I'm not dealing with this alone."
"Wha–"

But he was cut short as Makalaurë began dragging him out of the room.

So much for avoiding Maitimo's Older Brother™ looks.


_______



Maitimo needed to get to Aranya as soon as possible for a checkup on his ears and if they were working fine, to find a solution to unhear what he had just heard.

“...I beg your pardon?”
Makalaurë blinked back at him before sighing and shoving Tyelkormo forward.
“You do it. I can't…not again.”
And he made a face before making himself comfortable on the couch of Maitimo's study.

Maitimo looked back at Tyelkormo. There was a moment of silence with the two of them staring at each other but then Tyelkormo went to open his mouth, probably to recite what Maitimo was trying his hardest to forget.

Without thinking, he slapped a hand on his brother's mouth before he could even start.
“I didn't mean it literally, Tyelko. Believe me when I say once is enough.”

Tyelkormo just shrugged and kept staring at him with his unnervingly large eyes, and Maitimo had to turn away before he combusted.
“Go…go sit next to Laurë. I need to think for a moment.”
His little brother rolled his eyes with a sigh of annoyance but did not argue with him, thankfully.

Maitimo took his own place behind his desk, exhaling loudly and holding his head in his palms.
He wasn't sure what he could do here, or what they wanted him to do in the first place. According to their little brother, the identity of this…maiden was unknown, and even if they knew who she was, they could not really accuse her of kissing a not so reluctant Tyelkormo forcefully without making fools of themselves.
“What do you want me to do, Tyelko? Are you sure you did not recognize her?”
Tyelkormo looked deep in thought but nodded his head as he spoke.
“I found it familiar, but…I'm not sure how to describe it.”
He exhaled, looking frustrated.
“Do you know the feeling when you are swimming underwater? You hear and see, but not as clearly as you should.”
He frowned before falling silent, perhaps realizing how his words were not making any sense. Maitimo wanted to give him a hug.

His eyes fell on his other brother for a moment, and he almost flinched.
The look in Makalaurë's eyes was thunderous, and his face was even paler than usual.
“Kano? Is something wrong?”

And Makalaurë snapped.

“Of course something is wrong! Can't you see it? Why would Tyelko with his sharp ears and sharper memory not recognize one of his own peers?”
The heated response from Makalaurë had Tyelkormo’s eyes widened, and both him and Maitimo could only stare dumbfoundedly at the musician.
“Why?”
Tyelkormo whispered, looking unsure and confused.

“Enchantments.”
Makalaurë answered, calmer now.
“...Enchantments?”
Tyelkormo mumbled to himself, frowning and throwing him a desperate glance, pleading with him to prove Makalaurë wrong.

Maitimo finally managed to speak.
“How do you know that, Kano?”

Kano's gaze darkened and he closed his eyes before answering.
“I was taught back when I studied in Alqualondë. The Teleri can enchant their voice and the ears of their audience in many ways; from singing in a higher pitch or expanding their vocal range. What happened to Tyelko is one of them, but harder to master than the others.”

He fell quiet then, but Maitimo could perceive this from his mannerisms. He was not done.
“And?”
Makalaurë looked up, and Maitimo could notice something akin to fear deep in his silver eyes.
“During one of my days off, I decided to explore the library of Marilla Arcöa. I don't know why or how, but I somehow stumbled upon these abandoned scrolls on one of the desks. The seals which marked them as forbidden were broken and I…I guess my curiosity got the better of me.
The scrolls…they were reports from back in Middle Earth, all written in Tengwar, so I knew they were recorded here and very recently, but the language itself was primitive Telerin, which I also happened to know because my tutor wanted to teach me some songs he had composed during their time in Beleriand.

The scrolls…they spoke of forced marriages, before Oromë found our kin in Cuiviénen.
Some Telerin níssi and néri…they'd use songs and enchantments to ensnare those whom they desired, but their feelings were not returned. They'd put their victims under their own spell, making them believe they desired their captors just as much. It didn't matter how long the illusions lasted, for it was always late, as they were bound to each other forever.”
Makalaurë took a deep breath, before finishing.
“What if that wretched woman decides to take things further, Maitimo, forcing our baby brother into something he never wished for?”

Maitimo felt his limbs grow cold in shock.
Could this really happen here? Under the watchful gaze of the Valar?

Why would it matter, if she really does plan to do something like this? Tyelko would still get hurt, even if the Valar found out after all is said and done.

Maitimo eyed Tyelkormo, who looked like he had seen a ghost. The barely grown up youth appeared shaken. He understood. Things were becoming much less innocent than a mischievous kiss from an admirer.

Makalaurë seemed to have noticed the same thing, because he did something none of them were expecting.
Tyelkormo was pulled into an embrace by him, his yet lanky but still larger figure comical next to Makalaurë's. Maitimo was uselessly reminded of how the last time he had seen them hug, Tyelkormo was still smaller than Makalaurë.

He could hear them whispering faintly.
“I…I didn't know… I …what do I do?...”
“Shhh…it's okay…nothing is going to happen…”

Maitimo would make sure of that.