RP 🎲 O Fëanoriel Runyaril ar i Vérë o i Silmarilli (Of Fëanoriel and the Oath of the 💎Silmarils)

[Áramandë Amaniel]

I manage to retrace my steps in some way, and I finally see the figures of Maitimo and Findekáno. I give them both an embrace, being careful not to hurt them in any way. I then turn to Maitimo, and speak:

"Forgive me, Maitimo, for what I had done earlier...it was not right..."

Yet words seem to fail me, and my tears are what fall first.

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Findekano sighs, listening attentively to all that Maitimo says. "I don't wish for you to relive it either, brother." He says softly. "It's painful no doubt, and I'm really sorry for forcing you to speak about it." He pauses. "Forgive me once more, but how long ago were you injured?" He says. "How long has it been and are you recovered now?"

His mind shifts back to some sort of confrontation, Nerdanel, he could vividly remember her attacking him, trying to bind him away and force him into chains. He doesn't want to ask if Maitimo does not wish to tell, but since he is Maitimo's cousin, he doesn't know why she would treat him so roughly. He finally questions, "Why did your mother come after me?" He pauses. "I do not mean to intrude. I am simply too lost to remember it all, and I should desire to know if I am in danger, for my father and mother shall not take well to that."

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Maitimo embraces Ancalirë in return-- to the best of his ability, only having use of his left arm-- and speaks kindly and gently to her. "It's all right; all is forgiven. You did not actually hurt Mother, so there was no wrongdoing. I was just worried about you."

He glances back towards the direction in which they came, towards the light, with some sorrow. He hates to have to return back there and leave Findekano... no, he can't leave Findekano like this, not without some sort of reassurance that he will make it back to his own House safely.

"We should return now," he says, but he walks back slowly, not at all in a great hurry.

And he tries to answer Findekano's questions. "It was about two days ago, perhaps slightly less, I think... I am not recovered, no. The Valar have strengthened me somehow."

And he hesitates to answer the second question, which is even more painful in Maitimo's mind, and indeed was one of the things which had caused him to almost fade earlier (a detail which he certainly isn't anxious to remind Findekano of). At first, he considers refusing to answer it, but then he realizes Findekano's point that he is in danger, and at least deserves to know why.

With a deep breath, he says, "My mother is convinced that you somehow orchestrated the attempt of my brothers to kill me. It's nonsense, of course, surely some sort of a lie from the brothers. This is why you must not come with us to the House of Fëanor under any circumstance. Both my parents think you have betrayed me, which I know you have not... but alas, Mother must have discovered you as you were following us, and that is how the fight started."

His posture sags and he stumbles a little as they walk, the sadness and grief of the situation sapping his strength somewhat.

 

[Áramandë Amaniel]

I hold Maitimo a little as we walk, steadying him and speaking:

"Fear not. For the Valar have e'er aided us, and...."

I stop short, remembering how hurtful my previous words were - and I continue:

"....I am sure they shall e'er do so. Hold Hope, Maitimo."

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Fingon sighs.

"I'm sorry you were hurt..."

But as he hears Maitimo's words about Nerdanel believing that he was at fault, a new thought enters his mind. Was he? Was Maitimo hiding it from him? He couldn't remember. Maitimo had seemed a bit cold, a bit off, prior. It could be stress and pain alone. No doubt, this all would be hard on anyone, and it didn't strike him as odd for Maitimo to have some internal anguish. But all the same, would Maitimo even tell Fingon if it was truly his fault? Would he just conceal it? Would he let it out?

"I orchestrated it?"

He tries to give a little support to Maitimo, but quickly realizes his own strength is failing. "I should go." He says, looking deeply at Maitimo. "You said you're going home, and you need that. You definitely need that." He clutches the part of his head that been injured, and walks on. "I will be fine. If I don't manage it, Aredhel will come looking for me. And she'll find me no doubt."

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Do I need that, though? Maitimo thinks to himself. He never wanted to return to the House of Fëanor; he had only wanted to stay in the House of Nolofinwë, and quite possibly have nothing to do with the Fëanorians ever again. But that isn't a realistic desire, and he is obligated to return home, as Findekano now is.

"Are you sure?" he asks him anxiously. "Are you sure you can make such a perilous journey on your own?"

But a voice responds in his mind, speaking not only to him, but also to Ancalirë and Findekano: Fear not, for we will guide his path and make it safe, and he will return swiftly and safely home, as will you.

It's one of the Valar, surely, but Maitimo can't tell which one. Still, he manages to relax a little, trusting these words.

They come back to the campsite, where the divine light has faded, and Nerdanel and Maglor and Amrod are packing up the campsite, and calling out for Maitimo and Ancalirë. In addition to this, Findekano's horse awaits in the shadows, where he will not be seen riding off.

Maitimo doesn't respond to Nerdanel right away, and glances sadly at Findekano, before embracing him to the best of his ability. "Be safe, brother... I will miss you terribly, but it's for the best that we are parted for a time. Send word to me when you arrive home, won't you?"

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Fingon returns his embrace gratefully. "You do the same. And yes, I shall send word as soon as I arrive..." He looks down at his wrists and thinks of how he no doubt will appear as he returns home. "Sadly, I'll have no way of hiding all this." He says softly."Farewell to you also, Ancalire. I should hope we shall all see one another again, some day." He steps aside, trying to smile. "Namarie, brother. Go to goodness."

Nerdanel turns and continues to call out "Maitimo!" She calls. "Feanorie!"

This entire experience with the light has been strange for her, and somehow although it seemed to her that she was in a subconscious state, she feels as though she has been led to goodness, bathed in light, and the feeling is so perplexing that she barely understands it in the slightest. All the same, her mind has one motive now. The same motive that has led her this whole way. Find her son, and return to their home. With journeys as perilous as this, she just desires to see her husband once more.

 

[Áramandë Amaniel]

I bid farewell to Findekáno before I return to Nerdanel, yet I remain silent.

There are simply too many things. Too many, that I would rather conceal within myself.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

"Namarië, brother," Maitimo replies, smiling and trying to fight back tears. At least Findekano has a functional, safe home to return to, even if his father will be angry about what happened. That anger will be borne of love and restrained with compassion, unlike Fëanor, who lets his temper loose like a spark igniting a forest devastated by drought.

As Findekano rides off, Maitimo turns towards Nerdanel and steps into the light, responding, "We are here, Mother, and ready to finish the journey home. Are you all right?"

He doesn't think she was hurt in the scuffle or by the light of the Valar, but he needs to make sure.

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Nerdanel gasps at the sight of Maitimo and rushes forward to him, throwing her arms around him.

"Yes, I am alright now." She says. "Now that you are back." She pauses. "Where have you been, my love? I was worried. You simply cannot run off like that again. We were all concerned."

"How are you?" She finally says, addressing his shoulder.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Maitimo returns Nerdanel's embrace to the best of his ability. "We were confused by the light and went off in the wrong direction," he says, knowing that this is sort of a lie, but it is necessary to protect Findekano. "I'm all right enough. But the sooner we can get home, the better."

As was his opinion from the very beginning, he just wants this journey to be over with, even though he dreads returning to the House of Fëanor.

~~

Both Nerdanel and her children, and Findekano, journey on in their separate ways, each towards their own House, and neither of them encounter danger along the way. For the Valar have cleared both their paths of any danger, and given them all the strength to go on.

However, Nerdanel is about to learn the error of her ways in more sense than one, and Findekano will face consequences from his sudden departure as well.

Maitimo managed to hold up for most of the journey home, with more strength than what he thought possible. But as the hours wore on, his fatigue grew so great that it eventually outmatched the strength given him from the Valar. Eventually his muscles all began to ache again, and chills overtook him despite the warmth of the day. And all the movement from the journey caused strain on the wound, which was not fully healed, and it begins to bleed a little.

By the time they reach the gates of the House of Fëanor, this pain and weariness, combined with his unease at being brought back to this place which he now associates with horrible betrayal, grows too much for him, and he falls completely unconscious.

~~

Aredhel did not sleep well during the night. Something bothered her deep down inside-- she was worried for her brother, and anguished by having to essentially lie to her father and tell him she did not know where Findekano was. Now he is out searching the nearby woods, and she is tense, feeling almost sick with dread. Those bloodthirsty Fëanorians want him dead; why did she ever let him out of her sight? This quest to help Maitimo is noble, but she doesn't feel it's worth her brother's life.

She finds herself wandering around near the gates, perhaps subconsciously waiting for some sort of word from him. Then, finally, she spots a figure riding a horse towards the gate. Running up to see better, she can clearly see it is Findekano.

She's immensely relieved, but also frightened. Something terrible must have happened to cause him to turn back from his mission, when he would follow Maitimo to the grave.

As he rides up, she can see with alarm that he was hurt. Blood streaks his face and hair, and she gasps to see it. "Brother, what happened? Are you all right?"

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Nerdanel worries for her son, especially since he has worsened, and immediately upon their arrival the House of Feanor, she calls for healers to bade Maitimo to his room and see that he is taken care of and kept safe.

"I will come see you soon, my love." She mutters to him, slinging a satchel over her shoulder and watching as the healers come to take Maitimo away, to a place where he can rest. "You can go with him, Feanorie. And any of you who desire to." She says softly, gazing at them, simply gladdened to have finally arrived back, and to now be home. Her mind is of course set on seeing Feanor, and more than anything, she wants to speak with him.

She walks inside the House, quiet, seemingly empty, and casts her bags down on the floor by the entrance. "My love!" She calls out. "Feanaro!"

~~

Findekano's heart skips a beat as he sees his sister in the distance and he quickly dismounts his horse and rushes towards her with what strength he still has. "Aredhel!" He exclaims. Enough of his memory has come back to remember names, in fact, much of his memory has returned, and while he struggles with what has happened to Maitimo, he is thankful to be home once more.

"I'm fine." He says softly, throwing his arms around his sister, and lifting her up in the air, despite his exhaustion. He had prayed and hoped more than anything that it wouldn't be the last time he could hold her, and thankfully, by grace, he was able to return, and now he would not so lightly cast aside the chance to embrace her. "How are you? How is all at home?"

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

As soon as Fëanor heard that his wife had returned, he was shocked by it-- so soon? Was Nelyo really ready for that? It had barely been two days since they almost lost him, and when Fëanor had departed the House of Nolofinwë, Nelyo had still seemed very frail and in great pain.

Regardless, he is filled with relief and joy to see his wife, and encountering her in the hall, he picks her up and spins her around, and kisses her. "Nerdanel, my love... how are you? And how is Nelyo?"

~~

Aredhel embraces Findekano tightly, her eyes welling up with tears in her relief at seeing him all right. Though his wound worries her, at least he seems lucid and mostly like himself. Still, she will insist he sees the healers soon.

"I'm all right, I was just worried," she replies. "But alas... not all is well here. Father was distraught when you left, and I could not tell him where you were, and the guilt of it has consumed me... he knows, I think, that I was hiding something... Anyway, he is out looking for you right now."

She summons one of the guards to ride out and look for their father, and tell him that Findekano has returned.

"Come, we must take you to a healer," she says, taking his hand.

 

[Áramandë Amaniel]

I follow Maitimo to where he is taken, and when he is at last bade to rest, I come beside him, holding his hand softly.

"It's been a long day. You should get some rest. I will stay beside you for as long as you want."

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Nerdanel gratefully welcomes the interaction with her husband. It has been so long, too long, since she has seen him, and she does not wish to be parted from him now that they are together once more. It saddens her heart that Maitimo is not doing well, but all the same, they are at last home, and things shall all now be at peace.

She sighs. "Well, things with Nelyo aren't exactly good..." She says sadly. "It took a great toll on his health for him to journey all the way out here, and his shoulder has become very painful, it seems." She pauses, gazing out. "He passed out shortly after we arrived here, and I sent him with healers to his room."

She pauses, suddenly feeling the need to explain why they left. "A lot happened while you weren't there..." She begins. "We had to leave, of course. Surely, I didn't want to."

~~

Findekano stops short. "Wait- father went out?" If he understood that right, he has caused even more angst than he had suspected. Father rarely rode out, and for Fingolfin to go out on a search seemed incredibly odd. All the same, Nolofinwe loved his children, and would have attached even greater care to Findekano, given his role as heir.

"You mean to tell me that father, Nolofinwe, he left?" He probes once more, trying to get a clarifying response.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Fëanor's face darkens with concern, hearing this. Both out of concern for Nelyo, and at whatever thing had happened that Nerdanel would judge it better to risk taking him home so quickly.

"What happened?" he asks, walking towards Nelyo's room, anxious to see him. "I had hoped not to make him travel so soon, and you had shared my hopes, so it must surely be something serious."

But thinking of the House of Nolofinwë causes him to remember his questioning of the brothers, and he stops in his tracks.

"My dear, before you tell me, there is something I must also tell you," he says gravely. "Findekano was innocent. The four convinced Maglor, somehow, to plant a bottle of poison in his room, to make it look like he did it."

~~

Aredhel nods tearfully. "He hasn't gone far, surely... he only meant to thoroughly search our lands, to see if you were in the nearby woods. But once he discovered you were missing, he was greatly distressed."

~~

Maitimo revives not long after being taken to his chambers. It feels very strange awakening there, gazing up at his familiar ceiling and neatly organized bookshelves, and a half-finished paper sitting on the desk... at first, he feels that it is just a normal day, and nothing bad has happened. But the resurfacing pain quickly informs him otherwise.

No, this is not a normal day, far from it... and the last time he was here, it was after the brothers first attacked him, and Fëanor was dragging him to the dungeons, and he has a momentary surge of panic.

But seeing Ancalirë, he relaxes a little, and tries to smile at her. "Please stay," he says, giving her hand a light squeeze.

In the background, Amrod seems to be chattering with the healers, who seem somewhat irritated as they try to do their job but also answer Amrod's questions about how they have to re-stitch Maitimo's wound.

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Nerdanel walks with Feanor, taking his hand, and almost speaks, intending to express to him the difficulties and perils they faced at the House of Nolofinwe, and how she caught Fingon 'snooping' around her son's room. But she stops dead in her tracks as he tells of Findekano. Innocent? No. It couldn't be. It couldn't. She must have heard that wrong. Findekano had orchestrated everything, poisoned her son, he was the reason for it all.

What did you say?" She asks, taken aback. "Innocent?" She turns, looking deeply at Feanor. "Surely I must have heard you wrong, or you must be joking, I-"

Her face goes pale with concern. If Fingon is innocent, now what? Her thoughts drift back to her various interactions with him, she thinks of the words she had said, but another thought now pierces her mind.

She left him. She tied him up and left him. He could be dead by now.

She lays her hands on Feanor's shoulders, looking deeply into the wells of his eyes. "What did you say?"

~~

Findekano feels a pang of guilt hearing the words of his sisters. "Yes, I'm sure he did... I left a letter..." He says softly. "I just, I couldn't tell him, and I'm sorry to you, and to him, and..." He stops. He has clearly created a lot of conflict by his absence, and as much as he wants to be greeted with arms open wide, he knows he as caused them pain. He knows he must apologize.

~~

Amrod looks to the healers. "And so, what medicines, or things have helped him in the past?" He ponders. "Surely you must keep records, right?"

Maglor gives an incredulous look at Amrod and sits beside Maitimo. "You alright, Nelyo?" He asks.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Fëanor immediately reads Nerdanel's distress, and he nods gravely. "Findekano is innocent," he repeats. "At least, it's the most plausible thing to believe, now that the boys have admitted that they used Maglor to frame him. The whole reason we suspected Findekano was because of that poison in his chambers, so now that we have an explanation for it, there is no longer any reason to believe that Findekano would do this."

He is concerned by her reaction, though, and questions, "You look greatly distraught; why is this? What has happened?"

~~

Aredhel nods. "The tone of the letter was so serious, and he worried greatly for you, and I could not console him. But I have sent word out to him, so he will hopefully return soon. Now, though, you really must see a healer. You look like you were gravely hurt."

She takes his hand and leads him inside, wondering what had happened that both wounded him and caused him to turn away from his quest.

~~

"We have no records, since he was treated at another House," one of the healers replies, somewhat irritably, to Amrod's question, while trying to prepare a numbing poultice so that Maitimo will not feel the new stitches going in. They do not have the authority to turn away the princes from their brother, but it is a nuisance having to work around them. Nerdanel had told them what had happened with the arrow and the poison, but since the original poison was never identified, they can't do anything about it.

Maitimo tries to smile at Maglor. "Better now that I'm not riding a horse anymore," he says, not wanting to go into detail about how terrible he really feels. If they had just let him stay at the House of Nolofinwë, he's certain he'd be almost better by now, and that still frustrates him endlessly.

And Findekano occupies his thoughts. Has he reached home safely?

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Nerdanel turns, her eyes widening in shock and horror.

"No..." She says sternly. "No, no, no, no, no...!" She turns abruptly gazing out the window. "I-he," She stops short. She had bound him up and left him to die.

She takes Feanor's hands into her own. "I- he, he followed us back from Nolofinwe's House, and I, a lot happened prior, but I pushed him down, he fell onto a pile of jagged rocks, and I bound him to a tree...." Her voice breaks as she goes on. "And left him for dead." She finally finishes, and looks down in horror and shock.

"Oh, what have I done?" She looks away, grasping the curtains open and gazing out the window as tears are coming to her eyes. "What have I done?!"

~~

Findekano nods. "Yeah, I know it was sorrowing, I, I had no cheer left in me to write something, beautiful." He pauses. "Well, none of what I write is beautiful, but I had no joy leaving, you get the picture." He took her hand. "Don't worry about me, a lot happened and I'm sure I'll have to explain,"

He pauses, his gaze fixed on the beauty of his sister. "but please, if you can, send word to Maitimo that I've returned safely. He begged me, he was so worried."

~~

Amrod shakes his head. "Hm..." He pauses. "Well, lucky for you, I did keep an account, and in fact, I asked the healers to write down for me what they were doing. They viewed it as a nuisance, sure..." He says. "They didn't understand the importance of it, like you all do." He flashes them a smile, which they do not return.

He reaches into his satches and produces several pages of parchment, and a scroll. "This should be everything you need to know." He comes closer to one of them. "And don't worry," He whispers. "I won't tell them that you were clueless prior."

Maglor sighs, looking at Maitimo. "I'm glad you are doing better, Nelyo."

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Fëanor's eyes widen in shock too. Nerdanel is a strong woman from all her years of being a sculptor, but to think that she could engage in a fight with Findekano, a valiant fighter, and actually overcome him, is quite the feat indeed. But it is also a terrible thing, an unjust thing... Fëanor already has much to answer for in his treatment of Findekano, and hasn't been looking forward to any attempt to reconcile that, and now they have the burden of having unjustly left him to die...

"When did this happen, and where?" he asks her urgently. "We have both done wrong in accusing him, but now this has become a much more terrible thing. We cannot allow our nephew to die. I would like to see Nelyo, and make sure he will be all right, and then head out and see if we can find and save Findekano."

He adds, quietly and grimly, "Besides... Maitimo was right, and he had better judgment about the character of Findekano than we did. He deserves that apology from us as well."

After thinking another moment, he asks, "Is this why you brought him home early? Because you feared the treachery of Findekano?"

~~

"There's not much cheer left for anyone during these times, it would seem," Aredhel says with a sigh, continuing to lead her brother towards his chambers, where she fetches a healer to come tend to him. She honors his request, too, and sends a messenger out to the House of Fëanor with a note specifically addressed to Maitimo, letting him know that Findekano is safe. It should arrive in less than a day if the messenger rides swiftly. Aredhel worries somewhat that the letter will fall into the hands of Fëanor or Nerdanel, and cause danger, but she realizes they wouldn't want to attack their House, or they would have done so already.

"So you found Maitimo, then?" she asks Findekano. She won't press him to talk about things he's not ready to, but after all this grief, she is curious to know what exactly happened.

~~

The healer is shocked at first, but upon inspecting the writings, finds them sufficiently detailed and seemingly consistent. They do seem like the notes of a fellow healer keeping careful record of their process.

"Thank you for this," one of the healers says to Amrod, his voice sounding begrudgingly impressed. "This should help us greatly."

Another healer, upon studying the notes and observing Maitimo, says quietly to the others, "I agree with Nolofinwë's healers. He should not have been moved. It would seem as though all that movement stirred up the poison."

But at least knowing this, they're able to manage it now, even if they don't know the cure. They learn from the notes that the poison dies on its own if left alone for a long enough time.

Maitimo overhears some of this conversation, but tries to ignore it, since it only frustrates him to hear. If not for the impatience of Fëanor and Nerdanel, he might be completely healed by now. Still, it gladdens his heart to see Amrod taking an interest in the activities of the healers.

He smiles faintly at Maglor but remains silent.