8: A Discussion about Family

Nienna waited another day after Tiutalion brought Vorondil and Aldundil to her home before waking the young ellon. She decided to tackle Aldundil as the easier task before dealing with the elfling.

"I know this has been a most stressful time for you, Aldundil," she said to the older elf. They were sitting in the dining room enjoying a late collation of cold meats, cheese and fruit, though Aldundil had little appetite. "First, your son’s trial and then what happened to Findaráto and Glorfindel."

"What did happen to them, Lady?" Aldundil asked, his expression one of deep distress.

"They were... removed to a place where they could not cause harm to others or themselves with those Songs of Power they were Singing." She shook her head in disbelief. "We still don’t know..."

"Are they alive?" Aldundil interrupted somewhat more forcibly than he had intended, but the last few days had seriously eroded his ability to remain calm.

Nienna gave him a searching look. "Yes, child, they are alive. Have no fear."

Aldundil nodded. "So what happens to us now, Lady?" he asked as stoically as he could, though Nienna was well aware of the grief, shame, and fear that coursed through him.

The Valië smiled gently. "What happens now is up to you, Aldundil. This is an opportunity for you and Vorondil to come to terms with what has occurred and grow from the experience. Vorondil needs to learn more self-control and you need to learn more self-confidence."

Aldundil sighed and looked down at his plate, the food on it only half eaten. "What reason have I for any self-confidence?" he asked mournfully. "I betrayed my brother and myself and condemned my son to a life of shame and...."

"Now you can stop right there," Nienna said sharply and such was her tone that Aldundil did just that, looking up in consternation to see the Valië scowling at him. "For now we will forget whether you betrayed anyone," she said with a huff. "At the moment we’re going to work on this notion that your son is condemned to anything. Whatever... sins you may or may not have committed, Aldundil, understand one thing if you understand nothing else of what I’m about to say: your son, hideously impulsive though he may be, has no reason to feel shame or ignominy. He is a beloved Child of Ilúvatar and we Valar wish him nothing but well." She sighed, looking somewhat more rueful. "That isn’t to say that there isn’t some work that needs doing with him. You and Calalindalë did nothing to foster right reason in your son and so your punishment in all this is to help rectify that little mistake in your parenting skills."

"How?"

Now Nienna gave him a wintry smile. "We’ll start with something simple and work our way up. For now, your only task with regards to your son is to play with him."

Aldundil felt his jaw drop and his eyebrows go up. "Play?"

"You do remember how to play with your son, don’t you?" Nienna’s tone became more acerbic.

"But... what..."

"We’ll let Vorondil decide," Nienna answered. "Of course, we’ll need to convince him that it’s all right for him to play. He still believes that his punishment is yet to come from me, little realizing that it has already come with banishment from Findaráto’s presence for an unspecified amount of time." The Valië shook her head, her expression sadder.

Aldundil just sat there, trying to take it all in. "I’ve been a miserable husband and a worse atar, haven’t I?"

Nienna gave him a mirthless snort. "To put it mildly, but while I doubt we can do anything about the former, I hope we can do something about the latter. This is an opportunity for you and Vorondil to grow and learn wisdom. You have it in you, Aldundil, to be an excellent atar. You just need some encouragement."

Aldundil nodded, feeling gratified. "Thank you, Lady," he said. "When will you waken Vorondil?"

"Tomorrow will be soon enough," she answered, then gave him a wide smile. "Now, finish your dinner, dear. Marilliën spent all of five minutes putting your meal together. We wouldn’t want to disappoint her now, would we?"

The Noldo found himself grinning at the Valië’s tone. "No, Ammë," he said in a fair imitation of a put upon elfling and then joined Nienna in laughter.

****

Vorondil was dreaming:

It was night and only the stars lit the scene. He found himself within a circle of thrones, all but one of them empty, and the person who sat in that one throne...

"Why are you here, child?" Námo asked him gently.

"I... I don’t know," he whispered fearfully. "Wh-where am I? Am I... dead?"

Námo shook his head. "No, Vorondil, you are not dead... yet."

The ellon felt his blood freeze and he found it difficult to breathe. "Y-yet?" he echoed in a horrified whisper. "You mean... I’m going to die after all?" He started trembling and fell to his knees.

For a long moment Námo simply stared at him, his expression unreadable. "That depends on you, child," he finally said. "Now, it’s time for you to...."

"Wake up, Vorondil."

The sound of another calling him pulled the ellon off the Path of Dreams and he opened his eyes to see Lady Nienna smiling down at him while his atar stood behind her. He wasn’t sure where he was, though it was obviously not his bedroom at home or the pavilion that he shared with his Master in Lórien. Still, the room seemed vaguely familiar. He just wished he could clear the fog in his mind so he could think straight. "Wh-where am I?" he whispered.

"You’re in my home," Nienna said. "Tiutalion and your atar brought you here after...."

"Master!" Vorondil shouted suddenly, sitting up, looking fearful. "What happened to my Master?"

Nienna took him by the shoulders. "Calm down, Vorondil," she ordered. "Your Master is fine. Now take a deep breath and let it out slowly. That’s it. There’s no need to get excited, child. Findaráto and Glorfindel are fine and someday you will see them again. For now, you and your atar are my guests." She stood up. "Now, I’m sure you remember where everything is. Your atar will help you with getting dressed. That splint should be coming off in a few more days. When you’re ready you can both join me for breakfast."

With that she left them alone. Aldundil came and sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his son’s locks. He smiled. "There’s a tub already filled with hot water, so why don’t you go bathe and I’ll wait for you here. Call out if you need any help."

Vorondil nodded and got out of the bed, padding to the door and making his way to his bath. As he walked along the gallery he could hear the sound of the surf hitting the beach in the distance and wondered if he’d be allowed to go clamming again.

****

Nienna sat watching father and son eat, or rather Aldundil was eating, Vorondil was definitely playing with his food. And that’s not the kind of playing I had in mind for this one, she thought to herself with some amusement.

"Well, here we are," she said without preamble and watched as both elves stopped what they were doing. Vorondil even dropped his knife and stared at nothing in particular. Aldundil merely gave the Valië a respectful look. Nienna nodded in satisfaction. "I think some rules are in order," she said, turning to Aldundil. "Vorondil already knows that if he wants to go outside he must ask and one of my People will escort him to wherever he wishes to go, usually to the beach, as there’s not much else around. This applies to you as well, Aldundil."

The older ellon nodded, grimacing slightly at the thought of having to ask permission like some elfling. Nienna smiled as she divined his thoughts.

"It’s a rule I enforce upon all who come here, Aldundil, be they elflings or not. It is as much for your own safety as it is a necessary aspect of your... discipline. Have you ever wondered who is sent to me and why?"

Both Aldundil and Vorondil looked up, shaking their heads. "I really hadn’t thought of it, Lady," Aldundil admitted.

"I imagine most of you Children have not," Nienna said with a nod. "My brothers tend to refer to me as the ‘Valië of Last Resort’." She snorted in wry amusement at the bemused expressions on the two ellyn’s faces. "They tend to send me the so-called hopeless cases, hopeless in the eyes of others, that is, never the Valar," she assured them. "I usually get the more recalcitrant ones."

"Is... is that a bad thing?" Vorondil asked in a whisper, swallowing loudly and looking a bit sick.

Nienna gave him a loving look and reached across the table to lay her hand on his. "Nay, child, it’s a very good thing," she answered. "My brothers are only jesting. They send me the ones who hold the most promise of... reform. Your being sent here means that they and my fellow Valar have every hope for your redemption, as do I."

Vorondil appeared somewhat mollified at that and Nienna continued. "Now, I know for a fact that both my brother Irmo and Findaráto want you to continue your studies, Vorondil, so in the mornings after you have broken your fast you will report to Tiutalion who will be your tutor while you are here. We’ll have you study for two hours and then you are free to do as you please until lunchtime. After that you will help wash the dishes and do some general cleaning chores. Once that is done you and your atar will come and see me and we will talk."

"About what?" Vorondil asked in confusion. What the Lady had said did not surprise him for it was a similar routine to what he had had when he was last here with Manwen. However, he wasn’t so sure about sitting with the Valië and talking to her.

"We’ll see what topics of conversation present themselves," Nienna replied with a wry smile. Then, she turned to Aldundil. "You, my child, will also be studying. While Vorondil is at his lessons you will be too. I understand that you work in Arafinwë’s Exchequer."

Aldundil nodded.

"Are you any good?" Nienna asked.

The older ellon gave her a wry look. "Not really. I find I do not care for numbers, though I do my best at what tasks I am given." He paused and stole a glance at his son before addressing the Valië. "It was Calalindalë’s idea, you see. Her own atar is a member of the department that handles the privy purse."

"Ah... and how do you get along with your wife’s parents?" she asked.

For a long moment Aldundil did not speak, and he gave Vorondil a sad smile. Finally, he turned to Nienna with a shrug. "Tarwen was happy enough to see us wed, I suppose, though in truth I don’t think she ever truly approved of me. Selmacas... well Selmacas always thought me weak for having forsaken my oath," he added, looking sheepish.

"How do they treat Vorondil?" Nienna asked next, fully aware of the answer but needing the ellon to express it openly for his own sake and his son’s.

Aldundil grimaced. "They don’t," he said shortly and refused to elaborate. Vorondil seemed to shrink into himself, as if knowing he was the object of contention between his parents and his maternal grandparents.

"Ah... and your parents?" Nienna asked.

Vorondil spoke up then. "Anammë and Anatto are nice," he said shyly. Both Aldundil and Nienna smiled encouragingly at the ellon.

"I’m glad to hear that child," the Valië said. She turned her attention to Aldundil. "They never condemned you for forswearing your oath?"

Aldundil shook his head. "On the day Calalindalë and I announced our betrothal my parents both told me they loved me. That’s it, just that: they loved me." He stared down at his plate. "I never really understood," he added softly.

"Now perhaps you do," Nienna ventured with great gentleness.

"Well, I don’t," Vorondil said, looking somewhat confused, trying to understand this rather adult conversation.

Nienna gave him a wry look. "But we’re not talking about you, now are we?" She stood up then, forestalling any further conversation, and the two elves rose as well. "Well, we’ll work something out for you to do, Aldundil. For now, just concentrate on being with Vorondil. Go now, both of you. The day is yours to do with as you please. Tomorrow will be time enough for lessons. If you wish to go outside, just ask Tiutalion and he will escort you." She made a shooing motion with her hands and with bows father and son left her presence.

Once gone she sat down with a sigh, idly stirring her tea. She looked up to see both her brothers sitting where the elves had been only moments before. "This is not going to be easy," she said without preamble.

Irmo nodded. "You’re their last hope."

Námo shook his head. "You’re their best hope," he corrected.

Nienna eyed her brothers for a moment then nodded. "And hope is what sustains Eä."

"So Atar once told me," Námo said quietly. The other two nodded, understanding what their brother meant.

"So. Tarwen and Selmacas refuse to acknowledge their grandson, but Vandacalimë and Herendil have and apparently hold no blame to Aldundil for his marriage to Calalindalë."

"They are unaware of any significance of their son Vorondil marrying Calalindalë," Námo stated. "I also do not believe they are aware of the oaths those two pledged to one another, only the oath Aldundil pledged to them."

"Yet, Selmacas knows," Nienna said and both her brothers nodded.

"Aldundil told him," Irmo explained, "for Salmacas was aware of the feelings Calalindalë had once had for Vorondil and did not approve of the match. When Aldundil approached him for his blessing, Selmacas would not gainsay his daughter but neither would he bless the union. He made it clear to Aldundil that he and Tarwen would have nothing to do with them."

Nienna sighed. "They are such dears, but sometimes I could cheerfully drown the lot of them."

Her brothers gave her wide smiles but neither needed to comment, feeling the same as she. After a moment of contemplation Nienna addressed Irmo. "You said Aldundil’s parents were unaware of the oaths."

Irmo nodded. "So it would seem," he said blandly.

Nienna raised an eyebrow, aware of what her brother was not saying. "Interesting." Then she turned to Námo. "When will you release their other son?"

Now it was Námo’s turn to raise an eyebrow. "When I deem him ready and not before."

"Come, come, Little Brother," Nienna said impatiently. "I’m not one of the Eldar. I need a timetable and I suspect Irmo would appreciate some advance warning as well."

For a long moment there was silence and then Námo sighed, looking suddenly weary. "I could have released Vorondil Herendilion any time in the last two decades, but I deemed the situation with his family too volatile."

"So when will you release him?" Irmo asked.

"I released him the moment Calalindalë entered my wife’s demesne," came the surprising reply.

Both Irmo and Nienna raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, Námo," Nienna said, her tone one of exasperation, "you are a dear brother and I love you, but right now I could just cheerfully drown you."

Irmo laughed but Námo merely smiled.

****

Anammë: Grandmama.

Anatto: Grandpapa.