27: Recovery

Findaráto woke, wondering why the ceiling of his bedroom looked different, then realized that he was lying in a strange bed. When he tried to sit up, pain lanced through him and he gasped.

"Easy now," came a voice and he looked to see an elleth leaning over him, helping him to lie back down. "That’s it. You’re not going anywhere fast, your Highness."

"Who...?" Findaráto gasped.

"My name is Calamírë, I’m a healer in the High King’s service," she answered.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You are in the healing wing of the palace," Calamírë answered as she busied herself with pouring some water into a goblet. Then she turned back to Findaráto. "I will help you to sit up so you can have some water. Let me do the work."

Findaráto nodded and steeled himself for the pain that he knew would come. However, the healer sat him up slowly and the pain was not as much as he had feared. She handed him the goblet and he drank it eagerly, draining it in three gulps. Then she started fluffing the pillows so he could recline in a half-sitting position and his breathing became a little easier.

"You suffered some broken ribs," Calamírë answered his unspoken question, "and some minor contusions. You’ll be in bed for at least another day but it will be a week or so before you’re completely healed."

"How long have I been out?" he asked somewhat anxiously, trying to fit the pieces of his memory together. He remembered strolling through the market square with his cousins and the argument that had broken out between the basketmaker and the Noldo but the rest was a jumble of confused images, the most searing being the sight of Lord Manwë’s Herald standing over him with his sword of light drawn, staring down at him so dispassionately.

"It’s still the same day," Calamírë answered with a knowing smile. "We are still an hour from the Second Mingling. Do you feel up to having visitors?"

Findaráto nodded. "Though I wouldn’t mind a wash first. I feel grimy and I need to use the privy."

"I’ll have one of the other healers come and help you with all that while I go and inform the High King that you are awake."

With that she gave him a bow and left. A few minutes later an ellon came in, bearing a bowl of steaming water and some towels draped over his arm.

****

Just as the hour of the Second Mingling came, Findaráto was sitting up in bed, freshly washed and eating a light meal which Calamírë had ordered for him. There was a knock on his door but before he could call out it opened and in stepped Ingwë and Elindis with their children right behind them. Ingalaurë still sported a black eye, though the bruise was already turning yellow and most likely it would be completely faded in another day. He smiled broadly at Findaráto. Ingwion looked none the worse for wear, though his expression seemed haunted somehow. His eyes lit up with relief, though, when he saw Findaráto sitting up. Indil simply looked amused. Ingwë and Elindis both had parental looks of concern on their fair faces, which transmuted into smiles.

"Whatever were you thinking, yonya?" Ingwë asked, even as Elindis was bending down to give Findaráto a motherly kiss, stroking his hair.

"Hush, Ingwë," she admonished her husband. "Don’t scold him."

"I’m not scolding him, Elindis, I’m asking him a question." Ingwë gave his wife a scowl. "The same question I asked our sons, if you recall."

"What happened to the poor Noldo who just wanted to buy a basket?" Findaráto asked, deciding not to answer Ingwë’s question immediately. He needed time to think of a plausible answer and wondered what his cousins had told everyone.

"That poor Noldo, as you call him, is in the next room," Ingwë answered with a wry look. "He took a severe beating and is still unconscious. We have yet to ascertain who he is and where he was staying."

"Will he be all right?" Findaráto enquired. "He said he was an Aulendur. Perhaps you should ask Lord Aulë about him."

"The healers say he will recover," Elindis answered, sitting on the edge of the bed, buttering some bread for Findaráto and generally fussing over him, much to his embarrassment and the amusement of the others. She turned to look at Ingwë. "Findaráto is correct. We should ask Lord Aulë if he’s missing one of his people."

Ingwë snorted. "I have no doubt that all the Valar are well aware of what happened and who was involved. I have heard some interesting reports about a certain Maia appearing suddenly."

"He was...." Findaráto shook his head, his expression one of wonder mingled with fear. "I cannot describe how I felt when Lord Eönwë just appeared like that with his sword drawn. The wrath of the Valar must be terrible indeed if one of their Maiar can evoke such... awe-inspiring dread in a single dispassionate glance."

"Hmm... an interesting way of putting it," Ingwë replied, looking pensive. "Well, regardless, you still haven’t answered my original question."

Findaráto sighed. "The basketmaker was deliberately flouting your laws, Uncle. I saw the look of triumph on his face when the other ellon turned away, unwilling to pay such an exorbitant price for a simple basket." His expression darkened to fury and his fists clenched. "And then, when someone accused us of being Melkornossë...."

"Us?" Ingwë asked.

Findaráto nodded. "Us, as in, the Noldor," he replied. "I may have the blood of the Vanyar and the Teleri in my veins but my heart has ever belonged to the Noldor."

"And the Noldor are the ones who listened to Melkor’s lies," Ingwë pointed out somewhat coldly. He ignored the frown his wife gave him.

"Not all," Findaráto retorted.

"The ellon in the next room declared himself a loyal servant of Aulë and the other Valar," Ingwion interjected. "He doesn’t even live in Tirion, but in Eldamas, and has had nothing to do with the unrest that has plagued the Noldor of late."

"There are many such as he, even here in Vanyamar," Elindis added. "Naming all Noldor as Melkornossë is unfair...."

"Unfair or not," Ingwë insisted, "the fact remains that some of our people have labeled the Noldor as unwanted troublemakers. They are not interested in assigning blame only to the ones who are deserving of it. If what happened in the market is indicative of our people’s mood then I need to address it. The last thing we need is to have innocent Noldor attacked by irrate Vanyar. I very much doubt the Valar will send their Maiar to quell any riots again. Lord Eönwë appearing was a warning from the Valar that they are aware of what is going on. Hopefully, the people in the market got the same message but not everyone will."

"What will you do, then?" Findaráto asked. "You cannot issue an edict demanding that everyone play nicely or not at all." He gave his Uncle a sour grin. The twins chuckled while Indil and Elindis rolled their eyes. Ingwë’s mien lightened somewhat.

"No, unfortunately, I cannot," he answered. "At the moment, besides fining the basketmaker for price gouging and the others for disturbing the peace, I plan to issue a proclamation at the next court telling of my disappointment in the actions of my people. I am hoping that shaming them will do the trick."

"Or it may make them even more resentful towards the Noldor," Indil pointed out.

"There is no easy solution to this problem," Ingwë replied with a sigh. "If worse comes to worst, I will be forced to have all the Noldor in the city depart, but that will solve nothing in the long run. How does one determine if a child who is of mixed parentage is Noldorin or not?"

There was an uneasy silence for several minutes and then Findaráto sighed, suddenly feeling tired. "I’m sorry, Uncle. I should have handled the situation better."

"I do not blame you, Findaráto, for what happened," Ingwë said. "I don’t even really blame the ones who attacked you and the Aulendur. I blame Melkor for sowing these seeds of unrest amongst us. The Noldor may have been the ones who listened to his lies, but they do not live in isolation and the rest of us are being affected as well."

Elindis stroke Findaráto’s hair. "You should rest, dear. Time enough to dissect the day’s events later when you are feeling stronger."

"I am feeling fatigued," Findaráto admitted.

"Then we will leave you to your rest," Ingwë said. Then, unbending slightly, he smiled at his great nephew and leaned down to give him a kiss. "I am only sorry that you were hurt so badly, hinya, though I am grateful that it was no worse than a few broken ribs."

"So am I," Findaráto said fervently. The others made their farewells and soon they left with Indil taking the tray away, leaving Findaráto to his rest. One of the healers appeared shortly with some willow bark tea laced with a sleeping potion. He grimaced at the taste but dutifully drank it down and soon after he was fast asleep.

****

When he awoke again, Findaráto found he had another visitor.

"Lord Aulë!" he exclaimed, rising quickly, quite forgetting his broken ribs, and gasped as the pain overwhelmed him. He thought he might black out, but then a cool hand rested on his forehead and the darkness at the edge of his vision receded, along with the pain.

"Not a very smart move," Aulë said with a chuckle as he plumped the pillows and helped Findaráto to sit back. Then he poured some water into a goblet and handed it to the prince, giving him a searching look. "All those lessons in rhetoric apparently were a waste of time."

Findaráto blushed. "I suppose," he averred somewhat reluctantly, not daring to look the Vala in the eye.

"Hmph," was Aulë’s only reply. "Well, water under the bridge, as I think your Telerin kin would say."

"What about the Aulendur?" Findaráto asked.

"Urundil? He’s fine," Aulë answered. "He woke some time ago and we had a little chat." The smile on the Vala’s face was not exactly comforting. "Just like I’m about to have with you."

Findaráto cringed. Aulë settled back in the chair he’d been sitting in, waiting for the ellon to wake up, and gave him a steady look. "What lesson do you draw from this?" he asked.

Findaráto gave him a puzzled look. "Lesson?"

Aulë nodded. "All of life is a lesson. It is ours to draw what conclusions we may from our experiences. What did this most recent experience teach you?"

Findaráto frowned in thought. "They’re frightened," he finally said.

Aulë nodded. "And frightened people are unpredictable as to their actions. What else?"

The prince leaned back against the pillows and sighed. "I shouldn’t have interfered. I should have walked away and then reported what I had observed to the High King."

"Walking away in the face of injustice is very hard to do," Aulë said. "Is there anything else you could have done other than to voice your displeasure at what the basketmaker was doing?"

Findaráto thought for a moment or two, going over in his mind several possible scenarios. "I could have bought the basket," he finally said, speaking slowly, as if testing his words. "The basketmaker thought I was Vanyarin. He would have sold it to me for the half silver coin it was worth and then I could have given it to Urundil without asking for repayment."

"What do you think the reaction of the bystanders and the basketmaker would have been then?"

Findaráto shrugged. "I have no idea, but I don’t think the basketmaker would have been happy."

"No doubt," Aulë averred. "Most likely he would have protested you giving the basket to Urundil, but as he had sold it to you, you were now free to dispose of it as you pleased. Even if the bystanders did not approve of your giving the basket to Urundil, they would have had to admit that what you did with your property was your affair. The basketmaker might have groused, but none of the others would have felt the need to voice their opinions and Urundil would have walked away whole and with the desired basket. Then you could have reported the incident to Ingwë and let him deal with it."

Findaráto nodded slowly. "I was so furious when I saw the look of glee on the basketmaker’s face. The very injustice of it all just made me sick."

"Understandable," Aulë said, "but that is when you should have turned the tables on the basketmaker and bought the basket yourself. If he then learned that you, too, were Noldorin, his neighbors would probably have enjoyed the jest at his expense. Once Ingwë was apprised of the situation, he would have then contacted the guilds and explained certain things to them. The guildmasters would then have seen to it that their members traded fairly and the incident would have been kept quiet and local. Now, however, the entire city knows of it and opinions are running high on both sides of the issue. Ingwë will have to address the situation publicly rather than privately and in the end no one will be happy." He paused to let his words sink in and then added almost as an afterthought, "And Urundil is still without his basket."

Findaráto sighed and then grimaced. "Given my abysmal failure to think things through, I’m surprised you want me to speak to my people and turn them away from their discontent."

"The one has nothing to do with the other," Aulë pointed out. "However, this incident should point out the fact that the unrest of the Noldor is spreading to the other clans. Also, as you no doubt realized with Urundil, not all the Noldor have been affected by this unrest nor do they approve of what has happened, yet they are being labeled as troublemakers indiscriminately by others who have decided that whatever problems they are having can be laid at the feet of all the Noldor, whether they went to Formenos or not."

"Then it’s hopeless," Findaráto insisted. "The damage is already done. Nothing I say is going to change things."

"It is not hopeless," Aulë responded, "though, admittedly, the situation appears bleak at the moment. These next twelve years are critical, Findaráto. We need to bring calm to the people but we Valar cannot do it alone. Much of the work must come from those Eldar willing to put aside their personal feelings and work for the greater good of all." He paused for a moment, gauging the ellon’s physical and emotional condition. "Well, enough talk," he finally said, standing. "I will leave you to think things through." He allowed his visage to darken slightly and his voice turned cold. "The next time I see you, elfling, it had better not be in this room. You still have your studies to complete."

"Yes, lord," Findaráto said meekly enough, paling slightly. "Healer Calamírë said it would be a week or so before I’m completely healed. I imagine my uncle is not going to allow me to do aught but sit quietly and stay out of trouble anyway."

"That is well," Aulë said with a nod. "Come to Ilmarin the Valanya after next and you can tell me how your studies are going." With that, the Vala faded from view, leaving Findaráto much to think on.

****

The next day, Findaráto was allowed to leave the healing wing and return to his own apartments. Ingwion and Ingalaurë came to escort him. Findaráto had wanted to see Urundil, but was told that the ellon had been placed in healing sleep after Lord Aulë’s visit and would not awaken for another day. He had to be content with the promise that he would be informed when Urundil was awake and ready to receive visitors.

Ingwë and Elindis welcomed him back and assured him that they held him blameless for what had happened when he tried to apologize for all the trouble he had caused. When he told them of his talk with Lord Aulë and the conclusions he had drawn from the conversation, Ingwë nodded. "Certainly that would have been the best course of action. I had a similar discussion with my sons. Hopefully, the three of you learned something from this and if a similar incident arises in the future, you will know how to act in an appropriate manner. For now, though, it is past and we will speak of it no more."

The rest of the week went by quietly while Findaráto continued to heal. He spent most of the time sitting in one of the gardens either reading or speaking with his cousins and their friends about the upcoming nuptials. Elindis had ordered new clothes for everyone for the occasion and Findaráto was forced to endure several fittings while the tunic was being made.

Urundil came out of healing sleep and Findaráto was allowed to visit him for a time. They spent about an hour or so chatting amiably until one of the healers came in to shoo Findaráto away so Urundil could get some rest.

"Before you return to Eldamas," Findaráto said to Urundil as he was leaving, "you must dine with me and my cousins."

Urundil was reluctant to accept the invitation, but when Findaráto threatened to go to the High King and have him issue a direct order, he laughingly agreed and the matter was settled.

****

At the next Valanya, as ordered, Findaráto went up to Ilmarin along with Ingwë, Elindis, Indil and the twins. Nothing was said about what had happened, save that Lord Manwë asked after Findaráto’s health. Once assured that the ellon was completely healed, Manwë asked after Intarion and Lirulin and the rest of the time was spent in discussing the wedding, which was only another few weeks away.

At one point Aulë excused himself and Findaráto and the Vala led the prince into a rose garden where they strolled about. Findaráto, when asked, admitted that he had done little in the way of studying. "I found my mind wandering," he told Aulë. "I am afraid I just couldn’t concentrate on crystallography. It just didn’t seem important anymore and I still have no idea what you meant by ‘coherent light’."

"Your hröa is still recovering from your injuries and your fëa needs healing as well," Aulë averred, "for the attack was just as damaging to your spirit, if not more so. Besides, with the wedding coming up, I know you have little thought for anything else."

"I’ll be glad when it’s over," Findaráto said fervently. "I still have one more fitting to get through. I don’t know why I couldn’t have just worn my best court tunic."

"But that’s so old and your Aunt Elindis is having so much fun dressing you all up in new garb," Aulë said with a sly wink and Findaráto laughed. "At any rate, when you are ready to resume your studies, I would like you to come to Valmar for a time."

"Do you not want me to return to Tirion and speak to the Noldor?" Findaráto asked.

"Yes, but only if you wish to do so," Aulë said. "We will not force you to do it if you are truly reluctant. Speak with your atar and your Uncle Ñolofinwë when they come for the wedding and get their opinions. Regardless of what you ultimately decide to do, I still would like you to come to Valmar. I think it’s important that you complete your studies."

Findaráto nodded. "Then that is what I will do since you ask it of me, lord."

Aulë smiled and clapped the ellon on the shoulder. "Good, good. I know Urundil will be happy to see you again."

"I will be happy to see him again as well," Findaráto said. "We’ve become friends."

Aulë seemed pleased at that, smiling in satisfaction as he and Findaráto returned to the audience chamber. The Elves visited for another hour and then it was time to return to Vanyamar.