68: Lessons

Finrod was surprised not to find Findalaurë immediately and wandered a bit through the mansion looking for his son and the others. Stopping one of the Wiseman Elves in the second floor hallway — Cennanion, he thought was the ellon’s name — and asking for Findalaurë, he was directed to the conference room where he found his son with his gwedyr, along with Barahir and Gilvegil, poring over what appeared to be a map. He remained at the door, willing the others not to take notice of his arrival just yet, curious as to why the youngsters were consulting a map.

"... which means that if Alex wants to include all the activities his test family has indicated, he would have to go here first," he heard Barahir say as the ellon pointed to a spot on the map while the three youngsters leaned closer. "Then, he can swing down this way, towards Chandalar, and head for Max’s reindeer farm. That will bring them closer to the grotto in time for the children to meet with Santa if they don’t make an intervening stop along the way."

"And Derek?" Elennen asked.

Gilvegil rifled through some papers until he found what he was looking for. "Let’s see, the family indicated they wanted to do snowshoe walking and reindeer sleigh riding. Hmm... the oldest child wants to do dog-sledding but there’s a note saying that the youngest is allergic to dogs, but the father is willing to accompany his son while the mother stays with their daughter. Which means Derek has to come up with an acceptable alternative activity for the younger child and mother."

"Where would they do the dog-sledding?" Findalaurë asked, peering at the map. "I recall Alex saying that the Northern Lights Holiday Resort was where he and Derek learned to handle them."

Both of the older Elves nodded. "Yes, though there are other places where they could do dog-sledding," Barahir said. "Here, for instance." He pointed to the map. "This would be a better option for them because while the father and son are dog-sledding, the mother and daughter can spend the time wandering through the resort’s ice maze. It’s something they construct every year and it’s never the same from one year to the next." He gave them a knowing smile. "In fact, I would wager that the older child might be tempted to forgo the dog-sledding and attempt the maze instead."

Gilvegil nodded in agreement and Finrod found himself smiling as well, knowing elflings as he did and suspecting that Mortal children were little different. He stepped further into the room, allowing the others to sense his presence. All five looked up. Barahir and Gilvegil gave the prince respectful bows of the head in acknowledgment, while the three youngsters stood straight.

"And here is where I find you," Finrod said with an easy smile. "I gather you are attempting to learn what Alex and Derek will be doing on their tours?"

"They wanted to know what the tours were all about and what activities were available," Barahir replied. "We used Alex’s and Derek’s tests tours as examples of how the tours are done."

"And dost thou wish to become an Elf Guide as well, my son?" Finrod asked with a glint of humor in his eyes as he wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulders, giving him a brief kiss of benediction on his forehead.

"Atto! That’s for Mortals," Findalaurë protested, as if his father had suggested he play a game fit for very young elflings.

Both Barahir and Gilvegil chuckled. "Not just for Mortals, young Finda," Gilvegil said. "Glorfindel and the others who first came to Wiseman will also act as guides when the touring season begins in a couple of weeks."

All three of the younger ellyn gave him surprised looks. "But why?" Calandil asked.

"Because the Valar have willed it so," Barahir answered gravely. "Those Mortals for whom Glorfindel and the others act as guides will be the ones who will learn of our existence. They are the ones the Valar themselves have chosen to join us. Some will apply to become students at the Academy next year so that they can become tour guides while others will move into Wiseman or the surrounding villages with their families and take our night classes. Slowly our numbers are growing, but it will be a long, drawn-out process that will take many years to accomplish."

The three ellyn had thoughtful looks. "So that means there won’t be any fighting?" Elennen asked tentatively.

"Not for some time," Gilvegil answered. "None really know when the Dagor Dagorath will commence, not even the Valar. It may be in a few years or a few centuries from now. I sincerely hope it’s the latter, for we are ill prepared for it at this time. I fear that the Valar started too late in preparing us who reside here for the coming battle."

"The Valar have their own timetable," Finrod offered. "It often does not coincide with ours. They will tell you that they do all as Eru wills, but sometimes I get the feeling that they just do not have the same time sense as we who are incarnate."

Both of the older ellyn nodded. "We got that impression as well," Barahir said with a sardonic smile. "Glorfindel thinks they do it on purpose just to aggravate him."

Finrod chuckled. "He hath always been suspicious of their motives e’en from the first. I am afraid that the events which occurred in his first year as a Reborn did not help matters between them."

"He has never spoken of those times, except in vague hints and asides," Barahir said. "He rarely speaks of his life here in Middle-earth when he resided in Imladris. I always had the impression that Glorfindel finds the past distasteful and looks only to the present and the future."

"Distasteful... hmm... an interesting concept," Finrod allowed. "Those of us who are Reborn have a different sense of what is important. Most Elves reside in memory, especially the older ones. I know from speaking with my sister how she sought to recreate Aman in Lothlórien during the Third Age. It is not something I would have done. The past is just that, the past, and, as Lord Námo would say, it is not an adjunct of the present. All we are ever assured of is this present moment and what we do with it. The Reborn recognize this, though the Once-born often do not. Glorfindel is merely living as he was taught by the Fëanturi during his sojourn in Mandos and later in Lórien, even as I was taught."

"Living among the Mortals as we have," Gilvegil said, "we have learned to take the present moment as the gift that it is."

Barahir nodded. "None of us could ever figure out why we did not feel the need to Sail when all others of our kin did, or why we did not fade over time. Something within us kept us on these shores and refused to let us go. Now, of course, we understand, but the long stretch of time which we have had to endure here has taken its toll. Our light is dimmer than yours, for instance, though until you came, it was not readily noticeable."

"Yet, you have a solidity that we lack and that we must assume if we are to survive here," Finrod pointed out. "You are stronger than you know. The millennia may not have been kind to you in some ways, but in other ways you are far superior to us who come from Valinor. You move easily among the Mortals and are comfortable with their way of life, adopting it for yourselves. That is something we of Valinor must learn. It is why I wished for my son and his gwedyr to live at the Academy for a time, so that they may learn even as you have."

"Well, at any rate," Barahir said as he began folding up the map, "if you three wish to accompany Alex and Derek on their tours, I do not see where there would be a problem, but it must be their decision. They may not feel comfortable having you tag along while they are attempting to act as Elf Guides. This is a test, after all, and there will be someone from one of the resorts grading them on how well they do. They’ll be nervous enough without having an audience, so to speak."

"We will abide by their decision," Findalaurë said with a nod.

"Perhaps we can join them when they are acting as guides for real," Calandil said.

"Derek perhaps," Elennen replied, "but I do not know if Alex will continue with this... this..." he switched to Quenya, clearly frustrated at not knowing the English word.

"Charade," Barahir offered and the younger ellon nodded.

"Yes, charade. Thank you."

"I am surprised he is even bothering with the test tour," Finrod said. "Why is he not looking for this Farrell all of you are so worried about?"

"He would like nothing better than to do just that," Gilvegil answered, "but Amroth has forbidden him."

"Amroth?!" Finrod repeated. "I did not think Amroth would have such authority over Alex."

"Normally not," Barahir nodded in agreement, "but remember, Amroth was his instructor at the Agency, and therefore, in a sense, his superior. Alex will obey Amroth before he will deign to obey Glorfindel or anyone else."

Finrod nodded. "I see. Well, it gladdens me to see that you and your gwedyr are becoming more comfortable among Mortals, my son," he said to Findalaurë. "Now I must needs see that others have the same experience."

"I was hoping we would be fighting," Elennen said with a frown. "Why are we truly here if not to fight?"

"Oh, don’t worry about that," Barahir said with a chuckle. "If you want a fight, we’ll let you play with Glorfindel the next time he’s in the mood to beat someone to a pulp."

Finrod grinned. "And how many does he take on at a time?"

"If he’s in a real bad mood, he usually has five of us attack him at once," Barahir replied.

Finrod nodded. "That sounds about right. Perhaps the next time I will convince him to fight just me instead."

"Oh?" Gilvegil said, giving the prince an amused look. "I don’t think Glorfindel’s ever fought against just a single opponent. At the minimum he usually has at least two others fighting him at the same time."

"Ah, but when Glorfindel and I fight one another, we usually end up utilizing Songs of Power." He gave them all a conspiratorial wink. "It maketh the Valar very nervous when we do that."

"Ah...." was Barahir’s only response to that statement. "Well, I would be interested in seeing that. In the meantime, if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

"As do I," Gilvegil said. "I’ll check with Alex and Derek and find out how they feel about you three tagging along and I will let you know as soon as possible. I have no idea when they will be doing their tours. We have a computer program that randomly schedules the tours, so they could be one of the first or the last."

The three ellyn nodded in understanding and the two Wiseman Elves gave them respectful bows as they exited the conference room. Finrod smiled at the three youngsters. "Why don’t we sit and you can tell me what you have learned this week past."

The three ellyn complied and soon they were describing the various classes and the Mortals whom they had met while Finrod listened carefully, asking clarifying questions now and then, mentally formulating his own plans.

****

Later that afternoon, the Valinórean Elves dutifully filed into the conference room, the largest room in the house, taking seats along the perimeter of the conference table while Glorfindel and the other Wiseman Elves were congregated together at one end, quietly conversing. When everyone had found a seat, Glorfindel addressed them.

"Now that we are no longer teaching, we can concentrate on you," he said, "and begin teaching you what you need to know so you can integrate yourselves more fully into this society. To that end, we’ll split you up into two groups to make it more manageable while we team teach. We will concentrate on teaching you modern English but we will also give you a history of Middle-earth as it has been lived by the Mortals these past seven thousand or so years. The history course will be necessarily brief and we will end up glossing over much of it, concentrating on the history of this country and especially the last century so you have an idea as to where the Mortals are coming from and why they are as they are now, rather than how some of you may remember them when you were last here."

There were nods among a number of the Elves. "We will also begin teaching you how to handle the various technologies which are commonplace among the Mortals of this time," Glorfindel continued. "Eventually, you will become conversant with cell phones, iPods, computers and the like. So, why don’t we have you count off by twos. Anyone who is a one can stay here, while the twos can retire to the library."

He nodded at Finrod who called out ‘one’ and then Findalaurë called out ‘two’ and in a short while everyone had a number and the twos were all getting up to leave with four of the Wiseman Elves joining them. Glorfindel remained in the conference room with Vorondur, Ercassë and Serindë while everyone else not involved with teaching at that time went their separate ways.

"So, let’s begin," Glorfindel said briskly. "The first thing we’ll do is review pronouns. Modern English has simplified it somewhat, dropping the ‘thou’ form of address, and substituting the ‘you’ form for both singular and plural second person."

"Then the ‘thou’ form is no longer used?" Beleg asked.

"Only in special cases," Glorfindel replied, "and rather than be an intimate form of address reserved for children or close relatives and friends, it has become a more formal form of address when speaking to Eru."

"The Mortals speak directly to Eru?" Valandur asked in surprise. "How do they dare? Even we do not."

"And the why and wherefore of that is something we will discuss when we get to the history lesson," Glorfindel said. "Suffice to say that Mortals have always petitioned their gods and when the knowledge of the One was taught them, they continued the tradition of petitioning Him, either as a community or as individuals. But let us continue with English for the nonce. Now, notice that in the third person singular, the ‘eth’ ending has been replaced entirely with ‘es’, so for example, ‘he hath’ is rendered as ‘he has’ and the same with ‘she’ and ‘it’."

"Mine uncle Fëanor would not have been impressed by the change," Finrod said with a sardonic look. "It soundeth... er... sounds very much like the change of ‘thúlë’ to ‘súlë’ that had mine uncle so upset."

"Except the Mortals did not make the difference in pronunciation a matter of clan distinction which eventually polarized the Noldor," Vorondur said with a smile. "At least, I recall my parents speaking about it thus when I was young. As you may recall, my lord, the Exiles soon re-adopted the ‘thúlë’ pronunciation in their own speech because Sindarin favors it over the ‘súlë’ pronunciation."

Finrod nodded. "Yes, I well recall that and found it amusing, since in my household we adhered to the older form as a matter of course, for our Vanyarin kin also used it and considered the newer pronunciation uncouth."

"Well, that’s getting away from our lesson," Glorfindel said, steering the conversation back to the subject at hand. "Why don’t we take a moment or two to practice using the ‘es’ form for the third person singular and the ‘you’ form for the second person singular. The verb form for that is the same as that of the second person plural, which means the only real changes in conjugation lie with the first person singular and third person singular. All the others have the same verb form throughout."

And so, the Valinórean Elves dutifully complied with Glorfindel’s instructions and for a time, they all practiced speaking the more modern forms.

****

Later that evening, several of the Mortals who were friends of the Wiseman Elves came over for a party, having been invited by Glorfindel to meet the newcomers. Thus, the Valinórean Elves were introduced to Zach, Jud, Shane and the others who had befriended the Elves early on. Along with them came Nicole and her children, with Tim Saunders, Nicole’s love interest. The Michaelsons were also there, though Dave was not, as he was on duty that night. The Valinórean Elves were naturally enthralled at the sight of the children, especially young Caleb happily and unselfconsciously speaking Sindarin, lisping slightly because of his missing front teeth. The older children were somewhat more reticent but a few of the younger Elves encouraged them to speak in Sindarin while they themselves practiced their English on them.

All the Mortals were in awe of Finrod, Beleg and the two Legolases, but the Elves quickly put them at their ease with their banter, the three Sindar easily ganging up on Finrod, the lone Noldo, who, nevertheless, gave as good as he got and soon they were all laughing at their antics.

A few of the Valinórean Elves held themselves somewhat aloof, and Finrod, watching them, realized they were ones who had had no contact with Mortals. One such was Nielluin, who, while not outwardly cold or hostile, nevertheless, acted as if she were superior to the Mortals around her. He noticed Zach and Lily trying to engage his niece in conversation. She was polite but somewhat distant. Eventually, the two Mortals gave up and went in search of food. Finrod frowned, reminding himself that he still needed to come up with a suitable punishment for the elleth as he wandered through the mansion. He chanced upon Glorfindel sitting with Helyanwë, who had already adopted the Mortal name ‘Helena’. They were in the kitchen, sitting in the breakfast nook with Nicole Lord and Tim Saunders sitting opposite. Finrod smiled in amusement as he saw his gwador not so casually, almost shyly, put an arm around the elleth’s shoulders, even as Tim had an arm around Nicole’s. Helyanwë did not appear to reject his overture.

"Tim and I want to get away for a weekend," Nicole was saying as Finrod entered the kitchen, "but I haven’t found anyone who will be willing to look after the kids. Adam is still too young to be trusted with watching over his younger siblings for an entire weekend by himself."

Glorfindel nodded. "When were you hoping to go and where?"

"Next weekend before the holiday craziness descends upon us," Tim answered with a grin. "We’re just planning to go to Fairbanks. We’ll leave Friday afternoon and be back on Sunday. Nicole really needs the time off from being ‘mom’ twenty-four seven."

"What about Zach?" Glorfindel suggested. "I know the kids adore him."

"He was the first person I thought of," Nicole said, "but he was with us during the storm when the children were all sick. I think he deserves a break from us as well."

"I would say to leave them with us, but as you can see, we’re a bit crowded as it is," Glorfindel said.

"Perhaps I can offer a solution," Finrod said, moving toward them. He nearly laughed aloud when Glorfindel gave him a guilty look, quickly removing his arm from around Helyanwë’s shoulders. The elleth didn’t seem pleased with that but did not otherwise make a comment. The two Mortals gave him enquiring looks. "I have someone in mind to watch over your children. She is somewhat young, as we Elves would reckon her, but she is capable and will see that no harm comes to them."

"And who do you have in mind?" Glorfindel asked, smiling knowingly at Finrod.

"Let me call her," Finrod said and then simply stood there in silence. The two Mortals gave him puzzled looks that transmuted into shock when an elleth entered the kitchen. Finrod turned, giving the elleth a smile, gesturing for her to join them, which she did, her expression somewhat wary.

Finrod turned back to Nicole and Tim. "This is my niece, Nelluin, who I believe prefers to be known as Nell. This is Nicole and Tim, child," he said to his niece.

Nelluin nodded slightly in greeting while the two Mortals muttered ‘hellos’. "I have been thinking of a suitable punishment for you, my dear," Finrod said conversationally, "and Nicole has offered me a solution."

"Whoa! What punishment?" Tim dared to ask. "We’re just trying to find someone to look after Nicole’s kids for a few days."

"And Nelluin will be happy to do so, will you not?" Finrod replied, giving his niece a stern look.

"For how long?" Nelluin asked, meekly enough.

"Three days," Finrod answered. "Nor will you be alone in doing so. I will ask Laurendil and Manwen to check on you to make sure you and the children are well."

"Why not just have this Laurendil and... Manwen?... watch the kids instead?" Tim insisted.

"My niece needs the lesson," Finrod explained.

"I don’t appreciate you turning my children into a lesson for anyone," Nicole said, her eyes narrowing. "Forget I asked. I’ll see if one of the neighbors can stay with the kids instead."

"No, Nicole," Glorfindel said, speaking gravely. "Finrod has the right of it. Nelluin needs to learn about Mortals and how to interact with them. At the moment, interacting with adults seems not to work too well. Your children will prove less threatening to her and make it easier for her to learn how to interact with all Mortals."

"Yet, I can tell that she doesn’t even want to watch them," Nicole countered. "I cannot trust my children to someone who wants nothing to do with them or us. I won’t endanger them that way."

"Have no fear of that, my lady," Finrod said. "You perhaps do not appreciate how we Elves feel about children. If I ask Nelluin to watch over them, she will do so and offer them all the care that they need. Indeed, she would sacrifice herself if need be to ensure their safety. No Elf would ever countenance placing any child, even a Mortal child, in danger."

"That isn’t the impression I got from the history classes I’ve been taking," Tim said somewhat sardonically.

Finrod nodded. "Perhaps I should have said, no sane Elf, and while my niece is arrogant to a fault, she is not insane."

Silence fell about them as the two Mortals thought about Finrod’s words, gazing into each other’s eyes. Finrod watched with interest, wondering if these two could communicate silently in the same way as he and his beloved Amarië could. Tim gave a slight shrug, and Nicole sighed, glancing at Finrod and Nelluin, who stood beside her uncle, trying not to scowl.

"Have you had any experience in caring for younger children?" Nicole asked the elleth.

Nelluin shook her head, then decided to speak. "My uncle would not ask me of this if he did not think I was capable. I promise that I will do all in my power to ensure your children’s health and well being while you are away. Besides," she added with a sniff, "how hard can it really be?"

Now Tim and Nicole, and even Glorfindel, chuckled. "Oh, famous last words, if there ever were any," Glorfindel said. "It is a fitting punishment, gwador. Three days dealing with Caleb should show her the error of her ways."

"Hey!" Nicole protested, playfully slapping Glorfindel on the wrist. "That’s my baby you’re talking about."

"Then it is settled," Finrod said, steering the conversation away from the incipient argument that he sensed might be brewing between the Mortal woman and his gwador. He had met the rambunctious Caleb and secretly agreed with Glorfindel. If anyone could cure his niece of her arrogance, Caleb Lord could. "I will have Nell come to your home next Friday. What time do you leave?"

"The kids get home from school at three," Nicole said, "and we’ll leave by three-thirty."

Finrod nodded. "Then we will be there at three." He gave them a slight bow and taking Nelluin by an elbow, led her out of the kitchen. He stopped halfway down the hall, giving his niece a sober look. "Do not disappoint me, daughter," he said.

Nelluin, recognizing the tone, knew that it was not her uncle who was speaking, but the former King of Nargothrond and the present heir to the Noldorin throne. She nodded and said, "I will not." Then paused, giving him a puzzled look. "But really, Uncle, how hard can it truly be?"

Finrod smiled. "We’ll just have to wait and see," he said, leaning over to give her a kiss in benediction, then leaving her to herself as he went in search of Laurendil to let him and Manwen know what he had decided.

****

Fëanturi: (Quenya) Masters of Spirits, i.e., Námo and Irmo.