7: Valandur Speaks Out

“This is not good,” Sorondur whispered to Valandur as they entered the negotiation room the next day.

Valandur nodded in complete agreement. At the last minute, as they were all ready to head for the next meeting, Ingoldo announced that he would not be there. “Prince Fëanáro has invited us on a hunt,” he said, gesturing to Tinwetariel. “My son, Intarion, will sit in my place.”

Intarion actually paled and Valandur thought the poor ellon was going to faint on the spot. He took Intarion’s arm to steady him. No one commented, but from the frowns on the faces of the others, he could tell that they were displeased, not with Intarion, whom they all liked, but with Ingoldo, who ignored them, taking his wife’s arm and leading her away.

“Why would Fëanáro invite them anywhere?” Sorondur continued as they sought their seats. The Vanyar were the first to arrive at the table, though the scribes were already in place. “The prince hates all Vanyar. It’s as plain as the nose on your face. So, why invite them to a hunt and why now?”

Valandur had no ready answer. He smiled sympathetically at Intarion sitting nervously next to him, for he had refused to sit in his atar’s throne, and patted him on the arm. “It’s all right,” he said softly. “Let Laurelindalë and Sorondur do most of the talking. They are the ones who will be working on the trade agreement with their Noldorin counterparts. You are just here in an official capacity to be consulted if necessary.”

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this for a while if at all,” Intarion whispered back even as the Noldorin delegates entered the room. The Vanyar all stood and gave them bows of greeting, which the Noldor returned. Findis gave them a searching look.

“Will Prince Ingoldo be joining us?” she asked somewhat stiffly and Valandur narrowed his eyes as he realized that the elleth already knew the answer to the question. He was unsure why she was asking it unless it was for the benefit of her companions and for the scribes who, he knew, would be listing the names of all the attendees to each meeting. He could get no sense of whether she approved or disapproved of Ingoldo’s absence.

Intarion bowed again. “My atar and amillë will not be joining us today,” he said, speaking almost as stiffly as Findis. “Shall we begin?”

Valandur approved of Intarion not explaining his parents’ absence and gave the younger ellon points for diplomacy. It was not of any import save that the burden of leading the Vanyarin delegation now rested with Intarion who was ill-prepared for it. Findis, meanwhile, merely nodded and sat, thus allowing the others to take their seats as well.

“Yes, by all means, let us begin,” Findis said briskly. “The question, the main question, before us is: What do the Vanyar have that we want and what do we have that they want and how can we both get what we want without making enemies of one another? Does that about sum it up?” She gave them a coy smile and several people grinned, including Valandur who could not help himself. He had to admire the elleth’s approach, diffusing any possible tension between the two parties right at the beginning.

Lord Herencáno chuckled. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, my lady,” he said, “but you are essentially correct.”

“Thank you, Lord Herencáno,” Findis said with a gracious nod. “So, how do we go about implementing all this? I confess that this is all rather new to me.”

“It is new to us all,” Intarion replied. “We have never felt the need to create such agreements between us before this. I am not entirely sure why we are doing it now. My uncle did not deign to explain it to me, though he may have explained it to my atar.”

“If I may, my lady?” Herencáno said and when Findis nodded, he spoke. “What you say is true, my lord. Until now, we have been happy enough to ignore the Vanyar even as the Vanyar have ignored us.” He shrugged. “I do not say this as an indictment against anyone; I am merely stating a fact. However, with the marriage of the Lady Indis to our King, that has begun to change. There has been more commerce between our two cities since then and I believe that there has even been a spate of marriages between Noldor and Vanyar, at least among the lower classes.”

“And do you disapprove?” Valandur couldn’t help asking. Those unions had been a topic of conversation even in his own home and not all the Vanyar had voiced approval of them, though there was no outright hostility toward any who had married outside the clan. He was interested to know how the Noldor felt about them.

“Disapprove?” Herencáno exclaimed. “I neither approve nor disapprove, Loremaster. It is simply what it is. That being said, it cannot be denied that not everyone has approved of those unions, but as I said, so far, they have occurred only among the lower classes, mostly among the merchants from both clans, which only makes sense since they, more than anyone else, have had more contact with one another.”

“It strikes me as odd, though, that none of our delegates are themselves merchants,” Valandur said. “I would think that we would want to have at least a couple of merchants since, after all, they will be the most affected by what we decide here.”

“But they do not dictate policy,” one of the Noldor said. “That is the purview of the nobility.”

“Governmental policy, I can see,” Valandur retorted with a frown, “and I have no objections to that.”

“Thank you,” Findis interjected with a disdainful sniff.

Valandur smiled. “I do question our competence in devising an equitable trade agreement when none of us, and I include myself in this, know a thing about trade. Indeed, my own otorno has accused me of being incapable of knowing how to bargain and I’ll admit as much and I doubt anyone else in this room is an expert in it either. And why should you be? That is not something you need to do on a daily basis. But merchants live and breathe bargains. I have walked through the markets in Vanyamar and I have seen the eyes of merchants lighting up when they encounter someone who can give as good as they get and knows how to bargain shrewdly. So, why aren’t they here at this table? Why aren’t the very people who will be affected the most by our decisions here to lend us their expertise?”

There was an uneasy silence for a time. Valandur ignored the scowl that Aldamir sent his way, his eyes solely on Findis. “So, what do you suggest, Loremaster? That we go out onto the streets of Tirion and seek the advice of merchants?” she asked.

“It would be a start,” Valandur said, “though somewhat impractical. What of the guilds? Surely there are guildmasters whom you could consult.”

“Very likely,” Herencáno said with a nod, “but if we do so, that gives us an advantage over you, for you cannot consult with your own guildmasters, unless, of course, we delay these talks long enough for you to ask for their attendance.”

“And that would also be impractical,” Valandur said. “Yet, you see the flaw of our meeting like this. It’s not enough for those in authority to simply say this or that will be done. That can only lead to resentment and the main argument will be ‘Why were we not consulted in this?’ And they would be right to be angry.”

“Even if the agreement is favorable to them?” Sorondur asked. “How can they complain about that?”

Valandur shook his head. “It isn’t the agreement that will upset them; it is the fact that they were not allowed to voice their own concerns. Do any of you know what they are?”

Some of the delegates on both sides shook their heads.

“So what can we do?” Intarion asked. “It’s too late to bring the merchants in on the discussion.”

“These discussions, yes,” Valandur agreed, “but not on future discussions. I think that whatever agreements are made between us will need to be ratified by the merchants themselves or there will be much resentment and neither the Ingaran nor the Noldóran will be happy about that.”

Several people sighed in discouragement.

“I am sorry,” Valandur added in true contriteness. “I do not mean to stop these negotiations before they even get started, but I feel you need to be aware that dictating policy that affects everyone, nobles and commoners alike, is one thing; dictating policy that affects only a single group without consulting with that group is something else entirely. It’s unfair to everyone.”

“Well, abandoning these talks is not an option,” Findis said with something of a huff of discontent. “We, and only we, have been chosen to come up with an equitable agreement that will be binding between our two clans. I agree that it would have been better to have included at least some of the guildmasters in this and perhaps in the future they will be, but for the moment we should concentrate on presenting a trade agreement to our respective kings and let them worry about whether the merchants will accept it or not.”

Several people, both Vanyar and Noldor, nodded in agreement.

Valandur sat back, keeping his expression neutral. He had voiced his concern, one he had felt almost from the very beginning when Laurelindalë had introduced him to the others as they made their way to Tirion, realizing that Ingwë, for all his wisdom, had failed to include at least one reputable merchant in their delegation. Had he been given more time, he would have spoken to Ingwë about it, but he doubted that the Ingaran would have done anything. It was obvious to him that the constitution of the two delegations had been planned and approved between Ingwë and Finwë ahead of time.

“Where then do we begin?” Intarion asked. It was Sorondur who answered.

“Contrary to what Loremaster Valandur may think, the merchants of Vanyamar were consulted as to what they would like to see in this trade agreement. Lady Laurelindalë and I spent many hours speaking with the heads of various merchants’ guilds, soliciting their opinions and ideas. We then constructed a list of concerns that we can share with you.”

Findis nodded. “Please,” she said.

Sorondur fished out several sheets of parchment from the pile before him. “It has been agreed that there has been little real trade between our two cities, but what trade there has been has been primarily luxury goods for the nobles of both clans rather than goods that would be accessible to all classes….”

****

The list was long and thorough and much of the time was spent in discussing each point. Some of what Sorondur said set off fierce debates among them. Valandur did not contribute to any of the discussions, content to sit back and observe the interactions of the others. Finally, though, Findis suggested that they adjourn for the day as it was past the time when they normally would break for lunch.

“I would like a copy of that list for ourselves,” she said as the delegates rose to leave the table and Aldamir quickly assured her that a copy would be sent before Second Mingling. The two groups parted ways at the juncture between the north and east wings and the Vanyar continued on. Valandur was thinking of his dinner with his friends which was scheduled for later and was not paying much attention to the others. When they reached their apartments, Valandur made to leave, wishing to spend some time in the gardens attached to the wing before leaving for his rendezvous, but Aldamir grabbed his arm and pulled him into the main sitting room with everyone else following.

“You were out of line, Loremaster,” Aldamir exclaimed angrily before Valandur could protest. “You had no business speaking as you did, embarrassing us all, including the Noldor. You are here to observe only, so from now on keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself.”

“I felt that the issue about the merchants had to be addressed,” Valandur retorted stiffly. “I thought it odd that a delegation sent to discuss a trade agreement didn’t include any merchants who would be directly affected by the treaty. I was unaware of the fact that you had solicited views from the merchants beforehand, though I still believe it would’ve been better had Ingwë asked some of the guildmasters to join us.”

“Why didn’t you just ask us about it then instead of practically accusing us of snobbery?” Laurelindalë demanded, looking both affronted and disappointed.

“You are snobs, all of you, to one degree or another,” Valandur responded. “I’m a snob as well, as my students will readily tell you. That is not the point. The point is, neither group includes anyone who is intimately acquainted with the day-to-day affairs of being a merchant. Your list is fine but it’s only that, a list, no doubt pared down from several pages of notes. It may or may not address all the concerns of the merchants, but in the end, it is simply a list and it seemed to me that the concerns that were the most hotly contested by both sides were the ones that appeared to be the most reasonable, at least from the standpoint of a merchant.”

“And you would know?” Nolondilmë asked. “You are a loremaster. What do you know of trade?”

“I helped my amillë sell her tapestries and other woven goods and I spent several yéni working as a woodcarver before I was able to join the Academy. Granted, I was not directly involved with the selling of our products. I left that in the capable hands of my master, but I certainly had the opportunity to watch him in the buying and selling of goods and am probably more aware than any of you of what it means to be a merchant.”

“Well, what I said earlier goes,” Aldamir proclaimed. “From now on you are to remain silent during the negotiations. If you have a concern, you may speak of it in private with us either before or after but not during. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly,” Valandur replied through gritted teeth.

“It had better be,” Aldamir threatened. “Sorondur, give our loremaster that list. He can copy it out for Lady Findis.”

“I am not a scribe,” Valandur protested even as Sorondur was fishing out the list and handing it to him.

“You are whatever I say you are,” Aldamir shot back. “As Lord Ingoldo’s secretary I have that authority. I promised to have the list for Lady Findis by Second Mingling. I suggest you get started and when you are finished, you may deliver the list to the lady in person.” With that he turned and walked out of the room and everyone else joined him. Everyone but Intarion who gave him a rueful look.

“You were out of line, you know that, don’t you?” Intarion asked.

“So you think I should have just sat there?” Valandur shot back angrily. “I honestly don’t know why I’m here. Your uncle’s instructions to me were too vague, too nebulous, and I hate it. I hate being here with you all, not really a part of any of this and everyone treating me with suspicion.”

“Suspicion?”

“Oh, don’t think I’m unaware of the whispers behind my back, wondering if I was really sent to spy on you all, though why any of you think you’re important enough to be spied upon is beyond me.”

“You needn’t be so nasty about it,” Intarion exclaimed, looking hurt. “I never thought you were here to spy on us.”

“Sorry,” Valandur said contritely. “I know you don’t think so, but you cannot deny that others have thought it. If I had an actual position with the delegation, that might be different, but I’m an outsider and in more ways than one. Until now, I’ve had little congress with the upper classes and frankly I have little patience with them. I struggled for too long and too hard to get where I am to be too impressed by those who sail through life without needing to lift a finger.”

“Now you’re being unfair,” Intarion said, “and you accuse us of being snobs. Second Mingling will be soon. I suggest you get started on that list.” With that he turned and left before Valandur could utter a word, leaving him standing there silently cursing his own stupidity. Intarion didn’t deserve his ire, he knew, and he hoped he hadn’t ruined their friendship with his thoughtless words. He sighed and stared at the sheaves of parchment in his hands, wishing he could just throw them away, knowing that he couldn’t.

Damn Aldamir! He was going to be late for his own dinner engagement because of this. He went to the secretary in the corner of the room and fished out some fine vellum and hastily scribbled a note, folding it and, lighting the candle used for that purpose, dripped wax on it, sealing it with his loremaster’s signet ring, then writing Calandil’s name and address on one side. He went to the door and opened it, looking about, hoping to find one of the pages or other servants, but the hallway was empty. He strode down the hall toward the main foyer but did not have to go far when he spied the mistress of the household responsible for the upkeep of the north wing coming out of one of the rooms off the hall.

“Ah, Mistress, I need to have this missive sent immediately. I wasn’t able to find a page and…”

“You need only to have used the bell rope that can be found in any of the rooms, Loremaster, and someone would come.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot,” Valandur admitted ruefully. “I am afraid I am unused to palace life.”

“No matter, Loremaster,” the elleth said kindly. “I can take the letter for you. We have a fine messenger service attached to the palace and they can send someone promptly.”

“Thank you,” Valandur said, handing the missive over. “I appreciate it very much.”

The elleth just nodded and continued on her way. Valandur resisted a sigh as he returned to the sitting room and sat before the secretary, grabbing some foolscap and dipping his quill in ink. He began writing out the list, hoping it would not take him too long. He wondered if he should just have one of the servants deliver the copy to Lady Findis so he could get on to dinner with his friends, in spite of Aldamir’s orders, but then the thought of seeing the fair elleth again and hearing her lovely voice set his pulse racing and he decided he could afford to detour long enough to bring the list to her.

****

It took Valandur longer than he had anticipated to even reach the private wing of the royal family, much less see Lady Findis. He was stopped all along the way, questioned by the guards who were assigned to protect the royal family’s privacy. Eventually, he found himself standing before two more guards who gave him polite greetings but there was an undertone of suspicion in their voices when they questioned him.

“Please give Princess Findis my respect,” Valandur said after identifying himself. “I was asked to deliver these documents to her by Second Mingling.”

“We can see that the lady receives the documents, Loremaster,” one of the guards said, holding out his hand.

“I was told to deliver the documents into Princess Findis’ hands personally,” Valandur lied smoothly.

The guard hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. “I will see if Her Highness is receiving visitors,” he said, leaving his partner with Valandur who forced himself not to fidget or otherwise appear nervous. He chafed at the delay, wishing he had just given the list to some page to deliver. He was ready to just hand the list over to the guard so he could be on his way when his partner returned. “Her Highness will receive you, Loremaster.”

“Thank you,” Valandur said and followed the guard to a door further down the hall. The guard knocked on it once and then opened it, allowing Valandur to enter.

He was in a small sitting room, tastefully appointed. The outer wall was a series of arches leading to a balcony overlooking one of the gardens. Lady Findis was wearing a simple day frock of green-dyed muslin with sprigs of yellow flowers carefully embroidered on the hem, collar and sleeves. Her hair was loosely braided, flowing down her back like spun gold, caught with a simple coronet of plain white gold. She stood with a book in her hands and he wondered if it were poetry. The thought of hearing her recite poetry excited and intrigued him and he wondered how her shifting accent would alter and enhance the voice of the poetic form. He ruthlessly clamped down on his imagination as he gave her his obeisance.

“Loremaster,” she said, her tone cool and somewhat distant.

“Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness, but you wished for this list by Second Mingling.” He held out the copy of Sorondur’s list.

For a moment she hesitated and then, placing the book on a table, stepped closer to take the proffered pages. “That’s very kind of you, Loremaster,” she said, “but why did you bring them yourself? One of the pages could have done so.”

Her fingers brushed against his as she took the sheets from him and Valandur felt his breath catch in his throat. Findis blushed pink, looking flustered as she turned away to place the sheets on the table next to the book. Valandur took a few gulping breaths before answering.

“Punishment, Your Highness,” and he was amazed that his voice sounded so normal.

Findis looked up in surprise and raised an eyebrow. “Punishment?”

Valandur shrugged. “Aldamir was less than pleased with my… um… observations earlier and told me in no uncertain terms that from now on I was to keep my mouth shut. He had me copy out the list that Sorondur had read and told me to deliver it to you in person. And now I have done so and I will leave you, for I was to meet with friends for dinner and I am already late.” He bowed again and started to leave.

“Wait!”

Valandur turned. “Your Highness?” He gave her an appraising look. Findis stood there hesitantly with the Light of the Trees shining around her, limning her with a soft golden-silvery glow as Laurelin’s light waned and Telperion’s light waxed. There was an innocence about her, a freshness of spirit that caused his heart to stir. He silently castigated himself for several kinds of fool. She was not for him and never could be. They were from two separate worlds. Yet he could not deny the desire growing within him to take her into his arms and kiss her. It was all he could do to stand there evincing cool indifference.

“I am sorry you were reprimanded by Aldamir,” she finally said. “You were correct in your observations and I, for one, appreciate your candor. I hope that you will continue to make your observations for the benefit of us all. I think you lend these negotiations a unique viewpoint that the rest of us do not have.”

“I was told to keep my opinions to myself,” Valandur retorted. “I do not think anyone will want to listen to me anyway. I really have no part in the negotiations.”

“Then they are fools,” Findis said hotly. “If no one will deign to listen to you, I certainly will. I have already arranged a meeting with some of our guildmasters to discuss this list to see if they agree with it.”

“I am pleased that you have taken that step, Your Highness,” Valandur said sincerely. “I think it important to solicit the opinions of the guilds on this matter.”

“Aldamir may have effectively silenced you as far as your own people are concerned but I would appreciate hearing any further thoughts you might have on the subject.”

“That would exceed my orders from the Ingaran and would give the Noldor an unfair advantage,” Valandur pointed out.

“Perhaps if you were to share your thoughts with Intarion as well?”

“I fear that I offended Prince Intarion,” Valandur admitted ruefully. “He was very angry with me.”

“He will not stay angry long,” Findis assured him. “Intarion is not Uncle Ingoldo. Speak with him and tell him what I have told you. Let him decide for himself if he wishes for your input. But you are correct that sharing your views with me and me alone would not be fair. I think I may have a solution to that. I will think upon it.”

Valandur nodded, giving her a bow, and started to leave but stopped. Findis gave him a puzzled look. “Was there something else, Loremaster?”

For a long second, Valandur just stood there feeling foolish. Finally he pointed at the book. “I could not help but wonder what you were reading, Your Highness.”

She raised an eyebrow at that and, smiling, went over to the table and picked up the book, bringing it to him. “You may borrow it if you would like,” she said.

Valandur glanced down at the thin book. It was bound in red leather with what appeared to be a parma tengwa with a diagonal slash through the closed bow done in gold leaf. He gingerly took the book from Findis and opened it, feeling both surprised and elated at what he saw. It was not poetry, but it was beautiful.

“It is a treatise by Rúmil on how he constructed the earliest forms of tengwar,” Findis explained. “Can you read it? It is in the older form of Quenya.”

“I am surprised you can read it,” Valandur said without thinking as he turned the pages, quickly scanning the text.

“Oh? And why is that, Loremaster?” Findis retorted.

Valandur blushed. “Your pardon, Highness. I only meant that since your brother revised the tengwar which is now almost universally used by us, few of the younger generations have bothered to learn the older forms. I know that Ingwë has commissioned a number of scribes to transcribe our older texts using the newer form so that their contents will not be lost because no one can read them. As a loremaster and a lambengolmo, I have naturally studied Rúmil’s works, though I do not recall reading this one before. I did not know you were interested in such things.”

“I confess that I find it hard going at times, but I admire Master Rúmil. He is our greatest loremaster, though there are some who are claiming my brother is far greater than he.” She gave him a wry look. “I don’t agree with their estimation, though I believe Fëanáro exceeds Master Rúmil in one talent, at least.”

“And what talent is that, Highness?”

“Arrogance.”

Valandur forced himself not to smile, for he was in complete agreement, but did not wish to say anything disparaging about the prince in Findis’ presence. That would not be politic. Instead he closed the book and handed it back to her.

“No, please take it. I have read it before. I would be interested to know what you think of this book. Have you ever met Master Rúmil?”

“A long time ago and only in passing. I cannot say that we have ever actually met.”

“Then perhaps I can arrange an introduction.”

“Thank you. I would like that.”

“I will see what I can do. Now, I believe you said you had friends waiting for you?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes!” Valandur blushed, having completely forgotten about his dinner engagement. He glanced out the embrasure, noticing that the light was now definitely silvery as Telperion’s light waxed. “I should leave now.” Yet for some reason he felt a great reluctance to do so, but Findis nodded and wished him a good day and he gave her a bow and left, clutching the book in his hand.

He asked the guards for directions to the nearest exit that would take him to one of the palace gates and then continued on his way, his thoughts centered more around Findis than about meeting with his friends.

****

Note: The description of the tengwa on the book cover is that of the letter ‘r’ as devised by Rúmil, the Noldorin sage who composed the Ainulindalë and was the first deviser of written characters, according to Tolkien [see Parma Eldalamberon 13, ‘The Alphabet of Rúmil and Early Noldorin Fragments’]. In the Fëanorean system ‘r’ is either untrilled (No. 21) or trilled (No. 25), and the parma tengwa is No. 2 [see ‘Appendix E’].