An Elf at the North Pole by elennalore  

Sledding

To meet North Polar Bear’s nephews, Celebrimbor needed to go outdoors, for they were apparently playing in the snow. NPB brought him more clothes; a hooded winter coat made of thick wool, a scarf and a pair of mittens. It was winter now, NPB told him, and Celebrimbor had to keep himself warm and be careful not to catch a cold.

Winter. Celebrimbor realised that it had been months since he had last been outside. Since his arrival, working in Father Christmas’s workshop had kept his mind busy, and he hadn’t paid any attention to the world outside. He had dismissed his past from his mind, and being absorbed in his new inventions, he had almost forgotten that he hadn’t always lived at the North Pole as Father Christmas’s Elf.

For a moment, he wanted to pull off his colourful mittens and return to the safety of the workshop, but NPB was growing impatient. Jumping on his two hind legs, he urged Celebrimbor forward.

“Hurry up! Paksu and Valkotukka have wanted to meet you ever since they came to visit us! They have built a snow hill for sledding, but if we’re not there soon, they might get bored and go somewhere else, and then it will be impossible to find them amongst the snow – they are as white as the whitest snow, you know.”

“I’m coming,” Celebrimbor announced, defeated, as he hurried behind NPB towards the great main door. Perhaps it would not be too bad to go and get some fresh air – and meet a couple of polar cubs.

Outside, the darkness of the night faced him. Celebrimbor paused on the steps and inhaled cold air. He had not expected it to be so dark in the afternoon, but now he remembered NPB telling him that it was like that at the North Pole: nightless nights in summer, and the Sun disappearing in winter. It was not fully dark, however, for the fields of white snow were glimmering in starlight.

“Is it close to midwinter already?” Celebrimbor asked NPB, suddenly worried. He remembered that the powers of Father Christmas were at their height at midwinter. He had already met the Giver of Gifts many times, for the North Pole was not a very big place after all, but there was something ominous in him that made Celebrimbor avoid him if possible. His bright red clothes, bushy eyebrows and huge white beard felt like a mask, and sometimes Celebrimbor wondered if he was someone else altogether.

“Alas, no! You would know if it was!” the Polar Bear laughed. “We still have a month left. Look, I see my nephews over there! And ouch, they seem to be in the middle of a boxing match!”

NPB rushed down the hill to separate his quarrelling nephews, and for a while there was a lot of commotion and rolling in the snow. When Celebrimbor got closer, however, the fight was over, and both culprits looked quite meek if you didn’t count their wide grins that revealed their sharp teeth.

“He took my sled!” one of the Polar cubs claimed.

“And he took mine!” claimed the other.

“Speak no more! Your problem is solved,” NPB promised, “for me and Mr Celebrimbor will now take both of the sleds from you. He’s a new elf around, and he has never gone sledding before.”

This was not exactly true, but Celebrimbor didn’t feel like correcting the Polar Bear. A memory of childhood was evoked: his father pulling him in a sled up a snow hill in Formenos. From there, they had slid down together, laughing as they went. Back then, Celebrimbor had felt that he was a bit too old for such childish fun, but he had had a good time with Atar, nevertheless.

“Here’s your sled,” NPB said and put a piece of rope in his hand. Celebrimbor was far older now, and many things had happened to him after those serene winter days in Formenos, but suddenly he wanted to try sledding again.

“By all means, join us, Little Ones,” he said to Paksu and Valkotukka (he still didn’t know which one was which). “The more the merrier. There’s room for two in each sled.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I’m a big bear,” NPB grumbled, but he let the Polar cubs run ahead uphill without further complaining. On the top of the hill, Celebrimbor sat down in one of the sleds with one of the cubs who told him his name was Valkotukka. His white fur was very soft and glimmered with tiny snowflakes from his previous rolling in the snow. NPB pushed the sled down the hill, and they came down at a high speed, snow blowing around them. Celebrimbor felt joy bubbling inside his chest, and he was laughing aloud by the time their sled stopped at the foot of the hill.

“Again! Again!” shouted Valkotukka happily. NPB’s rumbling laughter seemed to fill the whole valley.

They spent all afternoon sledding down the hill over and over again until it was time for dinner at the cliff house. Being outdoors and all the laughing had considerably soothed Celebrimbor’s mind, and he felt more relaxed than before. Today, he decided not to eat in his own room as was his usual habit. Instead, he joined the others in the dining hall where Father Christmas already sat at the end of a long table, a table filled with delicious dishes of all kinds.

“The busiest time of the year is about to begin,” Father Christmas told them, and a row of red and green elves nodded knowingly. “We need to work hard, for everything must be ready in time.”

Celebrimbor didn’t mind; he was used to deadlines, they only helped his productivity, as he had learned in Eregion. If only he had a partner with whom he could brainstorm his wildest ideas. The elves who manufactured the wooden blocks were nice, but he wished there could be someone who could really challenge him. That way, the best inventions were born. North Polar Bear was a true friend, but he was too chaotic to boost Celebrimbor’s powers of invention. It would be like asking help from uncle Tyelkormo.

“My nephews took Celebrimbor and me sledding today,” NPB told Father Christmas as they were slurping their hot chocolate drinks that were served with the dessert.

“It was very kind of them to borrow their sleds,” FC answered, his piercing eyes suddenly finding Celebrimbor among the crowd. “Celebrimbor has been a little down lately, I think.”

Father Christmas seemed to see inside him, Celebrimbor noticed with disquiet. He knows more than he says. And of course he does, it’s his nature to know things.

His feeling of unease stayed hidden from the Polar cubs, though. “We had great fun!” Valkotukka declared. “We want to borrow Mr Celebrimbor again tomorrow when we’re going to explore a cave!”

“We don’t know if it’s a cave,” Paksu added quickly. “But we hope it is! We found a rock crevice; it was revealed after an avalanche! And it looks like a secret passage!”

“You’ve been exploring on your own again, aren’t you?” NPB sighed, and from his tone Celebrimbor understood that it was not the first time.

Father Christmas had become very attentive all of a sudden. “Where is this possible passage you’re talking about?”

“At the bottom of Lonely Hill,” the polar cubs answered in unison, pointing towards a lonely-standing fell on the other side of the frozen lake.

Father Christmas was silent for a long time, and again, Celebrimbor felt his sharp eyes studying him. “I see,” he heard Father Christmas say at last. “In that case, I will join your expedition tomorrow. It’s not a place to wander into on your own, not even in the company of brave Mr Celebrimbor.”