Celebrimbor: 30-Day Character Study by cloudyhymns

Day 19: Strong Points, Part Two

Yes, Tyelpë, honing and teaching your craft in the dead of night can be disruptive to others.

My three strengths for Prompt 4 were Curiosity, Care, and Craft.

I think I've tortured him enough recently, so here's a less angsty "trouble."

The tower shakes. Annatar jolts awake and stumbles for the hall--the stones groan around him. "Tyelpë! That is enough!"

Through the night, Song comes to life.

"Tyelpë! Can you not hear me?"

Louder than any furnace, greater than any creation of the Children, the building sings under Celebrimbor's touch. There is little question of Celebrimbor's answer--Annatar cannot even hear himself think, with how it rattles through him every measure. One of Celebrimbor's retainers smacks off of his chest as Annatar storms up the spiral stair, no doubt used to navigating by sound in the dark, but nothing will stop the incoming clouds.

At the bench, Celebrimbor sits--and at his side is one of his smiths. This is the one with the voice like tower bells, Annatar remembers, though he cannot quite recall his name. Celebrimbor steps the pattern on the petals and his apprentice mirrors him, studying basic footwork as Celebrimbor handles the pistons. Resonance builds, air swells, and strands familiar from the beginning split the long dark of the winter night.

The clouds break against a wall of living sound. For the first time in living memory, Annatar's own Song falls short.

It is something that should never happen--in front of a stumbling apprentice, nonetheless! The child can hardly play! But their hands dance and their shoes slide and, little by little, the pipe organ of the Noldor bolsters the resistance of the Gwaith-í-Mirdain.

By the time the apprentice has finished his study and receives Celebrimbor's pat on the head in goodnight, Annatar is nowhere to be seen. His forge and bed remain conspicuously empty.

Perhaps he somehow inconvenienced Annatar? A question for when he is here. There are greater worries on his mind; Celebrimbor shrugs and returns to surveying what can be salvaged from the latest shipment of poor-quality ore. It will be long before he finds rest.

Chapter End Notes

Written 02/06/2025, posted slightly after midnight 02/07/2025--counting it for 02/06.

Shoutout to that one great-grandparent (or great-great-grandparent?) of mine who had a (complete!) pipe organ in his HOUSE. Top 100 Most Iconic Neighbors of All Time.