One Flesh, One Soul. Part 2 by FellFireFan  

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Unexpected Visitor

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Norgothrond
386 A.D.

Finrod sat comfortably in the dimly lit chambers. Soft scribbles of the quill sounded from the parchment as he penned a missive. Its intended recipient was Aegnor. Taking a rest mid-way through, the wooden, elven carved chair creaked as he leaned back and sighed deeply. In the rush of thought that clouded his mind, he found himself utterly bereft of words, and for a long, lingering spell, he was deeply troubled.

He was faced with an impossible decision. To allow his brother the freedom to choose to continue on this path, knowing only grief and despair without union waited for him at the end, or to protect his brothers heart, sparing him the grief of her loss, shouldering the blame entirely.

He plucked his quill up from its inky prison. Just as it made contact with the parchment again, an unexpected sound caught him off guard, pulling him from his stormy thoughts. His curiosity switched to alarm when a pair of hands grasped the bottom of the window from the outside. Finrod leapt to his feet to confront the unexpected intruder only to see Aegnor's robust figure, clouded in shadow pulling himself upwards and inside.

"Aegnor!" Finrod yelled, grabbing him.

"Your guards are very diligent Finrod," Aegnor laughed as Finrod pulled him in, he clambered over the sill and into the cosy room.

"Aegnor! Why must you continually disregard the formality of penned letter announcing your coming afore hand! Had my guards seen you, they would have shot you!" He scolded him harshly. The ire in Finrods eyes only made his boyish youngest brother laugh.

"Is it not my duty to offer distraction from the tedious affairs of the state?" Aegnor quipped, his witty grin widening further. "You should thank me!" He added

"Do not make light of this, Aegnor! From this moment one you shall not enter my realm or scale my walls without first notifying my guards of your presence. Do I make myself clear?!" Finrod fumes, pointing his finger directly in his face.

Seeing Finrods genuine anger blazed, Aegnor took aback, his smile slowly morphing into a frown of confusion.

"What troubles you, Finrod?" Aegnor asked softly

Finrod's stern countenance softened, his gaze fixated on Aegnor's eyes, shimmering with innocence. Releasing a tense sigh. "I was in the proceeds of penning a missive addressed to you," A heavy burden weighed upon his features, casting a dark shadow over his countenance. He returned to his writing desk and leaned against it. His nirmally merry and calm voice, heavy with a deep melancholy, "there are matters of great significance I need to discuss with you..." Finrod continued.

"And I with you" Aegnor smiled broadly. He placed his hand on his chest, as is trying to stop his heart from leaping out, "there is a secret I have longed to share with you... that is why I have come."

Silence fell, heavy and deafening. As Finrod rested his elbow on the desk, his head cradled in his hand. Sensing his brother's sombre mood, uncharacteristic for him, Aegnor paused, his grin sinking into a look of confusion.

"Brother?" Aegnor spoke. Finrod sat silently, and his form was cloaked in shadows. "Finrod... if I have committed any offence against you I beg your forgiveness..."

Finally, Finrod turned around.

"No Aegnor, you are innocent, yet I confess... my heart is deeply, deeply troubled." Finrod muttered sombrely.

Aegnor watched Finrod silently as with a graceful sweep, he sat down upon the furnishings, extending his hand, he invited Aegnor to occupy the cheslonge parallel to him.

"Must you make every familial affair between us a rigorous formality? You know how much I hate that!" Aegnor grumbled as he came and sat down before him. The brothers stared at one another quietly, the air thick with unspoken words. A smile, masking a profound sense of dread, gently uplifted the corners of Finrod's plump lips.

"I am happy to see you so elated Aegnor..." Finrod began, his posture, stiff. A tense pause lingered between them. Aegnor observed his brothers hands that sat upon his lap. Their form tightly clenching together with one finger tapping rhythmically at the back of his hand. The tension thickened, and Finrod cautiously posed his question. "Are you ready now to divulge the name of the maiden, the very one who has cast her spell upon your heart?" He asked.

"You are nervous, Finrod," He remarked. Aegnor was no fool; Finrod could not deceive him, and he was foolish to believe he ever could.

Finrod released a heavy sigh. His hair shimmering like moonlight upon a field of snow, his full, plump lips tensing.

"I first discerned a change within you at the gathering in the few years passed." He began. "I noticed how you tended to Andreth. Her sway over your heart is... remarkable, to say the least." He paused. The heavy silence lingered as Finrod tensed under Aegnor's penetrating, almost predatory gaze, then he continued slowly, "I witnessed you both rise to retreat to the quiet of the wood, I bore witness to all that had followed between you and her afterward."

Aegnor rose from his seat, "so you followed me!" He growled

Finrod remained in his place. His steady gaze meeting Aegnor's. "Understand Aegnor, that what I did, I did for good reason..."

"Good reason!?" Aegnor barked, his voice coarse with building rage. "What reason could you possibly provide to justify this blatant abuse of my trust!" Aegnor shouted, his powerful voice shook the room.

("Sit down, Aegnor!") Finrod spoke calmly and clearly in elvish, he held an authority over Aegnors outbursts that no one could deny. Aegnor, seething, took a deep breath and obeyed his brother and sat back down.

"You are justified in your anger toward me, my brother. Know that I never deliberately seek to involve myself in your personal matters out of respect of you. Though in this particular instance, I deemed it was necessary."

Aegnors eyes blazed, boring into Finrods. His lips tensed in fury and his shoulders dropped.

"You may be the eldest Finrod... and you wear atar's own ring... but you do not hold authority over my own life, nor the decision I see fit to make! Have you already forgotten the countless times you would abscond with Amarïe into the night, and I kept it hidden from amil and atar, concealing your secrets from even them! This is how you repay me!

Finrod sighed defeatedly, his gaze dropping to his lap. "Aegnor, for undisputed clarity, I must ascertain beyond any shadow of doubt...." Finrods gaze lifted to Aegnor. A gesture of desperate hope that he is wrong, "the maiden you spoke to me of... is she Andreth?"

There was no expression on Aegnors face. A chilling vacancy of any discerning response. Though his eyes burned with ire, more terrifying than a dragons calculating stare. Finally, he replied, his tone as cold as his glare

"She is,"

The confirmation if his worst fear hung over Finrod like a leaden cloud. His head sunk low into his chest, and a look of deep regret darkened his brow.

"Be cautious, Finrod, that you do not further invoke my wrath, lest I succumb to deeds I shall certainly regret!" Aegnor warned, Finrod regarded him slowly. His clear threat not going unnoticed.

"You show caution, Aegnor! Do not make threats toward me! Control the anger that rages inside you!" Finrod asserted himself, his voice resonating with a low, commanding timbre.

A mysterious darkness shadowed Aegnor's brow lending power to the profound, unnerving glow that lit up his eyes like a raging wildfire. A terrifying look, that sent even Finrods fear to surface. Though it did frighten him to behold such an intensity in his youngest brother, Finrod stood his ground calm and in complete control. Suddenly, as if caught by a flicker, Aegnors eyes twitched and he disengaged, the shadow disappearing from his eyes. His gaze sank in quiet submission.

"Then, you disapprove," Aegnor muttered quietly, his head hung in low in defeat. "Yes, she is no high princess of noble elven birth. She is courageous as the ancient kings, as strong as the wild rivers flow and to her gentle voice, wind yields its power! She is unlike any maiden I have known, be they of men or of elves and she commands my heart. Yet you, my own brother, despises her!" He snarled

"On the contrary," Finrod countered, "I hold a great fondness for Andreth, She is after all the fore daughter of my most trusted servant and friend," Finrod replied, finally prompting Aegnor to look at him. A heavy pause hung in the air, and choosing to switch to elvish, he used their mother tongue to speak to Aegnors heart.

("The call of the feä is a phenomenon that resonates only within the Eldar. Bestowed upon us by the Valar, it is a connection that eludes the comprehension of all other races. Whether the depth of Andreth's love for you matches the fervent longing in your own heart, none can say with certainty. As Eldar, we are bound to seek out our spouses only among our own kind.")

("What did you say...?) Aegnor whispered slowly, his eyes narrowing.

Finrod explained on. ("When you came to me, to first seek my counsel, you unveiled the captive state of your heart, withholding her name from me, and I respected your silence. I presumed that the identity of this maiden was that of our own kind and not of mortal lineage. It was only through the glimpses of the passionate embrace you shared with her that fateful night that the gravity of my misjudgement unravelled before me,")

Aegnor sat unmoving, the same vacant glare boring into Finrod. Then, without warning, Aegnors rage exploded. His steel capped boot slammed beneath the small table between them, upturning it in a loud sudden crash. He sprung to his feet, towering over Finrod, his teeth and jaw clenching tightly.

"Not only do you violate my boundaries, now you seek to insult me! Calling into question the legitimacy of Andreth's love for me!" He roared, "whether Andreth has the blood of Eldar or the Edain, She is no less worthy a maiden to me! There is no distinctive differences when it comes to our genders that I can see with my own eyes! Why then would it matter? Other than your desire to drive us apart by blatant bigotry in your heart!"

Then Finrod rose to his full height. His eyes thunderous and his voice deepening, resonating with total authority. "Do not besmirch my character with words that have no place in my home!" he thundered

Aegnor darkened, his eyes narrowing. He stepped close, invading Finrods space. His breath softening with sadistic venom, "Did it vex you brother, to witness our heated kiss? I tasted her fully and it pleased her! Our tongues caressed with blissful delight!"

"Enough Aegnor!" Finrod thundered loudly. He pushed him back again, his eyes flashing. "You are vulgar and utterly bereft of the decorum of our noble house! You bring so much dishonour and shame to us, and you neither see nor care! Are you utterly incapable of learning from your mistakes?!" Finrod yelled.

"My only mistake lies in placing my trust in YOU!" Aegnor screamed. His ferocious bellow silenced the room. Finrod stared at his brother. His brow strained with deep hurt. Aegnor was not done with him yet. "I care not for your feelings Finrod. Hear my words! Once this accursed war is over, Andreth and I will wed. And if you deny us the rights to an elven ceremonial union, then by hröa to hröa alone, we will have it!"

He spun to leave, his form gliding toward the window and stopped. His voice, once powerful... now a ghostly caress

"I do not want enmity with you," Aegnor murmured. The light from the window cast upon him, he turned back to face him, catching the glistening in his watery eyes. "I came in hopes of celebration, that we might both rejoice in this newfound joy within my heart, just as you have known... with Amarïe. I have longed for a love of my own, my heart is inclined toward Andreth and I will accept no other. Why do you deny me the very same?" Aegnor quivered, his steely grey eyes glistening in the light. "brother, what can I do?"

Finrod sighed mournfully, his brow wrinkled with profound sadness. For once, Finrod had not the words to comfort him or advise him. His silence unsettled Aegnor even more.

"Finrod... please!" He broke. "I can no longer live like this! All my life, I have served you, I have done all that you have asked of me..." Aegnor broke down, his tears spilling down bis chiselled cheeks, "why do you deny me this only desire? You are not being fair..."

The sound of Aegnors helpless crying was too agonising for Finrod to hear. Aegnor crumbled before him. He slowly turned back to the window, resigning himself to Finrods decision and a life of exclusion from his kin.

"Wait Aegnor," Finrod finally replied with remarkable steadiness. "Follow me, there is something I need you to see." He swiftly left the room, inviting him to follow. With trembling breaths, Aegnor wiped his tears and left with Finrod.