As Easy as Baking Bread by octopus_fool  

Hunleth stared at the hard lump of bread in frustration. It was not something she had thought much about, so it was even more painful to utterly fail at it. Bread was something that had come from the kitchens, and before that, it was something her mother had baked.

"We want you to get an education," Hunleth heard her father's voice in her head as she gnawed on the hard lump. "That's why we are sending you to Nargothrond, even though it is far away."

Well, Hunleth could recite poetry from Valinor and list all the types of jewels. She knew the names of all the rivers and streams in Beleriand, excelled at playing the flute, and could recognize the star constellations Varda had set in the sky as well as when they had been set there.

She also knew the surest way to be evicted from Nargothrond. Apparently, not all Elven-kings were willing to set a bride-prize for their daughters, even though Hunleth would have been just as willing to break a silmaril from Morgoth's crown as Beren had been. But Finduilas had told her not to.

She just had no idea how to do anything useful, or even do the most essential things, like bake bread. Somehow, Hunleth had assumed that would be easy.

In the end, Hunleth had to swallow her pride the way she had swallowed the dry bread. She sought out the neighbour she felt would be least likely to laugh at her plight and bruise her self-confidence further.

Galdreth looked at her in surprise at the request, but agreed to help her. She was a much more patient teacher than many that Hunleth had known in Nargothrond.

She told Hunleth which ingredients she needed in which quantities, and looked mildly surprised when Hunleth wrote down what she had said.

Hunleth watched as Galdreth kneaded the dough, her arms short but strong and covered in flour almost up to her elbows. There was something strangely hypnotic to watching the rhythmic motions of her hands and arms.

"Do we put it in the oven now?" Hunleth asked when Galdreth finished kneading the dough.

"No! It is not nearly ready yet. It needs time to grow, like plants on a field do."

That was another thing Hunleth knew precious little about. A lesson for next spring, she supposed. Her pride was going to take even more beatings.

They set the bread in a bowl, covered it, and put it near the oven. "It needs warmth to grow, just like the rye and wheat it is made from does."

Then they waited, the silence stretching a little more than was comfortable. Their lives up to this point had very few common points, even though they were about the same age. Hunleth had the impression that Galdreth was less prone to gossiping than many others were, which was why she had chosen to ask her for help. But that also ruled out at least one topic of conversation.

"I fear I am not up-to-date on quite a number of things," Hunleth said finally. "It is very kind of you to help me. If you don't mind too much, I will probably ask you to explain more things. I'm afraid what I learned in Nargothrond is rather less practical and unsuited to life here, as I am quickly finding out."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. I am happy to help. There is just one little favour I'd like to ask in return, if that is not too bold." Galdreth shyly scratched her nose, leaving a smudge of flour.

Hunleth nodded. "I will be happy to, if it is in my might."

"I would love to hear more about Nargothrond and the elves there. I've always liked hearing about them, but most people don't know much about them. Often, they also see tales about elves as useless daydreaming."

Hunleth was happy to comply, telling Galdreth about the great halls of Nargothrond and how seamlessly the caves of the city were concealed in the landscape.

Galdreth listened in fascination, and they almost let the dough rise longer than necessary.

"You can try the next round of kneading the dough," Galdreth said after they added the next ingredients.

Her warm hands guided Hunleth's until Hunleth got the hang of it. It was quite satisfying to work with the dough, Hunleth found, though she supposed she would feel sore from the unaccustomed movements the next day.

Finally, they formed two loaves from the dough, let them rise again and then pushed them into the oven.

An hour and many stories about Nargothrond later, Hunleth had two perfect loaves of grey farmer's bread. The scent instantly reminded her of her mother and the happy days of her childhood.

She thanked Galdreth wholeheartedly, and Galdreth smiled.

"I was happy to help and enjoyed your stories of Nargothrond. I will be baking bread in three days time. If you like, you can join me. That way, you can ask if you have any questions, and it is more enjoyable with company."

Hunleth happily accepted the invitation. She watched as Galdreth left. Not only had she learned how to bake bread, but Hunleth also felt a warm glow, almost like she had when she had been around Finduilas. 

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