Women's Work by Deborah Judge  

It was a source of endless frustration for Queen Orodreth that her daughter Finduilas would not even begin to take herself seriously. Her new obsession was this young human Agarwaen, whose eyes, she said, were sad. She called him Thurin because of his secrets. Nevermind that Finduilas was already betrothed. Orodreth needed her daughter by her side to help with governing. Finduilas said that as a princess, as a woman, her work was to comfort the sad and to make Nargothrond into a place of beauty. Thurin was wise, she said. Orodreth should listen to him.

Orodreth could hardly blame her. Before she had become queen of Nargothrond, Orodreth had spent most of her years dallying with Sindarin lords and princes until she found the one she liked best, then leading balls and revels with him day and night. She had never planned to become queen. She had never even thought it was possible. It had not been, in the early days of the Noldor.

When Finwë's wife Miriel died, leaving behind their young daughter Fëanor, Finwë petitioned the Valar for permission to remarry. Although he loved his daughter dearly, he said, he needed a son who could be his heir. Fëanor grew to become the greatest smith and inventor ever known among the Noldor, creating wonderous marvels of beauty, including the legendry Silmarils that captured the light of the Trees. Finwë's second wife Indis bore Finwë a son, Nolofinwë, later called Fingolfin. He became the crown prince. As an adult Fëanor found this increasingly intolerable. Where were her brother's great works? Where his great deeds? What madness could judge Fëanor as less worthy, for the only fault of being born a daughter? She spoke these words in secret, and then aloud, and finally in her father's court before drawing her sword and pointing it at her brother's face.

If Fëanor thought this display of masculine-like aggression would help her case she was greatly mistaken. Fëanor and her seven sons were exiled to Formenos. Finwë followed his beloved daughter, the joy of his life, leaving his son to rule in Tirion.

When Finwë was slain by Morgoth, Fëanor's fury at her brother only grew. When she called for revenge, where was her brother? Why did he hesitate? Fëanor came to Tirion wearing her father's crown, promising to lead her father's people to Middle-earth where they would avenge her father and found great and lasting kingdoms, greater than any in Valinor, where daughters would not be precluded from inheritance. She spoke in Tirion making her claim and crowds gathered to listen. Fëanor found an unlikely ally in Fingon daughter of Fingolfin, who disliked Fëanor but could not agree that an elder daughter should be overlooked in favor of her younger brother. Of like mind was Orodreth's aunt Galadriel, who had already made very clear that she intended to rule a kingdom of her own.

To Fingolfin, all of this was insanity. They would go to Middle-earth, he said, but not in rebellion against the Valar. He suspected, he said, that his sister's grief was less for their father than for her stolen jewels that she and her sons had sworn to regain. She has always sought power, Fingolfin said. Power that was not hers to take.

Orodreth's grandmother was Arafinwë, Finwë's youngest child and second daughter. Orodreth was close to her grandmother and when Arafinwë stood between her brother and her sister to call for calm and deliberate action Orodreth was the only one to stand with her. But Arafinwë's call was not heeded and in the end she returned to Tirion with those who would follow her while Orodreth went on with her father to Middle-earth.

Whatever the rights of his claim, Fingolfin was a good king. He ruled the Noldor through four hundred years of peace. His son Turgon soon departed to found a kingdom of his own, taking Aredhel with him, while his daughter Fingon stayed by his side and rode with him into battle. During those years Fingolfin kept Morgoth under watch while constantly urging his people to go on the attack. In the end, when his people were at their lowest momest, he gave his life to show them that Morgoth was not invulnerable.

After Fingolfin's death his daughter Fingon took the throne as High Queen. She had many supporters, including those who remembered her bravery in rescuing Maedhros from Thangorodrim. Of course there were others who said that this was precisely why a woman should not rule, that her loyalty would always be with her husband over the good of her kingdom. To this Fingon replied that Maedhros was not her husband, only her betrothed, and they had agreed not to marry until Morgoth was defeated. In any case Queen Fingon's reign was short and the manner of her death, in an ill-advised battle planned by Maedhros, only reinforced the arguments of those who had opposed her.

Meanwhile in Nargothrond, Finrod had Sindarinized his mother's name Arafinwë as Finarfin, from Finwë-Arafinwë, giving Arafinwë's name the prefix Finwë that Fingolfin had used to mark himself Finwë's heir. Finrod claimed that this was because he knew through his foresight that his mother ruled the remnant of the Noldor in Tirion. Rumor was that Finrod's goal in all this had less to do with his mother and more to do with his sister Galadriel, who was still adamant that she intended to rule a kingdom, and that this was a way to set a precedent for women's rule in his family. Galadriel was clear that this was in no way to be taken as support of Fëanor and her claim. She stated that Fëanor was unworthy of rule not because she was a woman but because she was insane, violent, treasonous, murderous and criminal. Celegorm responded archly that his mother was none of these things, but that even if she had through some action of her own forfeited her rule the crown that was hers by right should go to her sons. Finrod did not respond, but when it came time for him to depart Nargothrond with Beren he walked past Celegorm and Curifin to hand his crown to Orodreth as she stood there in her ball gown.

"I do not desire rule," Orodreth had said, feeling overwhelmed.

"Our fate comes whether we desire it or no," Finrod responded.

Orodreth was less convinced than Finrod that her queenship of Nargothrond was ordained by fate. Her exhausting years as queen had convinced her, though, that Celegorm and Curufin would not be good rulers of Nargothrond. Orodreth was not always sure she was much better. But she kept trying, with the best advisors she could find, and refused all attempts to find a male heir to replace her. The work of ruling Nargothrond was the work she was given to do and she would need to do it. Women's work was whatever work was in front of her that needed to be done. She hoped her daughter Finduilas would come to understand that.

Her husband interrupted her thoughts. "You are worried about Gil-galad," he said, using their daughter's middle name as he had since her birth.

"Always," said Orodreth. Finduilas had her hand outstretched to Agarwaen, looking up at him beseechingly. "She needs to understand that a man won't always be there to rescue her."

A shadow passed over her husband's face and Orodreth wondered what he saw. He had always had a little foresight, that was one of the reasons she had married him. "Gil-galad will be a great queen," he said. "Of this I am certain."

"I can only hope," said Orodreth.

Chapter End Notes

Written for the SWG 80s challenge. The particular prompt was "She Works Hard For the Money," by Donna Summer, a classic song about women's equality in the workplace.

One of the fun things about coming back to fandom after years in the Halls of Mandos was finding all kinds of new fanon that had developed while I was gone. The fanon that Finduilas is Gil-galad is one of my favorites, much gratitude to those who came up with it.

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