On the paths of life by Aprilertuile  

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Chapter 2: A needed conversation

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By the time Celegorm came back home, night was already there. He hesitated at the door, he knew already what he’d hear. 

But, well, the weather was starting to be cold and he couldn’t spend the night outside anyway so… 

He went in and immediately: 

“MOM, Tyelko’s back!” Celegorm’s twin brothers called. 

“See if I get you the sweets you wanted.” Celegorm hissed at them. 

Their mild look of glee turned into pouts at that. 

“Celegorm, come here, we need to talk.” 

“No sweets. For a week.” Celegorm whispered at them sharply as he approached the livingroom. 

The twins left running, probably to complain to one of their siblings about how cruel he was. Celegorm didn’t care and he was pretty sure that their other brothers were not going to care either, the twins were too often snitching on them to their mother. 

His mother Nerdanel was there, sitting at the low table with a coffee, his college and university applications and answers in front of her. 

“Hi mom. I see you got into my room and rummaged through my desk.” 

“Not me.” 

“Ah, the Twin terrors or dad?” 

“Your brothers.” 

He should have made that a month without sweets! Celegorm thought instantly. 

“Your father is still fuming in his office after your argument this morning.” Nerdanel continued. 

Celegorm snorted at that. Of course he was. For a highly acclaimed scientist and a genius weapon-smith, his father could put the Ambarussa twins to shame when it came to expressing his discontent. 

“Great. So, what’s your opinion on the argument? Because I suppose you have one.”

Nerdanel shrugged tiredly. 

“I had an opinion for Maedhros when he decided to join the army, and I had one for Maglor when he decided to quit school for his online career. Neither listened to me. Now Maedhros is in rehabilitation after his stint with the army, and your second older brother is a rising star in the music scene but a school drop-out. Would my opinion change anything?” 

Celegorm shrugged as well. 

“I don’t know.” 

“For what it’s worth, although I think that this type of work is not well-paid, compared to what you could make as a scientist, and has neither job security nor enough place to provide all the hopeful applicants, I’m impressed that you went this far already.” Nerdanel told him. 

Celegorm blinked at that, and looked at her like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Mom… You know I love you right?” 

“Of course…” 

“Yeah, so I love you, but you are an artist. You make sculptures for a living. You have exactly zero lesson to give to anyone about job security or the value of taking a safe path in schooling.” 

Nerdanel looked at her son sharply: 

“I’m an artist, so I know very exactly what I sacrificed in order to succeed and I know my children and I am not exactly sure that you are ready for the kind of sacrifice that success will require.” 

“So I better have a miserable life that’ll make me a bitter old man before my time? Yeah… No thank you. Also… I absolutely adore that it’s three people of the family already who told me that I would fail and I’m too lazy to make an effort. Do you all think that getting scholarships based on merit is easy? I managed to snatch one while competing with the rest of the damn country for it.” 

“School is one thing. You’ll need good timing and a lot of chance, and probably another family name. I’m a realist, my son. The national park works with people who fund the Doriath organisation that is doing everything it can to kill off your father’s business. You think you’ll have equal chances to become a ranger than any other applicant? Think again. They’re still making waves and publishing articles that call our name evil.”

Celegorm wondered faintly why he even bothered to go hiking to clear his head and think. This conversation alone was doing a world of wonder to make him want to stick to his chosen path, out of contradictory spirit alone. 

“The members of Doriath aren’t the only one giving money to the park They’re not even the ones who give the most. They’re unlikely to have any say about who works in the park or not. Also the Himlad national park isn’t the only national park in Beleriand. I’m willing to move to another city in order to achieve my goals even if I’d love to remain here. You have a too narrow idea of what I want, mom.” 

“Your father will not help you.” 

“Eh, yeah, I noticed he cut Maglor high and dry and that our dear brother went to live with Nelyo as a result. I had no illusion that he’d start to help me when I’m following the same path of ignoring his wishes.” 

“And Nelyo has a small house and cannot take in another person.” 

“I know, I’m already planning to find a job and an apartment for myself. I don’t need much. Four walls and a roof would be enough. Not like with a job and the university classes I’ll have a lot of time for leisure to spend at home anyway.” 

Nerdanel looked deeply unhappy at that. 

“It all depends on your final exam grades.” She said. 

“I’m aware.” 

He wasn’t too worried about that either. His grades were good enough to earn a partial scholarship all year round when he honestly was trying but without much hope. Now that he knew there was a real possibility of getting his prize, there was no reason for him to suddenly tank his grades. 

Nerdanel pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. 

“You and your father are far too stubborn. We will revisit this conversation when you have your finals result, in June.” She sighed. 

Celegorm nodded. 

That left him a few months to find a basic job and perhaps prospects of an apartment for worst case scenario. 

And it was better than the profanities he had heard from his father’s mouth earlier. 

He couldn’t believe he even learnt new ones in the process. That was mildly infuriating! He was the teenager with a foul mouth here, his father was supposed to be a genius scientist with a sense of decorum!