Tíran i tauri by flame_of_the_noldor  

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Chapter 1

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Tyelkormo sat on the balcony of his atar’s house in Tírion, overlooking the city’s bustling streets. His brothers, Nelyafinwë and Kanafinwë, were away with their swordselfship lessons, and Tyelkormo was told to not disturb his little brother, Morifinwë, or his mother while they were sleeping.

 

He folded his arms over the white stone wall and set his head down. The sky was a perfect blue as the light of Laurelin shone brightly, illuminating the world in a soft golden glow. He sighed. He was not interested in playing with the other elflings today, and he had become bored of his toys.

 

Atar had told him that he was not to be disturbed in the forge, as it was too dangerous for Tyelkormo to be there while he was working.

 

He stared at the mountains of the Pélori, rising like great stone sentinels that guarded the Calacircya and opened the way to see beyond the sea. Tyelkormo sometimes wondered what lay beyond the Sea that existed beyond the Calacirya, but when he asked, he was told that he was too young to know. 

 

 

“Come, little Tyelkormo, it is time to start getting ready for the celebration,”, his nanny said as she approached him from behind and tapped him gently on the shoulder, “Your mother will want you all nice and dressed up.”

 

Tyelkormo sighed. He did not want to go to this celebration, but his parents insisted that all of them go to see atar’s accomplishments and to celebrate Aulë. He knew that it would be very dull and boring, and he would not be allowed to take any toys with him to play with. He would also be fussed over by his mother and nanny, which he hated. Kanafinwë would be perfectly behaved, as he always was, and Nelyafinwë was not very fun to be around. His little brother, Morifinwë, was too little to play with, and mother would no doubt be fussing over him the most, unless his nanny was ordered to stay with him. 

 

He could feel his nanny gently take his hand and lead him away from the balcony. She gently led him through his atar’s great halls made of brilliant white stone and carved with intricate carvings that his atar and the other eldar that studied under Aulë created. They passed a great stone statue in the central courtyard of the great smith Aulë that his atar had carved as an offering to him. The eyes of the statue were made from precious gemstones that glittered in Laurelin’s golden light and the statue was holding a great hammer, whose head was carved with intricate patterns of swirls and leaves.

The figure’s long hair was beautifully carved, showcasing the skill of his atar’s work when it came to creating works made of stone.

 

Tyelkormo thought that stone carvings were boring and preferred to ride horses. Stone felt cold and lifeless, but the horses were alive with energy and movement. He loved going to the stables to feed and pet the horses when the stable-hand would let him.

 

He wished he could go to the stables instead and play with the horses instead of being fussed over by his nanny.

 

Soon they entered a small room with a mirror and a large chest and closet, filled with various tunics made of silk, wool, and linen. His nanny let go of his hand and pulled up a small wooden stool for Tyelkormo to stand on, as he was still slightly too short to see above where the mirror sat on the wooden table.

 

His nanny began to pull clothing off of the rack and set them on top of the table.

 

She placed his hands on his shoulders, “Now, little Tyelka, your mother wants you to wear a nice outfit for the celebration later.”

 

Tyelkormo frowned as the nanny began to place various outfits over his simple tunic and trousers to see how they would look on him.

 

She ran a hand through his black hair while smiling. “We’ll also need to make sure you are wearing a nice circlet and have your hair properly braided and styled.”

 

His nanny then ran through the outfits again, placing a dark green tunic with silver threading over his body, then a white one with golden threading, then a black one with silver threading, and lastly a red one with golden threading.

 

She smiled, and asked, “Which one would you like to wear, Tyelka?”

 

Tyelkormo looked at the tunics, and pointed his small hand at the dark green tunic. The color reminded him of the forests, which would give him something pleasant to think about while listening to the older eldar drone on and praise atar’s achievements.

 

His nanny then asked after placing the tunic in his hands, “Can you put it on for me? I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

 

He nodded and she briefly left the room.

 

Tyelkormo quickly got undressed and redressed himself in the tunic. While he liked the color, the fabric of the tunic itself felt slightly scratchy and uncomfortable.

 

Soon after, the nanny re-entered the room and opened a drawer filled with circlets made from various metals, embedded with precious gemstones, all created by his atar, of course.

 

She took out a simple silver circlet that ended with both points flowing down to frame his temples and a simple golden one with a small green gemstone embedded in the center where his forehead would sit.

 

She then placed each circlet on his head and hummed, “Which one do you like more, Tyelka, the silver or the gold one?”

 

He looked at both again, “I like the silver one.”

 

She placed it on his head with another smile, and quickly removed it.

 

“We need to braid and style your hair first.”, she said saccharinely.

 

She reached over and picked up a small wooden horse hair brush from a nearby table and began to gently brush Tyelkormo’s long hair.

 

She sighed as she worked through the partially tangled mess that was his hair, “Tyelka, have you not been taking proper care of your hair again?”

 

He didn’t want to answer, but knew that if he didn’t, his nanny would tell mother, and he did not want another lecture from his mother about not brushing his hair.

 

“No, naneth, I forgot to brush it today…”, he lied.

 

“Tyelka...if you do not brush your hair, it will become tangled and we don’t want you looking like you’ve just run through the woods”, she lectured and then sighed.

 

He sighed, perhaps he did want to look like he had run through the woods instead of looking perfect like his older brothers. His atar partially understood this as he sometimes would take his side when he would come back from playing outside and be covered in dirt and mud.

 

His mother, of course, would be furious at him tracking dirt through the house, but then his atar would say, “He’s a seldo, Nerdanel. Let him get dirty and be outside.”, to which his mother would reply, “I would prefer if our sons looked like proper princes like Kanafinwë instead of disheveled and dirty.”

 

Tyelkormo would then be quickly escorted from the room by his nanny or told to go to his room by one of his parents before his parents’ argument began to escalate but he would listen through the door sometimes.

 

His atar would then be upset as he would argue that being slightly disheveled was not a bad trait at all, and both of his parents would argue back and forth as to why Fëanáro was always disheveled and never looked right, and always spent time in that damned forge of his, and how if she had a proper husband, the other nissí would not make up rumors about her. His atar would then argue that it did not matter at all what the other nissí thought of her, and that he loved her no matter what.

 

Sometimes this would result in their argument quieting down but sometimes it would end with tears from his mother and atar leaving the room soon after in a huff.

 

His nanny continued to brush his hair and began to braid it across his scalp, in the proper fashion that young elfings boys should have, according to his nanny. He felt his eyes begin to droop in sleepiness as his hair was braided.

 

“Wake up, little Tyelka, we don’t want you falling asleep before the celebration.”, his nanny softly said. “We are also not done getting you ready.”

 

She then procured a small pair of leather boots and guided him to place his feet inside of them. They felt stiff and uncomfortable, not properly broken in like his normal pair.

Lastly, she placed the golden circle on his head, the brilliant green gemstone catching the light of Laurelin. 

 

His nanny continued to fuss over him, making sure that all of the tangles in his hair and braids were properly taken out, smoothing her hands across the fabric of his tunic to ensure that the fabric was smooth and wrinkle free, and adjusting his circlet to ensure that it was on straight.

 

Finally she set her hands on Tyelkormo’s shoulders again, and smiled, “There! You look so handsome Tyelkormo, like a proper little prince should.”

 

She took his hand once more and led him out of the room and into the courtyard, where his parents stood. atar was already dressed up, wearing a long black tunic with elegant silver embroidery along with a red undershirt. His mother was wearing a white dress with silver embroidery and had his little brother, Morifinwë, in a soft lavender linen sling.

 

“Tyelka was a good boy and so patient,”, she said proudly to his mother, who seemed surprised but happy that he didn’t make a fuss. His atar seemed neutral about the comment but gave him a small smile.

 

“Lady Nerdanel, would you like for me to take little Morifinwë from you?”

 

“Oh yes please, thank you.”, Nerdanel said gratefully as she slowly removed the sling from her shoulders while the nanny held Morifinwë before the nanny slung it back over hers, all the while Morifinwë was asleep. 

 

The whinnying of horses before them signified his brothers’ return as they rode into the courtyard dismounted from their brown and black horses, while the stable hand took led the horses away.

 

“Ah, Nelyafinwë and Kanafinwë, how were your lessons?”, his father asked.

 

“They were wonderful, atar,”, Kanafinwë replied, as gentle as ever. Nelyafinwë did not respond but nodded in agreement with him.

 

Nerdanel sighed and walked over to them, “Maitimo and Makalaurë, please get ready for the celebration, we are already going to be late because you were out swordfighting!”

 

Makalaurë responded, “I am sorry mother, Maitimo and I were…”

 

“I don’t care! Go get ready so we can pretend that we are punctual.”, she said exasperatedly.

 

Makalaurë and Maitimo nodded and quickly hurried back inside.

 

Nerdanel sighed again as she turned back to Tyelkormo. “Thank you for being so patient with the nanny, Tyelka.”

 

Tyelkormo nodded while the light of Laurelin began to wane as Telperion’s silver light started to take its place. Soon after, Maitimo and Makalaurë had emerged from inside, wearing silken tunics with the same elaborate embroidery as their father’s tunic.

 

The carriage driver soon arrived with their transport to the celebration, a simple but elegantly carved wooden carriage with inlays of gold and other precious stones inlaid in the nature inspired carvings.

 

Fëanáro went first and opened the carriage door for Nerdanel, who quickly stepped in, then Makalaurë after her. Maitimo was next, then Tyelkormo, and lastly, Fëanáro sat on the seat on the other side of the carriage.

 

Tyelkormo sat quietly for the duration of the carriage ride while Makalaurë and his mother discussed Makalaurë’s future music lessons and Nelyafinwë and father discussed Nelyo's swordselfship lessons that day.

 

He passively watched the high peaks of the Pélori and the deep dark forests that seemed call to him beyond Tírion pass by him as they rode to the celebration.

As he stared into the mountains, he felt a deep urge to walk into the forest and commune with the trees, to discover the beasts that lay within.

 

He dreamed of hunting in the forests, hearing the call of wild birds and beasts as he hunted down a creature for his next meal. He dreamed of sailing beyond the sea and discovering new lands for him to hunt in, chasing wild beasts beyond his imagination. He dreamed of taking a trophy for his father to encase with jewels and metal, and mount above the fireplace in their family home, a testament to his skill and bravery. 

They soon arrived at the clearing where the eldar hosted their many festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Banners and streamers were strewn about the many pavilions and gazebos that were dotted across the clearing and the neighboring hills. Fëanáro looked pleased as the carriage driver gently brought the carriage to a standstill, and they proceeded to exit the carriage.

 

Tyelkormo stepped onto the soft grass and looked around in awe as the many glimmering lamps that his father had created illuminated the landscape, painting it with colors of red, orange, yellow, and gold to counter the waxing silver light of Telperion and the dark veil of stars that hung overhead. Each lamp was created from blown glass and illuminated with strange materials that young Tyelkormo did not quite understand but that his father spoke proudly of.

 

The lights cast a warm glow as his family walked to a private pavilion reserved for them, as an attendant greeted them warmly.

 

“So wonderful of you to arrive, we have been waiting for you, Lord Fëanáro.”, the elda said warmly, “Ah, and you have brought your family with you as well.”

 

“Of course,”, he replied warmly in return, “I would love for them to share in my achievement of creating these wonderful lamps.”

 

“And we are grateful that you have invented a new way for us to display our love for the blessed light. And for Lord Aulë for granting you the inspiration to create them.”

 

Tyelkormo looked around the neighboring pavilions, and saw other elves discussing many things, likely his father’s achievements and inventions.

 

He hoped that one day he would be as accomplished as his father, he felt he did not have any particularly great skills, except for those requiring survival, and he already knew how his mother felt about that. His other brothers, Nelyafinwë and Kanafinwë, had skills his parents celebrated, like Nelyo’s skill with swords, or Kano’s skill with music and speech.

 

“I heard that your son, Kanafinwë, has written a new piece of music to perform tonight,”, the attendant said.

 

“Yes, he did,”, Nerdanel said proudly as she looked at Kano, ”my Makalaurë has a gift for words and the harp.”

 

Tyelkormo saw Kano blush at the compliment, “Oh mother, it is only a simple piece that I thought of while I was out riding with Maitimo.”

 

Tyelkormo felt his anger rise as Nelyo and Kano received all of the attention from their parents and everyone else around them, as Tyelkormo was ignored.

 

His parents’ argument was starting to escalate and the nanny was not here to drag him back, and his brothers were Eru knows where. 

 

Tyelkormo felt another strong urge to walk into the woods, far away from the comforts of Tirion and the boring celebration he had been dragged to. He was tired of being stuck here with his brothers and parents, and feeling ignored. He wanted to go into the woods and never return and live amongst the animals. 

 

The urge within his mind grew greater, and he slipped away from his parents as they were discussing his father’s lamps with a curious Teleri from Alqualondë. He quietly avoided the other attendees, and due to his size and strength, he could outmaneuver them without becoming tired. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice why an elfling, particularly Fëanáro’s child, was wandering around without supervision. 

 

Soon he found himself at the border of the woods that stretched above the celebration around him into the dark peaks of the Pélori. The trees themselves seemed to beckon him in, welcoming him into the forest.

 

He began to climb over loose logs and branches, heading nowhere in particular. He sought refuge and told himself he would not go far, but far enough away that he would be left alone to cry.

 

Soon, however, he found that the forest seemed to grow around him and the path changed from where he found himself originally. He no longer saw the bright lights in the distance where the celebration was being held but only the silver mist of the forest.

 

He began to hear strange rumblings and creaking in the trees around him, as he stopped to listen for any creatures looking for their next meal. He soon stumbled into a small clearing in the forest, a perfect circle within the woods. The trees bent their branches into a small canopy that covered the circle, allowing Tyelkormo to see the stars above him. 

 

The rumblings and rustlings became louder and closer as Tyelkormo tried to put on a brave face. He snatched a branch from a nearby tree and held it up like he saw how Maitimo held his sword. 

 

“Who is there?”, the elfling said in a shaky voice. He held his arms close to his body and backed up against a tree in an attempt to protect himself from whatever creature might emerge from the forest. 

 

Tiran i tauri, a gentle voice inside his mind said in perfect Quenya.

 

Tyelkormo felt uneasy, as the woods appeared as if they would close around him and devour him on the spot. He focused his mind on a figure emerging from the mist, far taller than any eldar he had ever seen, far taller than even his atar or Maitimo. Next to him, the young elfling could see a great beast in the shape of a white horse striding toward him. Much like the figure, the horse was of far greater stature than the horses that Tyelkormo had seen in his atar’s stables and appeared of a nobler breed. 

 

The being then shifted into the appearance of a kindly older elda wearing a simple white robe with a fur mantle and a horn hanging from his belt. He placed his hands on the side of his horse as they approached the crying elfling. 

 

“The woods can be a dangerous place for such a young elfling as yourself, Turkafinwë Tyelkormo Fëanárion.”, the being said in a calm and soothing voice as he knelt down onto one knee. 

 

Tyelkormo leaped up immediately and said with as much courage as he could muster, “I am brave, I can handle myself.”

 

“I am sure that is correct, little one. But there are many strange places in the world even where your bravery will be challenged and you may find yourself in dangerous situations alone.”, the being calmly said.

 

Tyelkormo continued to stand there, caught between sniffling and the facsimile of bravery he wore. Tyelkormo pondered what the being was attempting to tell him then hugged their arms to their chest. 

 

“I don’t want to be alone.”, he sniffled. 

 

“Thou wilt never be alone from now on, little one. The forest is always watching. I am always watching.”, the being said soothingly.

 

The elfling looked at the being strangely, “Who are you?”

The being smiled, “Your kind call me the Lord of Hunters, little one. This forest is under my watch, as are all forests in the lands of Arda.”

 

The elfling looked at him with curiosity before sniffling again, “There are other forests?”

 

“Yes there are, many beyond the sea and within Aman.”, the being said, “And I am watcher and lord of them all.”

 

“Are you one of the Valar?”, Tyelkormo asked, his curiosity piquing further. 

 

“Yes, I am.”, the being smiled. 

 

“You haven’t told me your name though…”, the elfling whined impatiently. 

“You shall know it when the time is right. Now, let’s get you back to where you belong.”, the being said as he lifted Tyelkormo up to place on top of his horse. “Your parents must sorely miss you.”

 

The being’s horse began to gallop faster than Tyelkormo had ever seen or felt a horse gallop, and they soon reached the celebration again. The lights were still strung up around the clearing and the pavilions still stood.

 

The being then halted his horse, picked Tyelkormo up, and gently set him back down on the ground.

 

Tyelkormo could see his mother frantically running around in the distance with Kanafinwë trailing her and Nelyafinwë searching in the opposite direction with his father.

 

“Thou shouldst go back to your family, little one.”, the being gently whispered.

 

Tyelkormo nodded and walked toward the pavilions. Kano then spotted him out of the corner of his eye and ran toward Tyelkormo.

 

“Tyelka, I’m so glad I found you”, Kanafinwë said with relief, “We’ve been looking for you for hours, where did you go?”

 

Tyelkormo yawned before saying, “I went to the forest to get some fresh air.”

 

Kano nodded before picking him up and hurriedly carrying him back toward the private pavilion, “Oh, our mother is going to be so relieved I found you.”

 

They hurriedly rushed back toward the pavilion where Maitimo and his parents stood together. Nerdanel looked panicked and worried, while his father and brother looked concerned. 

 

“Oh, Turkafinwë Tyelkormo there you are!”, his mother said worriedly, “Where have you been? And why are you covered in dirt and leaves?”

 

Kano spoke up, “Tyelka said he fell and got lost while trying to find Maitimo.”

 

Nerdanel sighed, “Thank Eru you found him, Makalaurë.”

 

Kano only smiled as the five of them began to depart and head back to their house in Tírion as the light of Telperion waned and the golden lights of Laurelin began to wax full.