High Princes of Tirion
by Nemis

AN: I want to thank RoseRed2 for secretly feeding my plotbunnies the past days/weeks/months. For those who are interested, a ficlet she wrote taking place before the start of this story can be found on my website, starring Eldarion and Elernil, and I do recommend her story Tapestry, so go read it (right after you read this chapter). I was going to put a little bit of an extra scene in this chapter which I’ve been promising her for some time, but it got moved back (again). It should be in the next chapter though (and if it isn’t she is allowed to take her revenge). ;)

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Chapter Thirty-Nine     The House of Fingolfin

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Her breath came and went against his skin as they waited; listening to the silence to convince themselves the darkness held none except them, and that no one who had by chance observed them entering followed. He was certain she could feel the exact beats his heart pounded from where she rested her hand against his chest. Whether that had anything to do with their current concealment or something else entirely he was currently not at liberty to predict.

‘Are you certain we are alone here?’ he finally whispered, breaking the quietness.

‘I think so,’ she replied, beginning to trail kisses down his cheek to his neck, as his fingers tangled in her hair, the touch rough with passion. ‘Does it matter?’

He smiled, closing his eyes.

‘Not really. Except that it does, because after being so careful it would hardly do to be caught at...’

Just then her lips met his and effectively silenced him, making him forget what he had wanted to say. She was good at doing that. This was all foolishness, entirely inappropriate, without purpose, and yet it made his stomach tumble in excitement, almost as an involuntary reaction to her passion.

And then she pulled away, or was about to, and disturbed something in the darkness. He pulled her back as something shattered on the stone floor loudly, and then reacted quickly by pulling her along and around the corner of the dark room, further out of sight. They would remain undetected in case someone would open the door to take a cursory glance. As soon as anyone actually entered to investigate what exactly it had been that had crashed to the floor...

The door opened, as he had expected it would, and the bright light that came in through the large window in the hallway shone in and chased some of the immediate darkness away. The beams of light came just short of where a green vase lay shattered on the flagstones. He prayed that he had been right in thinking that anyone standing in the light would have difficulty discerning anything in the darkness.

They both held their breath, afraid to move, desperate to avoid discovery. After what seemed to be an Age the door closed again and they heard footsteps retreat, muted voices conversing, and finally slowly disappearing out of hearing distance. They both breathed deeply once, and then she dissolved in chuckles against him, as he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall, attempting again to regulate the pounding of his heart.

‘...nearly caught by my parents,’ she managed to laugh, holding on to him desperately. It was difficult not to join her, her mirth contagious.

‘It would hardly do, Brí,’ he told her, trying to keep his face straight.

‘Yes, but think of it, El-nîn, after being so successful at not getting caught for such a long time it has to come of it at some point.’

Celebrían’s eyes glittered with laughter, and allowing a smile to slip onto his lips Elrond pulled her closer, feeling her arms slip around his chest.

‘I should think that I have every right to sneak off with my wife,’ he whispered to her lips.

‘Mm, I never said you did not.’

He nodded, all attention focussed on her.

‘I did not think so.’

Her laugh was silenced by his kiss easily. The tension of before transferred itself easily into a more passionate enthusiasm. It was difficult enough to keep away from difficult questions so shortly before the family meeting that was going to take place, even without shattering earthenware to give them away; especially within their own family everyone appeared to believe both he and Celebrían knew everything there was to know about the announcements that were going to be made tomorrow. Which they did, of course, up to a point, but secrecy was secrecy, and even if they were apparently the only ones that kept to it, that was how Elrond preferred to go about the matter. The trick was to find somewhere no one expected them to be in order to have some peace. And finally they appeared to have been successful, he smiled to himself, as he deepened their kiss.

-~~*~~-

Pocketing his hands, the youngest High Prince of the city looked up at the brightly blue afternoon sky from his garden, and reflected that eleven days had flown by with perhaps a bit too much celerity for complete comfort. There had been many things to consider in light of the announcement that was to take place tomorrow, despite the fact that there were not going to be any official celebrations. Somehow preparations had accumulated little by little, mostly to do with his departure from Tirion, and with the accumulation had come a steady increase of worries, mostly, Ereinion thought, on his side.

Needing some time to shut out everything going on around him, Ereinion thought back to the day when he and Celebriníel had informed his parents of their betrothal, just after they had told Elrond and Celebrían. Especially the manner in which his father had quietly beamed through the whole thing, while his mother had remained peacefully radiant, both their enthusiasm almost too large too keep still, came to mind. He had stressed then that because people would not know, there would be little fuss about the matter beforehand, intending it then to be an argument for them not to worry.

So much for that. They might not have told anyone directly, but he was quite certain they had told people to be present at the meeting where the betrothal would be announced. As opposed to Ereinion’s expectations, the meeting was to be highly attended; usually people had a tendency to come up with plenty of excuses not to have to be present. Partly it had to be because people wished to know the truth of the matter of the affair concerning Aewendîs and Elernil. Whether or not they would get it officially, the meeting would be the perfect place to gather information they had not been able to obtain already. And Fingon insisting with only so many words that they came was good incentive too, no doubt, because that promised something additionally important, whatever it was.

But none of it could be helped now. With the family meeting taking place the next day, everything was as ready as it would ever be, and if it was not Ereinion felt too nervous to do anything further about it. So nervous actually, that he had quietly retired to the garden of the house hoping it would discourage anyone to try and find him when they did not find him in the study. He was hosting an informal dinner party this evening, and in not too long a while his guests would begin to arrive, and at least until then he needed some time to himself. Dinner was all well and good, and it was likely to be a welcome distraction, but he was uncertain whether he would actually be able to eat.

Just as he found an entirely new matter to worry upon, an arm slipped through his, and content eyes, mirroring the colour of the sky, put his mind at ease almost instantly. With no effort at all, she could make everything much, much better. Smiling, Celebriníel leant her head against his shoulder, exacting some pressure on his arm, watching the stretch of sky he had previously been occupied with.

‘I arrived early hoping to catch you unengaged. Does the sky have anything interesting to tell us?’

‘Ultimately, it will probably just turn out to be pretence of good weather.’

She chuckled, let her hand slip down his arm to catch his hand, bringing it up to press her lips against it.

‘You sound like you expect rain?’

Filling his lungs he let the air escape audibly. If he did expect rain, it was probably figurative.

‘I know everything is ready, but I cannot help feel there must be something very small but important that I accidentally missed. Nothing of the sort is the case, of course, but the feeling is disconcerting.’

She smiled.

‘It surprises me that I am not scared. I am a little nervous, but not scared.’

‘Oh, I know nervous,’ he said, kissing her temple.

Taking a deep steadying breath, she nodded.

‘Elladan had just arrived with Aurehen and Almarinde and Almariel when I left.’

‘Do they know?’

‘I am not certain. If they do I suspect someone has urged them not to share that information with me,’ Celebriníel replied, stroking his arm absently. ‘I am simply fortunate no one expects I can tell them much about the meeting, so they do not ask me. My parents have made themselves scarce, because it is apparently believed they must know everything.’

Ereinion sighed.

‘In all honesty, I am beginning to suspect everyone already knows, and just is not telling us that they do.’

‘It is very possible. You were aware my grandparents arrived yesterday?’

He looked at her incredulously.

‘No. You are making this up simply to tease me, I am sure of it.’

‘Partially, perhaps, just to see someone actually be more nervous than I am,’ she grinned, ‘but they did arrive, and they did plan to join the others for your dinner tonight. I thought you might have known because they are staying at Fingolfin’s Halls.’

Breathing deeply he shook his head.

‘I have mostly been busy running my own errands the past day, not catching much of anything people tell me. Coming down here was a very bad idea, because instead of some peace of mind it is giving me time to think. Ah, but before I forget...’ He released her hand and rummaged around in his pockets a while before coming up with two boxes. ‘One of these is supposed to be in your keeping.’

With a small smile she held out her hand for one of them.

‘How long have these been ready?’

‘For the larger part of a week,’ he grinned apologetically. ‘But I kept postponing picking them up, so in the end Tarancarion simply sent them over, accompanied by a note saying I would do better not to forget these in case I was announcing something important tomorrow.’

Celebriníel looked up at him, fingering the box.

‘Should we fit them? Or is that inappropriate?’

Ereinion shrugged.

‘Best to be certain we have the right ones.’

Opening the small box he had kept he set eyes on the silver ring there, not for the first time, but he was still amazed by the craftsmanship. These rings appeared plain things, but he knew for a fact that they were not. The smith had not only chosen a worthy grade of material to work with, but had also put quite some work into the details that made something so simple into something quite amazing. When the light caught the metal, the almost indiscernible engravings became quite clearly visible, revealing exactly how much effort their creator had put into them. Taking the silver band out he waited for Celebriníel to offer a hand, slipping it easily unto her finger, after which she did the same with him.

‘I doubt they could have been any more perfect,’ Celebriníel remarked quietly, looking at it on her finger.

Ereinion was forced to clear his throat when his voice would not accommodate him at once.

‘You are certain you want this?’

She caught his hand before she met his gaze, taking it between both her hands. It seemed he was going to repeat that question every chance he got until she had convinced him of her feelings completely.

‘If I have ever wanted anything before in my life, this is it.’

He bowed his head a moment and smiled when raising it again.

‘I ask, because while the announcement of the betrothal is to occur publicly, the laws and customs are unclear on whether the actual betrothal is to be a public or a private affair.’ He raised a hand to move a strand of silver hair behind her ear, allowing it to linger to caress her cheek. ‘And this seems an infinitely better time to exchange rings than tomorrow in a crowded hall.’

‘I agree.’

Ereinion breathed in deeply and finally chuckled, smiling at her apologetically. Slowly they were finding the right way to go about this, merging the official and the unofficial, which felt like it mattered so much more. He shook his head.

‘This would be so much easier if we simply...’

How well she understood what he was trying to say only became clear as she stepped closer and slipped an arm around his waist, meeting his lips with her own in the gentlest of ways.

Celebriníel could never quite get over the exhilaration of feeling his lips against hers, their warmth, and the warmth their proximity released all throughout her body, and that was without even taking his inquisitive fingers into consideration. He would explore her face, or touch her neck, quite innocently, but it tended to affect her in such a way that it became something nearly indecent. He could make her cheeks flush a bright red with as little as a whisper. The only thing that made up for it was that she could only look at him in order to take his breath away, enchant him with no words or touches whatsoever so that he forgot everything around him.

It was difficult to keep her mind from running away with her, attempting to picture what the coming days would bring, the liberties their new status would provide them with. Her world had been relatively restricted to Imloth and her family, and his was so large, and the two were about to coalesce even further than they already had here in Tirion. It was both exciting and daunting, but she was determined not to let anything discourage her. As long as they were together, there was nothing that could touch her, or either of them.

Time was gone as far as the both of them were concerned, until one of the attendants came to inform them several of Ereinion’s guests had already arrived, and the absence of their host would begin to become slightly awkward if it continued much longer. The guests in question, it turned out, were Ereinion’s parents and Elrond and Celebrían, soon followed by Fingolfin and Anairë, together with Galadriel and Celeborn. Elrohir and Mîrlinde arrived last, in the company of Elladan and Aurehen, excusing Elernil who had promised to keep an eye on his young cousins this evening.

Possibly due to Fingolfin’s presence, much of the conversation during dinner was of trivial matters; the state of matters at Imloth, family members that had recently arrived, the coming harvests, and the construction that was being planned in the northern parts of the city. Whatever was going to happen tomorrow, someone had decided it was out of bounds as a subject of conversation tonight, and everyone was keeping to it. Ereinion happily resigned himself to that, and soon found himself thoroughly enjoying the evening.

Later on, circling the party in order to make certain everyone was as comfortable as possible, he found Galadriel by the window, apparently purposely having removed herself from the conversations going on in the rest of the sitting room. He would have left her, since she evidently wished to be alone, had she not spoken to him quietly before he could move off again.

‘I imagine many things have become clear to you,’ she said, her eyes fixed on something in the dark outside, perhaps a light burning somewhere across the city, but more likely on nothing specific at all.

It was a strange thing to bring up, after the subject had been avoided for most of the evening by everyone else. She knew what would happen tomorrow then, he decided, or she had recognised what was between Celebriníel and him and was referring to that. He could not find it in himself to be taken aback; if anyone would have noticed, it had to be her.

‘Did I ever tell you about the dream?’ he replied quietly. ‘I believe I told Elrond about it after he arrived on Aman, but I doubt he remembers now, it was a trivial thing at the time.’

‘It was a dream?’ Galadriel asked, not really sounding surprised.

Ereinion nodded.

‘Silver hair. But it was not Celebrían.’

Galadriel stepped aside, away from the window and met his eyes, smiling.

‘No, it was not Celebrían.’

Self-consciously he looked at his feet, then back up again.

‘I discarded it, did not even consider it, not even after Briníel was born.’

‘It is always difficult to predict such things, even if you are given some indications. It becomes even more difficult to determine anything when your own feelings are involved.’

He gave her a slow nod, his mind suddenly drifting to all the questions he had asked himself so many times before.

‘But why so long ago? Why then if it only becomes important now?’

‘I could give you reasons, very likely the same you have already come up with, but as you have discovered they mean very little. It might have been meant as a promise, something to make you realise that what you considered mistakes you made might not have been mistakes at all. At least not mistakes in the sense that would make them into grave misjudgements. Instead it might have been an indication that those choices and sacrifices worked towards and contributed to something that is only becoming clear now.’

He breathed deeply and turned to the room, away from the dark night outside, watching the people sitting and standing there, family, one which he belonged to already, and would soon be part of in yet another way.

‘No one can truly ever know what sacrifices shall bring, then.’

Galadriel pressed his arm sympathetically.

‘Not ever entirely for certain, I have come to suspect. But does it matter, here, now?’

He wanted to look back at her, but his eyes had come to rest on Celebriníel, who was enthusiastically conversing with Celeborn and her father, and he could not think of a real reason to shift his gaze. He was all too aware of how she could catch his entire being and hold it by simply being present somewhere nearby, and make everything else in his life appear utterly unimportant. The mere touch of her lips upon his made all his worries vanish like snow from the sun.

‘No, it does not.’

Perhaps that meant that he did not live in the past any longer, and had not for some time. Galadriel said nothing, merely smiled and left him to join her daughter.

There had been many changes in a relatively short time, on so many different levels. Patience had never been a strong point in his character, but there was no way of ignoring it in this instance. He had not been untruthful in declaring that a betrothal could stand long, spanning years, but he would ever be impatient. In his heart he would have her sooner rather than later, unfair to her as that was. He had wanted the betrothal for love itself, and to make it clear to Celebriníel he was serious, that he meant what he was saying. And he wanted it because it would allow him to make her happy.

Would it become easier from tomorrow onwards? he wondered. Maybe it would, just a little. People would become used to the idea, the gossip and rumours that would no doubt have taken place had they waited longer had largely been avoided, and it left them relatively free to spend time as they pleased, without anyone holding it against either of them.

He wandered into his study, which lay adjoining the room they were all in, and made his way onto the balcony, where he breathed in the cool evening air, allowing it to soothe him. It suddenly seemed as if life lay beyond tomorrow entirely, as if there was nothing in the past that mattered before; the past existed, but almost as if it was a story he had heard once, not years of experience that he had actually lived before.

For the first time in his life, in any life, he was going to be an engaged man, he belonged to her as she belonged to him, not some unfair, ambiguous connection, but a real one, a true one. It made all the things he had ever thought, all the things he had been certain on before, utterly unclear. As Gil-galad, he would have been able to explain what love was, quite eloquently even, but now he was not so certain that he could any longer. He just knew that it was what he felt for Celebriníel, and that it was powerful, and equally selfish as it was selfless.

‘Most assuredly one of the more curious abstract concepts in existence,’ he mused.

‘Is it?’ someone asked from somewhere behind him, but he did not need to turn to know she was there on the threshold of the balcony. Instead he reached out a hand, which she was already on her way to catching, and pulled her beside him.

‘I think so. I have never been so uncertain about something that I am so sure about.’

‘You outdo yourself in your usual vagueness, Reinion,’ she smiled, pressing his hand.

He smiled at her, nodding.

‘I am aware.’ Breathing in, contently, he shook his head. ‘There seem to be so many things we still have to discuss between us. What do we really know of one another?’

‘I suspect that is what the betrothal is all about,’ she replied, ‘because we have a feeling in common, and we have ventured just beyond acquaintance appropriate for general civility, and two rings and some words spoken in public will allow us to venture further.’

He chuckled, nodding.

‘That does sound accurate. I had never considered it quite that way.’

‘We know the unimportant things, favourite colours and favourite foods. I know you are quite good at equestrian gaming, and that you are rumoured to have looked very impressive in shiny armour once upon a time. We have talked about books and authors, but if you have a favourite I have not discovered yet, and there must be hundreds of other things like that, large and small.’

He touched her cheek lightly, making her wish for a fuller touch.

‘Those will be the easy things.’

‘What do you imagine will be difficult?’

‘I cannot say yet. The things you anticipate will be problematic often turn out to be the complete opposite. The real difficulties are often not foreseen.’

She stepped away, letting her hand slip from his.

‘I know you wish to warn me, but I refuse to let those things worry me. There are going to be so many more happy moments, and I would much rather concentrate on those.’

He embraced her tightly from behind and held her close, bringing his lips to her ear as she rested her hands on his arms.

‘Tell me what would make you most happy right now.’

She spoke quietly, looking at the lights of the city before her.

‘That I did not have to go.’

He smiled into her hair, holding her closer.

‘Tomorrow, by this time, we shall be at Imloth, and we will be able to spend as many evenings in gardens and by the fire as you desire, and just about anything will be possible. We can spend our nights sitting on balconies and look at the firmament until Anar chases Isil away and no one will be able to tell us not to.’

Celebriníel closed her eyes, nodding almost imperceptibly.

‘But there is still so much of this night still remaining, and it would be easier to pass it with you.’

He made her turn in his arms.

‘Do something for me?’

Touching his lips with her fingers she only nodded. Ereinion caught her hand and held it against his chest, looking at her intently.

‘You go with your parents in a while, and when you get home you get yourself to bed, and worry about nothing. The whole of Tirion already knows you are lovely, and without realising it they already know I love you more than life itself as well. We are not going to tell them anything they do not know already tomorrow, and afterwards there is nothing that does not lie within our grasp.’

-~~*~~-

Unlike previous occasions, Ereinion was not much involved in the logistics of planning the feast that made up the core of the family meeting or the meeting itself. In the past he would often greet guests in his father’s and grandfather’s place, a worthy replacement able to answer in-depth questions on Tirion politics from those who lived too far away from the city to have much access to such information, and fill in any gaps in gossip they might have picked up. He had always more or less enjoyed the task, but in hindsight he was glad he had been excused this time.

This time, he arrived late, only minutes before Elrond and Celebrían would with Celebriníel, the intention being to sweep in for the announcement and out again without too much bother. If his absence had been noted, it was apparently deemed of little importance. The meeting was running its course much as it was intended to; the family members had already been provided with food and drink and had cheerfully taken advantage of the opportunity to discuss anything they wished with cousins they had not seen for years. It was his father who approached him before anyone could stop him for anything more than an amiable greeting.

‘Fingolfin will do some short announcements after Celebriníel arrives, and then he will give you the opportunity to speak for yourself. Once you finish he will take over again, and you will be able to slip away without too much trouble, we predict.’

Ereinion nodded. This was how it had been planned from the very beginning.

‘You will have to excuse us to everyone.’

Fingon grinned.

‘They have known you longer than today; it will come as no surprise to them that you are running off to Imloth, I suspect.’

Before he could think up a worthy reply to his father’s words his grandfather had entered the halls and was asking for the attention of the gathering. He could be mistaken, but it seemed to Ereinion the crowd was silent quicker than usual. Fingolfin smiled brightly and nodded in appreciation.

‘I have some short announcements,’ he began, ‘and then my grandson has something to tell you as well, I believe.’

Had Fingolfin not had an impeccable control of his demeanour, Ereinion feared everyone would have been able to guess what he was going to make known right then and there. It suddenly seemed so obvious that for a moment he wondered why they were not congratulating him already. He took a deep breath as his grandfather continued speaking and looked over his shoulder, finding Celebriníel nearer than he had anticipated. He smiled at her, not having noticed her entering before, and she smiled back, inclining her head slightly.

As he turned to face Fingolfin again, he was overcome by a feeling of exhilaration. That smile, that confident, not entirely innocent, marvellous smile that he had once predicted would be the end of him had been able to instantaneously chase all his fears away and remind him that nothing mattered except this. This stream of thought caused him to miss Fingolfin’s prompt, but his father beside him was quick to call his attention back to the matter at hand with a nudge to the shoulder.

Stepping forward with a smile and a shrug back at those in the hall observing, causing some hushed laughter, and in so doing gaining their complete attention, he turned fully towards the assembly. As he allowed for a quiet moment in which to take a look at the crowd, he recognised many people, great names and great deeds, and his prepared speech suddenly seemed silly. It was her face that fortunately made something else take its place. It would hardly have done to stand before his entire family lost for words, what with his reputation for expressiveness.

‘Firstly,’ he began, ‘I wish to bid you all welcome, especially those having travelled from outside Tirion. As my grandfather stated, I indeed have an announcement of my own.’ He looked down at his hands, slowly turning the silver band on his finger. Then he looked up and held out a hand for Celebriníel, who seemed intent on ignoring everyone in the hall except him. Perhaps that would have been a better strategy to begin with, Ereinion reflected, as their gazes locked and their fingers entwined. It was easy to change strategy, so without looking away or releasing her, he began to voice what had been the gist of what he wanted to say.

‘Very recently, it was pointed out to me that oversights can turn out to be something entirely different; sacrifices bringing us more than we ever could have envisioned.’ He smiled at Celebriníel and breathed deeply, turning to the rest of the hall. ‘I cannot say how much I deserve it, but I have had the honour and pleasure of the acquaintance of this young lady for a long time now, and it has given me more than I could ever have hoped for. She owns my heart, and I dare say she has given me hers. We stand here today to announce our betrothal.’

The silence that fell between the end of his sentence and the wave of sound that followed from the all was mercifully short, and a mixture of cheering, congratulations and whistling commenced loudly. Ereinion felt Celebriníel beside him exact some pressure on his hand, making him look at her, relieved, happy, beaming. The next thing he was aware of was his father embracing him firmly, then his grandfather, kissing Celebrían on the cheek while meeting his mother’s eyes over her shoulder, and extending a hand to Elrond who pulled back from embracing his daughter.

He was too overwhelmed himself to remember exactly where they were supposed to go, but Fingon ushered them towards a set of doors easily as Fingolfin began speaking again.

‘In due time you shall all be informed when the marriage is to take place, naturally, and we hope you shall all...’

It was the last thing he heard before the doors closed behind them and they stood in an empty hallway, the two of them, out of breath, tingling all over, somewhere between ready to dissolve in chuckles and bouncing around in celebration. But it only lasted until the need to kiss her became even more urgent, and they reflected there was no reason not to give into it.

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