Of the Wrath (and the Candies)
[in which Finrod joins the War of Wrath, but with a plot twist. The plot twist being, Finrod is smol.]
Look. Finarfin is not mad.
Finarfin isn't even disappointed.
Finarfin is just too tired for all of this.
Therefore, when on the fifth day of the sail from Valinor to Beleriand he entered the cabin and met his son's eyes, he only sighed and said, "Your mother will kill me, Findarato."
Finrod just frowned and dug his teeth into the cookie.
That evening two portions of dinner were ordered to be prepared for the king's cabin, and the news spread very quickly that Prince Findarato Ingoldo Artafinde was going with them to war. Which was logical, because the prince was one of the few who saw the war with his own eyes and commanded the soldiers. It was also illogical, because the prince was literally twenty-five years old. He looked twenty-five years old. That is, he didn't even reach the king's chest, had soft childish golden hair and generally looked like a kid.
Believe me, Finrod was annoyed by this the most.
Because he is not Findarato Ingoldo Artafinde Arafinwion. He is Findarato Ingoldo Artafinde Finrod Felagund Arafinwion, Prince of the Noldor, Head of the Third House in Beleriand, King of Nargothrond, for Morgoth's sake! He is a king, but this cursed body, this little childish body, makes everyone think that he is that little prince from the Tree Years, carefree and pure -
That's why he was now glaring at Finarfin, stubbornly crunching a cookie. Finarfin had already placed the bowl of sweets high on the dresser and was sitting in a chair, looking wearily at the spiteful little gremlin sitting across from him.
The hardest thing about this... situation was combining the fact that Finrod had already lived and died, and that Finrod was technically still a child. He did not get along well with his emotions. He could not explain his own motives.
Finrod - the old Finrod - was now confined in a body that could not contain his spirit.
So Finarfin just sighed, put a plate of dinner in front of his son and hoped that the cookies his son had been eating these five days had not killed his appetite.
The enthusiasm with which the prince took to eating made Finarfin heave a sigh of relief.
~
The host of Valinor had to get used to the child at the meetings very quickly. Well, not a child. Finrod.
(Elwing agreed to send a word to Eärwen just as she was preparing to say goodbye to Eärendil. Something made Finarfin feel that neither Eärwen nor Amarie would be happy about the news.)
Be that as it may, Finrod became a regular member of the meetings. However, several encyclopedias had to be placed on his chair so that the prince would feel comfortable. Finrod ignored it. Finarfin thought it was sweet, but remained silent.
And Finrod reminded them again and again that he was not a child. He spoke clearly, expressively, calmly; talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy, about the various... creatures he uses, about tactics and strategy, about geography, features of the landscape, about potential allies.
Finrod was a war veteran.
Soon we all will be, Finarfin thought, gritting his teeth.
~
So, let's go through the points.
For the last few hundred years his nephews were succesfully doing Morgoth's job with their own hands.
The condition was so bad that the orcs began using poison on their blades and no one had the time or resources to find an antidote.
Beside elves, humans and dwarves quickly flocked under the banners of Valinor. And not just soldiers. Refugees. People fleeing from under the heel of Morgoth to the front line. Old people and children who fell out of the frying pan into the fire.
Tulkas was unaware of the limits of the Children of Ilúvatar's bodies, and would push them until they collapsed from exhaustion. (Tulkas also didn't know that Finarfin was angry and stubborn, no better than his famous brothers. After some very calm conversations with Finarfin and Eonwe, he eased up a bit).
And he also had a grandson, whose name was Gil-Galad, about whom Finrod forgot to tell.
(In Finrod's defense, he took a long time to apologize, because when you're locked in a child's body, the last thing you think about are grandchildren).
Under Gil-Galad's care were his... twice removed great-great-grandsons, twins, who were hiding behind his grandson's back.
Above his tent, in the heavens, shone a star, which was Eärendil, who was his great-grandson twice removed and the father of the boys.
And the boys considered themselves orphans, because his nephews destroyed their town and their mother threw herself into the sea.
Ah, yes, forgot to add. After that, they took the twins under their care.
And now they sent them to him.
Finarfin wished very much that his eye would stop twitching.
It was... a very strange family reunion.
~
Elrond felt himself... out of his plate. Yeah.
Elros was always by his side, but it didn't help much. BUT! His father was next to him! Well, not like next-next to him, more like "high in the sky" to him, but hey. "High in the sky" counts, because all the past years his father was across the ocean. Now they could even communicate! With torches! Yay!
And there was godsdamned Finarfin! And Gil-Galad, Finarfin's grandson! Oh, even better, here was a whole, Morgoth take him, Finrod!!!
The one who's also a child!!!
The same one standing right across from him looking at Elros who has the cursed ring of Barahir on his finger!!!
Elrond! Wanted! To run! To Cirdan!!!
"So is it true?" suddenly asked Elros, and his eyes shone with ill interest.
"Every word of it," Finrod nodded.
"Did you really slay a werewolf unarmed??"
Finrod nodded silently, and Elros exhaled, taking Elrond's hand. A dangerous, maniacal desire to know more burned in his eyes.
"Elrond. Elrond, Maedhros must hear this. Elrond, I knew it all my life. I knew-"
"What, Maedros didn't believe I did?" asked the prince - the boy - Finrod - and a childish resentment could be heard in his voice.
"No!"
"Why??"
"Sindar propaganda!" Elros chirped cheerfully and grabbed Finrod by the hand, pulling him to the tent with food. "I want to know everything from beginning to end!"
~
By the end of the evening, Finrod decided that Elrond and Elros were worth dying for. He also added a few points to his very long monologue with which he was going to greet Maglor and Maedros. Something about kinslayings being bad and replacing dead brothers with twin orphans, yada yada, nothing to see here.
He also decided that Gil-Galad was boring. The mature part of him knew that the boy was on the verge of a breakdown, but the child in him declared that Gil-Galad was grown-up and boring, and Finrod decided to agree.
He also prepared plan number 51 to steal weapons from his father's tent. Look, he fought. He is a warrior. He slayed the werewolf with his own teeth. He should be on the battlefield, not in a tent processing intelligence.
He planned to draw Elros into the plan, for he resembled Turgon and Beren at the same time, and neither Turgon nor Beren would ever refuse to do something that foolish.
~
Galadriel appeared after ten goddamn years.
Which was good and bad at the same time. Bad, because the lands of Galadriel were one of the few safe places where the refugees could hide, but Celeborn stayed there, so the problem was solved. Good, because Galadriel brought weapons, supplies, and information. And, well, because she was family.
It was because she was family that Finrod hid in the armory.
He did not even want to imagine the moment of their meeting. Gil-Galad told him that, honestly, he thinks Artanis will kill him, resurrect him, and kill him again.
Thank you very much, Finrod did not sign up for this. He had barely grown to the point where his body began to take on the form of an adult, which meant that Finarfin couldn't stop him from participating in battles now. He celebrated the moment with the twins with a pint of ale for three. Finarfin still didn't think he could drink.
So, Finrod didn't want to meet Galadriel, because it would end in bloodshed.
And hiding in the armory seemed like a good idea. The twins brought him food and water. He could easily sit out his sister's visit here and show up in... ten years, when he finally grew up.
The evening and night went well. He suspected that his father was to busy catching up (read: comforting her while she sobbed) with Artanis now, but still let him know that everything was fine.
The next day he woke up and met his sister's face.
Galadriel blinked, her blue eyes studying him.
"Um."
Finrod sat down. Fake it 'till you make it?
"Have we met?" he asked innocently, and Galadriel exhaled sharply.
"You are a nasty little-"
"Rude."
"I swear to MORGOTH-"
"HEY! IS THAT MY DAGGER??!"
~
"Father," breathed Galadriel, holding her brother by the collar of his shirt.
Finrod broke free.
"She robbed my grave, dad!"
"Father-"
"SHE TOOK MY DAGGER!!"
"FATHER, HOW IN THE WORLD-"
Finarfin sighed.
He had a long day ahead of him.
56 notes
·
View notes
@laplacemail said ; hi smol. first of all: mwah mwah mwah! second: what kind of gifts/offerings gil tends to prefer? / 𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃
/ aaaAAAAOOOOOO HIIII SOMAAAA!! First of all, thank u so much for sending this in!! reading ur question really made me stop on my tracks and think back again on our dearest old friend, Gilgamesh, who although i’m not always here and he seems to be busy somewhere inside my head, he hasn’t so far considered to leave which on its own is kind or surprising considering how my writter inspiration often comes and goes and back and forth as it tends to do, regardless of that, I can at least say all the characters i’ve written hold a lil place inside my heart despite not writting them anymore or as frequent as i would like to, THAT ASIDE! enough sentimentalism and allow me to get to ur question!
Normally I would start with some context and finish with the answer at the end, but this time i’ll answer it right here for once, first a question and then follow by with my answer;
what could a man that can own everything possibly prefer? It’s like eating countless and never-ending desserts since you have memory of; in a way, despite all desserts being different from each other (in this metaphor) ; they all seem to remain desserts to you nonetheless. You are aware that you can always get them at any time and have done so in the past, yet no matter what, they are still perishable at the end of the day; bound to time.
Since all that is tangible could be his at any time so he desired, then the answer to what would be his most precious offering would be without a doubt; time. Time is intangible, something that not even the gods are able to possess, something he once has desired to be in control of in the past, (that curiously was as well, part of the root of his fear) and that not even the gods can avoid; that is the most valuable thing. Like sure; you can buy time in a way; but can you, truly?? can you control how long your reign will last?, how many days you will spend by the side of your best friend?, how many days it will take for death to knock on your door?, how many days it will take for your people to still think of you as their king? to remember you? Of course not; and although c.asgil has matured and concluded that possessing time is indeed impossible; this is as well the same reason as of why he’s learned to value and respect it so much; He is aware he can’t own it, but he can stand next to it; someone can gift him something that is truly invaluable, that no amount of riches could compare to.
So long story short (I did end up writting the conclusion at the end then rip)
Time owes no one, and spares no one and nothing, and maybe that's why it is so precious.
Time is thus extraordinary and invaluable .
4 notes
·
View notes
Part... something. Oh boy, I've been waiting for this one. This is probably one of my favourite perfumes of all time, maybe someday I'll get sick of it but I genuinely doubt it. If you've never smelled By the Fireplace, please try to, I HEAVILY INSIST.
By the Fireplace is one of the most pleasant, comforting, amazing things I've ever smelled. I took one whiff and was absolutely obsessed with it. By the Fireplace smells like your clothes the day after you've been sitting around a campfire, like when you take your hoodie off at the end of the night and the next day you can smell that warm smoky scent on it. I love that scent, it's comforting, it's warm, it's nostalgic, it's just so perfect. Gilbert..... I'm not gonna pretend to know a lot about him, but if I'm remembering correctly in canon it's said that he has a generally pleasant demeanor and outward appearance that is pretty contrasting with how he actually is underneath. I think By the Fireplace probably helps him with that act, like a fire when you're cold, it makes you want to get closer to feel it's warmth.
Gil is smart (obviously) and so I have no doubt in my mind that he would use everything possible to make him to appear exactly as he wants to other people. I imagine Obsidian as being a rather cold snowy country, especially given how big it is the North seems like it would be a very chilly place. Scent and memory are so heavily connected, he would definitely be aware that wearing a perfume that resembles a warm crackling fire would subconsciously attract people to him. In a cold kingdom who doesn't want to be warm?
Now for me to wax poetic; I said that this is a scent that would help him with his nice guy act, but the funny thing is is that this perfume isn't at all a lie. Yes, a fire is nice and warm and comforting, it makes you feel safe and at home. But fire is still fire, if you get too close you will burn. Fire doesn't just burn things, it changes them so completely what's left afterwards isn't at all a semblance of what it was, it destroys.
I'm sure Gil has more going on than I'm aware of, and I'm sure he's not a complete monster and there's some soft smol boy inside there somewhere. But for now this is the best I can do. To sum it all up I'll leave you with a quote from a living legend:
"You get the best of both worlds" - Hannah Montana c. 2006
Honourable mention: the blood of his enemies
Can't really think of anything else for him, By the Fireplace is just too perfect.
3 notes
·
View notes