grundyscribbling (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
grundyscribbling) wrote2021-08-18 08:02 pm
grundyscribbling) wrote2021-08-18 08:02 pm
Entry tags:
Fic A Day, Day 18 - Tirion
Title: Tirion
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR/Silmarillion
Disclaimer: All belongs to Whedon & Tolkien. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Anariel and her brothers make their way to the city of the Noldor.
Word Count: 1200
Note: If I do not catch up on all comments tonight, I will this weekend. (Tomorrow threatens to be another long day.) But know that I am reading them, and they are keeping me writing despite the run of long days and stress.
Three children of Elrond slipped out in the darkness not long after midnight, moving quietly and as alert for their younger sister changing her mind as for their parents coming to investigate.
Horses or no? Elrohir asked silently.
Horses, Elladan answered decisively. I do not feel like walking, particularly when we don’t know how far it is. But only our two.
Anariel didn’t argue.
In addition to her brother’s unfortunately accurate point about not really knowing how far it was to the city of the Noldor, she had no idea whether or not her grandfather’s mother would have stables at her house or not. She wasn’t about to leave her brothers the problem of leading a riderless horse through the city. If Tirion elves were half as gossipy as the elves of Ennor had been, that spare horse would have most of the city looking for her by noon. (By the same token, leaving it outside Nerdanel’s would be practically advertising where she was.)
Besides, riding in front of one of her brothers meant she could catch forty winks while they worried about navigating to the city. She hadn’t minded seeing Morgoth get his first limp, but she did like getting a good night’s sleep when she could. And since they were about to play meet the family, she wasn’t likely to get another one any time soon.
Elrohir’s soft snicker said he’d followed her thought process easily.
“You can ride with me,” he offered.
She nodded, and he helped her stow both the small pack with her clothes as well as the swords – one hers, one haru Makalaurë’s before offering her a hand to boost her up.
I am somewhat curious to see an elven city – a proper elven city, for everyone says Mithlond was already in decline even when we first saw it as children, Elrohir told her. But not so curious I would have run to it at once as you are doing.
“I would not run right to it at once if I had a real choice about it,” Anariel grumbled quietly.
Cheer up, both of you, Elladan snorted. How bad can it be?
He grinned as they glared at him.
It’s officially your fault if it is bad, Anariel informed him. And don’t you dare say it a second time!
Elladan smirked, but said nothing more.
The twins led the horses across the first stream before mounting, encouraging their mounts with hand and mind to keep quiet so no one would stop them.
You said you wanted to sleep, Elrohir said. So sleep.
She’d have argued on principle, but she really was tired. Morgoth dreams sucked. All thumbs down, do not recommend.
Also, Elrohir might have been singing.
Either way, when she woke up – from actual sleep – the walls of Tirion were in view. The sun was not.
It was the lack of motion that had woken her. And once she opened her eyes, she could understand why.
They’d all learned about Tirion. It had been the template for Gondolin, and thus indirectly for Minas Tirith. But the real thing was much bigger. And much more impressive. And…
“Those are the most useless walls I’ve ever seen,” Anariel commented. “What’s the point of them?”
“Maybe it helps them tell where the city stops and the not-city starts?” Elladan offered uncertainly.
“You certainly wouldn’t have much hope of defending them,” Elrohir said thoughtfully. “Surprising the wars had to happen in Middle-earth, really.”
At the top of his mind was the thought that there would hardly be even a pretense at a siege.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess our extended family would be really upset that we’re sitting here contemplating how easy it would be to wreck the city,” Anariel snickered.
Her brothers looked at each other and did their best to smother their laughter. Tindomiel had mentioned the gates being manned.
Now that we’ve gotten this far, how were you intending to get in? Elrohir asked.
I don’t know, I didn’t really have a plan, she replied. Jump, maybe?
Elladan stuffed his first into his mouth to avoid laughing out loud.
You’d better pick your spot carefully, he said when he’d calmed down. It won’t do you any good if you have a welcoming committee.
How do you intend to find Grandmother Nerdanel’s house? Elrohir wanted to know.
She shrugged.
People who should know say Gondolin was the same layout as Tirion, just with certain amendments. There can’t be that many places to look.
By ‘people’, you mean Glorfindel, Elladan said wryly. He’s the only person any of us know who could have told you that.
Actually, couldn’t Tinu tell us that by now?
Stop being pedantic.
“I wasn’t,” she said out loud, pulling her cloak on. No sense being spotted now. “Anyway, go be obvious at the gate. Have fun.”
The twins shook their heads as she slid down.
“It’s so unfair that you’re the favorite,” Elrohir muttered.
“Oh, hush,” she replied, pulling her bag off the horse – and the unfortunately large sword. Her own sword she strapped across her back, but the larger one she had little choice but to carry. “You haven’t even met Aunt Varda yet. For all you know, she’s got something cool for you too. Go on, have fun storming the castle.”
That did at least get a chuckle. Family movie nights had been fun while they lasted. Willow’s laptop was not missed as much as she was, but it was missed.
“No holocaust cloaks,” Elladan advised merrily at the boys set off again.
She waited until they were almost to the gate she could see in the distance before she headed straight for the section of the wall nearest to her.
Conveniently, also nowhere near a gate.
The terrain made the wall a little higher here than was comfortable to jump in one go. But she was nothing if not determined. Or perhaps slightly nuts like some people occasionally claimed – she almost lost her balance on the landing. She teetered backwards on the edge for a moment before catching herself.
Right. Now she just had to do that thing she said about figuring out where Grandmother Nerdanel lived. Which could be any of the principal locations in Gondolin, given that those would be the easiest for her emotionally constipated forefather to overwrite with one of the twelve houses. Probably not the Wing or the Mole, as those had been late additions. Golden Flower suffered the same problem.
After a few moments thought about what she knew – which, given there had been one hell of a battle in the city, was a fair amount, she decided that either Fountain or Heavenly Arch were her best bets.
Looking at what she could see from here, Fountain was closest. That seemed as good a reason as any to check there first.
She took the precaution of taking off her super special cloak first, though. It would be pretty embarrassing to have to admit to Aunt Varda that she’d torn or damaged it jumping around on rooftops. And there was no point in risking it. She had a feeling most Noldor didn’t look for people on the roofs.
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR/Silmarillion
Disclaimer: All belongs to Whedon & Tolkien. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Anariel and her brothers make their way to the city of the Noldor.
Word Count: 1200
Note: If I do not catch up on all comments tonight, I will this weekend. (Tomorrow threatens to be another long day.) But know that I am reading them, and they are keeping me writing despite the run of long days and stress.
Three children of Elrond slipped out in the darkness not long after midnight, moving quietly and as alert for their younger sister changing her mind as for their parents coming to investigate.
Horses or no? Elrohir asked silently.
Horses, Elladan answered decisively. I do not feel like walking, particularly when we don’t know how far it is. But only our two.
Anariel didn’t argue.
In addition to her brother’s unfortunately accurate point about not really knowing how far it was to the city of the Noldor, she had no idea whether or not her grandfather’s mother would have stables at her house or not. She wasn’t about to leave her brothers the problem of leading a riderless horse through the city. If Tirion elves were half as gossipy as the elves of Ennor had been, that spare horse would have most of the city looking for her by noon. (By the same token, leaving it outside Nerdanel’s would be practically advertising where she was.)
Besides, riding in front of one of her brothers meant she could catch forty winks while they worried about navigating to the city. She hadn’t minded seeing Morgoth get his first limp, but she did like getting a good night’s sleep when she could. And since they were about to play meet the family, she wasn’t likely to get another one any time soon.
Elrohir’s soft snicker said he’d followed her thought process easily.
“You can ride with me,” he offered.
She nodded, and he helped her stow both the small pack with her clothes as well as the swords – one hers, one haru Makalaurë’s before offering her a hand to boost her up.
I am somewhat curious to see an elven city – a proper elven city, for everyone says Mithlond was already in decline even when we first saw it as children, Elrohir told her. But not so curious I would have run to it at once as you are doing.
“I would not run right to it at once if I had a real choice about it,” Anariel grumbled quietly.
Cheer up, both of you, Elladan snorted. How bad can it be?
He grinned as they glared at him.
It’s officially your fault if it is bad, Anariel informed him. And don’t you dare say it a second time!
Elladan smirked, but said nothing more.
The twins led the horses across the first stream before mounting, encouraging their mounts with hand and mind to keep quiet so no one would stop them.
You said you wanted to sleep, Elrohir said. So sleep.
She’d have argued on principle, but she really was tired. Morgoth dreams sucked. All thumbs down, do not recommend.
Also, Elrohir might have been singing.
Either way, when she woke up – from actual sleep – the walls of Tirion were in view. The sun was not.
It was the lack of motion that had woken her. And once she opened her eyes, she could understand why.
They’d all learned about Tirion. It had been the template for Gondolin, and thus indirectly for Minas Tirith. But the real thing was much bigger. And much more impressive. And…
“Those are the most useless walls I’ve ever seen,” Anariel commented. “What’s the point of them?”
“Maybe it helps them tell where the city stops and the not-city starts?” Elladan offered uncertainly.
“You certainly wouldn’t have much hope of defending them,” Elrohir said thoughtfully. “Surprising the wars had to happen in Middle-earth, really.”
At the top of his mind was the thought that there would hardly be even a pretense at a siege.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess our extended family would be really upset that we’re sitting here contemplating how easy it would be to wreck the city,” Anariel snickered.
Her brothers looked at each other and did their best to smother their laughter. Tindomiel had mentioned the gates being manned.
Now that we’ve gotten this far, how were you intending to get in? Elrohir asked.
I don’t know, I didn’t really have a plan, she replied. Jump, maybe?
Elladan stuffed his first into his mouth to avoid laughing out loud.
You’d better pick your spot carefully, he said when he’d calmed down. It won’t do you any good if you have a welcoming committee.
How do you intend to find Grandmother Nerdanel’s house? Elrohir wanted to know.
She shrugged.
People who should know say Gondolin was the same layout as Tirion, just with certain amendments. There can’t be that many places to look.
By ‘people’, you mean Glorfindel, Elladan said wryly. He’s the only person any of us know who could have told you that.
Actually, couldn’t Tinu tell us that by now?
Stop being pedantic.
“I wasn’t,” she said out loud, pulling her cloak on. No sense being spotted now. “Anyway, go be obvious at the gate. Have fun.”
The twins shook their heads as she slid down.
“It’s so unfair that you’re the favorite,” Elrohir muttered.
“Oh, hush,” she replied, pulling her bag off the horse – and the unfortunately large sword. Her own sword she strapped across her back, but the larger one she had little choice but to carry. “You haven’t even met Aunt Varda yet. For all you know, she’s got something cool for you too. Go on, have fun storming the castle.”
That did at least get a chuckle. Family movie nights had been fun while they lasted. Willow’s laptop was not missed as much as she was, but it was missed.
“No holocaust cloaks,” Elladan advised merrily at the boys set off again.
She waited until they were almost to the gate she could see in the distance before she headed straight for the section of the wall nearest to her.
Conveniently, also nowhere near a gate.
The terrain made the wall a little higher here than was comfortable to jump in one go. But she was nothing if not determined. Or perhaps slightly nuts like some people occasionally claimed – she almost lost her balance on the landing. She teetered backwards on the edge for a moment before catching herself.
Right. Now she just had to do that thing she said about figuring out where Grandmother Nerdanel lived. Which could be any of the principal locations in Gondolin, given that those would be the easiest for her emotionally constipated forefather to overwrite with one of the twelve houses. Probably not the Wing or the Mole, as those had been late additions. Golden Flower suffered the same problem.
After a few moments thought about what she knew – which, given there had been one hell of a battle in the city, was a fair amount, she decided that either Fountain or Heavenly Arch were her best bets.
Looking at what she could see from here, Fountain was closest. That seemed as good a reason as any to check there first.
She took the precaution of taking off her super special cloak first, though. It would be pretty embarrassing to have to admit to Aunt Varda that she’d torn or damaged it jumping around on rooftops. And there was no point in risking it. She had a feeling most Noldor didn’t look for people on the roofs.