12: Family Council

They were ushered into the antechamber where the Valar normally held audiences with any of the Eldar. Ingwion and Ingalaurë, more used to their presence, gave them deep bows and smiles. Of the others, only Valandur and Findis appeared equally comfortable. Indil was actually looking pale and Tamurilon held her hand in an attempt to offer her some comfort, though looking at the couple it was debatable as to who was comforting whom. Intarion swallowed nervously. It wasn’t that he had never come to Ilmarin before, but those times had been rare and he had been one in a crowd. Now, he felt more exposed, more visible to the Valar whose eyes missed nothing.

Lord Manwë raised a delicate eyebrow at the sight of them all and hid a smile. "I see," was all he said. Ulmo actually chuckled and there were amused grins on the faces of several of the other Valar. The Elves glanced at each other, not quite sure how to take the Elder King’s statement. Then, Manwë gestured to them and they all approached with the twins in the lead. They stood in two lines before the thrones of the Elder King and the Elentári with Indil between her brothers in front and the others standing behind with Valandur and Findis flanking Intarion and Tamurilon. For a long moment the two enthroned Valar gazed into the eyes of the Elves, and none of them could look away.

Ingwion felt a sensation that he could not quite define, a sort of sifting within his mind or perhaps his very fëa as he stared into the blue eyes of Lord Manwë, blue eyes with gold rimming the pupils, blue eyes that saw far more than the ellon could comprehend, blue eyes into which he gladly fell, never fearing that he would not be caught in the end. He shook himself slightly when those same blue eyes moved away from his to capture his sister’s, but he was given no reprieve, for now he was staring into the silvery eyes of Lady Varda and he heard himself gasp, his breathing becoming shallower and quicker. Again he felt himself falling, and it was as if he were falling into the very heart of a star. He feared to be burned but the flames that surrounded him were cool and he forced himself not to resist, knowing that there was naught to fear.

*You are correct, child,* he heard Varda bespeak him. *There is naught to fear.*

He felt a gentle, soothing caress upon his fëa and then he was released from her gaze. He found he could breathe normally again. Even as he looked to see how his siblings and the others fared they were all stirring as if from deep sleep and they gave each other sheepish smiles.

"A room has been prepared for you," Lord Manwë said and the Elves gave him their full attention. "We will not interfere with whatever decisions you make nor will we give you any council save this: listen to what your hearts tell you. There are many currents in the river and not all lead to the same end and they do not all have the same source. Be discerning and trust one another. You each have a piece of the picture but not the whole. It is your task to fit the different pieces together. Only then can you come to a right decision. Go now. Eönwë will show you the way. If there is anything you need in terms of food or drink or materials, you need only say and it will be sent to you."

Eönwë, who had been standing between the thrones of his lord and lady, now stepped forward. The Elves all bowed and followed him out of the room. For a time silence reigned among the Valar and then Tulkas shifted his stance where he had been leaning against the wall and sighed.

"And now we wait," he said and then after a beat, "I hate waiting."

There were knowing grins from the others. "We all do, Brother," Oromë said with a sigh of his own.

****

The room to which they were led was spacious with windows facing west, overlooking the plains that stretched below the Pelóri mountains. Looking out, they could see the graceful spires of Eldamas in the far distance and the mansions of Valmar beyond. The Ezellohar was visible though the Máhanaxar further west was not because of the Light of the Trees. The room itself was simply appointed, with little decoration and Ingwion suspected that this was deliberate so they would not be distracted from their purpose. Between the chairs were small tables on which sat cut-crystal goblets and decanters of wine as well as plates of fruits and cheese and sweet delicacies.

They sat and Ingwion noticed with wry amusement that he and Ingalaurë were seated opposite each other. Valandur was seated to his right with Findis, facing west, while the other three were squeezed in on his left with Indil between the two ellyn. He grimaced to himself, realizing that the inclusion of Tamurilon had thrown the symmetry and rightness of a council of six akilter. He did not know if that was an omen or not and was somewhat furious at Indil for including Tamurilon into what was a family discussion. Since no betrothal had been announced, Ingwion did not see the young Vanyarin lord as a brother yet. Well, there was no help for it. The ellon was, for better or worse, a part of all this now.

He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. "First, I wish to apologize to you, Indil, and you, Intarion, for the... subterfuge in bringing you here. Ingil and I felt that we needed to speak but without interference from others."

"By that, you mean my parents," Intarion interrupted with a frown.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ingwion said. "Uncle Ingoldo has been rather argumentative and has been attempting to undermine our authority while Atar is away."

"Beyond that," Ingalaurë said, "we have reason to believe he seeks to depose us and take the regency for himself." He stared pointedly at Tamurilon, seated between Ingwion and Indil and the young lord paled.

"I oppose him," he said, "though I have yet to speak against him as Lindórië has."

"Does she know your views?" Findis asked.

Tamurilon had the grace to blush and shake his head. "I told her I had to think about it."

Indil gave her beloved a hard stare. "Why this... cowardice? Why do you not speak your thoughts, whether yea or nay, so others know where you stand?"

Tamurilon reddened under Indil’s glare and Ingwion almost felt sorry for him, but he was curious as to why as well and waited to hear the young lord’s answer.

"I am the newest member of the High King’s Privy Council," he said in a soft voice, not looking at any of them. "Atar decided to give up his position in my favor."

He paused and the others nodded, well aware that Tamurilon’s sire had resigned his position to pursue his love of studying the olvar of Aman in greater depth. Cemendil was a devotee of Lady Yavanna and had entered her service, leaving his son to take his place in Ingwë’s council.

"I was surprised that Ingwë accepted you in Cemendil’s place," Valandur said. "By rights, the position should have gone to one of the other older lords. I can tell you that there was some resentment at your appointment, Tamurilon, for some felt slighted by Ingwë’s decision."

The younger ellon nodded. "I am aware of that, my lord...."

Valandur raised a hand in denial. "Let us leave all titles outside this room, son," he said. "In this room let us all be family."

Indil smiled at Valandur and Ingalaurë nodded. Ingwion was more ambivalent in his feelings but decided that Valandur was correct. For weal or for woe, Tamurilon was a part of this and they were indeed family. "Valandur is correct, Tam," he said, using the ellon’s pet name and giving him a smile which the other ellon returned.

"So you feel that you need to tread softly where my atar is concerned?" Intarion asked Tamurilon, giving the ellon a slight frown.

"Where they are all concerned," Tamurilon corrected. "Not all of the members of the Privy Council accepted Atar’s resignation or his appointing me in his place. I think some felt that the High King should have chosen someone older and wiser. Only a few people, Lindórië being one of them, have openly welcomed me, but I still remain cautious. I have not yet mastered the art of knowing who is my friend in truth and who only pretends to be in order to gain an advantage over me." He gave them a shy, embarrassed look. "I’m not very good at politics," he confessed.

"Better than most, I deem," Valandur said with a wicked grin. "You know how to keep your mouth shut."

That set the others laughing and the tension that had settled over them earlier dissipated. Then, Intarion spoke, his tone one of both puzzlement and distress. "Has Atar truly attempted to suborn the other members of the Privy Council to his view? I know he is ambitious and has always been jealous of Uncle Ingwë’s status, but I never thought he would go so far as to... to commit treason." He ended on a nervous note and he blanched at his own words, for such a concept was alien to him, to them all.

"He has not as yet committed that crime," Ingwion pointed out. "So far all he has done is talk and as far as I know there is no penalty for that." He kept his tone light for Intarion’s sake. "Still, it cannot be denied that there are those willing to listen to his views and if enough agree then it will only be a matter of time before they act on it."

"They would have to act quickly," Ingalaurë said, "for Atar will not remain in Tirion long."

"Should we not send him word of what is happening?" Indil asked.

"And who would you trust with such a missive when Ingoldo heads the courier service?" Findis asked.

There was a moment of silence as they all thought about the implications of Findis’ words. Then, Tamurilon spoke. "Me," he said. "You could trust me."

All of them stared at the young lord in surprise. "You? But what reason have you to even go to Tirion?"

"None," Tamurilon said with a shake of his head, and then his eyes lit with mischief. "But who says I need to go to Tirion? I could easily journey to Eldamas where my atar is presently residing. Who would suspect me of anything more than filial duty in visiting him? And indeed, it’s been my habit to visit Atar every so often with news of the family and Vanyamar."

"When did you last visit Cemendil?" Valandur asked.

"It has been quite a few weeks, actually," the ellon said. "I last visited him some time before the whole business with Fëanáro began."

"Then you leaving now to visit him would not be considered odd," Intarion said, beginning to understand what the youngest member of Ingwë’s inner council was getting at.

Tamurilon nodded. "And after I return to Vanyamar, who would notice that Atar has decided to do a bit of traveling? He is often wandering about Eldamar, studying the plant life. He uses Eldamas as his base for it is conveniently central to everything and he has direct access to Lady Yavanna and her Maiar, for all know that the Kementári stays close to the Trees."

They all sat for a while thinking it through. Then Ingwion looked at Tamurilon. "In the past, did you obtain Atar’s permission to leave Vanyamar to visit Lord Cemendil?" He noticed that Valandur gave him an approving nod and even Ingalaurë’s expression was one of grudging respect for not having thought of it himself.

"Yes," Tamurilon said, "and always he granted it and never did I abuse his trust, but returned when I said I would."

Ingwion nodded. "Then, at tomorrow’s council meeting, you may ask us leave to visit your atar with the promise that you will return by the following Valanya."

"At which point I assume I will accompany Indil to Ilmarin because she has missed my presence and desires my company?" He gave Indil a sly grin and a wink. She returned the smile with one of her own.

"Exactly," Ingwion said with a laugh and the others joined him.

When the laughter had died somewhat, Ingalaurë spoke. "Still, sending a message to Atar almost seems as if we’re running to him the way we did when we were elflings, expecting him to solve all our problems for us."

Before Ingwion could respond to that, Valandur spoke, shaking his head. "No. Sending a message to Ingwë is merely prudence. He should be aware of what is happening here. We should still deal with the situation as best we can and try to solve the problem on our own. Better for Ingwë to return to find that all is well than to return to chaos because we did nothing in the meantime."

The others nodded. "So just what should we do?" Indil asked.

Tamurilon spoke up, addressing Ingwion. "Your little speech the other day was a good start. I know one or two on the council who had been vacillating between accepting Ingoldo’s claims and remaining true to you and Ingalaurë who chose to remain loyal because of it. I do not know how long such sentiments will last, though, and I do not like that I will be gone even for a few days. I fear my absence may tip the balance towards Ingoldo if he pushes for a vote of no-confidence."

"We will have to risk it," Ingwion said soberly. "The council does not meet every day and I can postpone its next scheduled meeting until after your return on some pretense or another."

"That solves that problem, but what are we to do with Ingoldo and those who support him?" Ingalaurë asked. "I am not ashamed to say that he frightens me sometimes."

"Perhaps we should give him something with which to... um... keep him occupied," Findis said, looking pointedly at Intarion, who blanched. The others looked a bit confused.

"You mean Lirulin and me," Intarion said in a low voice.

Ingwion gasped, suddenly understanding. "No. That would be unfair to Lirulin. She deserves better than that. Even if Uncle Ingoldo did nothing, you can bet Aunt Tinwetariel will."

"What exactly are you suggesting, Findis?" Indil asked.

The eldest child and daughter of Finwë and Indis shrugged. "I think it’s time Intarion openly declared himself to Lirulin. You know perfectly well her parents welcome the match. It’s only Ingoldo and Tinwetariel who oppose it. Yet, Intarion and Lirulin are both well past the age of consent and can make their own decisions." She gave Intarion a shrewd look. "You and Lirulin have already discussed this between you, have you not?"

The ellon nodded glumly and sighed. "We had thought to announce our betrothal soon. We just weren’t sure when but I knew that we needed to wait until Uncle Ingwë returned so he could give us his support."

"You have that anyway, and you know it," Findis said, "but if you make your announcement now...."

"Yet, what would be the proper occasion?" Indil asked. "They cannot just announce it in the middle of a market square. There has to be a reason why the announcement is made now and not at some other time."

They pondered Indil’s words, realizing that she was correct, but then Intarion’s eyes brightened and he smiled. "I know the perfect time for making the announcement." They gave him their full attention and Intarion nodded. "Lirulin’s atyénaurë is a week from this Aldúya."

"Ah..." Ingwion said with a nod. "How convenient."

"Isn’t it, though?" Intarion said with a straight face and they all laughed.

****

When they adjourned, they were met by Eönwë, who led them back to the antechamber where Manwë and the other Valar greeted them again.

"You have come to some decisions," the Elder King said, making it more a statement than a question.

Ingwion nodded. "Yes, we have. We have decided that Atar needs to be informed about what is happening. Tamurilon has volunteered to take a message to his atar in Eldamas."

"Ah...." was Manwë’s only comment, but the elves could tell from the expressions on the faces of the other Valar that they approved. "Anything else?" Manwë asked.

Now Ingwion gave Intarion a sideways glance and smiled. "Intarion and Lirulin are going to announce their betrothal next Aldúnya, which is also Lirulin’s atyénaurë."

There were some raised eyebrows at that announcement. Námo, who happened to be standing next to Varda, gave Intarion a sly look. "Does the lady know of this?" he asked.

Intarion blushed and looked at his feet, not willing to meet anyone’s gaze. "Er... actually... um... that is...."

"She’ll know before the day is over," Findis said firmly. "I doubt she’ll object."

"And the reason for this sudden... betrothal?" Varda couldn’t help asking.

Intarion now looked up and they could see the gleam of mischief in his eyes. "Atar will not approve," he said.

There was a brief silence as the Valar came to several conclusions.

"That’s putting it mildly, I believe," Manwë said drolly.

Both Ingwion and Ingalaurë nodded. "So we hope," the older twin said.

"Ah..." Manwë said again, understanding what was not being said. He turned to Námo with a wicked smile. "I think you could take lessons from them."

"I rather doubt it," the Lord of Mandos said in a forbidding tone, but the laughter they saw lurking behind his cold mien belied his words.

****

Olvar: ‘Growing things with roots in the ground’, i.e. plants as opposed to kelvar ‘living things that move’, i.e. animals.

Atyénaurë: Anniversary-day, i.e. one’s begetting day, constructed from Old Sindarin atînaurë [at- ‘again’ + în ‘year’ + aurë ‘day’]. In Sindarin this became edinor.

Aldúya: Two Trees-day, the third day of the Valarin week.