"What are you reading?" Celebrimbor stood on his tiptoes and tried to read
the words engraved on the cover of Nerdanel's book.
"It is a book about forging metals. It really isn't very interesting, it belongs to my father." Nerdanel explained.
"I am sure it is interesting," Celebrimbor went on. "Did you know that I can forge metals?"
Nerdanel looked down at him and smiled. "Can you? That doesn't come as much of a surprise. Your father and his father are two of the greatest smiths in Valinor. I'm sure you will grow up to be just as good, if not even better than them."
A huge grin covered Celebrimbor's face. "Do you really think so? I don't think I could ever be better than Fëanáro." Celebrimbor looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I like making rings the best." he became very serious when he said this, and his face looked so much like Nerdanel had remembered Feanor's ambitious face that she had to look away.
Finally she spoke, "Tyelpe, how would you like to visit the smithy when your grandfather first learned to forge metals?"
"Could I?" Celebrimbor's eyes widened with excitement but soon his grin faded. "Is it near here? Because I am very tired from the ride over here."
"Of course it is!" Nerdanel laughed. "It's right in this very home. Follow me."
She took Celebrimbor's small hand in hers and led him down the stairs into the warm forge that smelt always of metal. It brought a comforting feeling to Nerdanel when she walked in. This forge had been where she had spent most of her young life, if she was not wandering some unknown forest. This forge was the place where she could return to innocence and be at peace. She could reflect on her whole life and yet reflect only- not agonize. Celebrimbor interrupted her thoughts when he pulled away from her grasp and ran towards a hot stove.
"Careful, Tyelpe!" she cried. "That is very hot. You cannot get too close to it." Celebrimbor looked back at her disappointedly. He was just as bold as his father was. Only if it had been Curufin, Nerdanel would have scolded him. Celebrimbor's wide, innocent eyes prevented her from doing this to him. Instead she just looked at him pityingly.
"I am sorry." Celebrimbor explained. "I just really want to learn to make things, but no one will teach me because they say I am too young. Sometimes grandfather tries to teach me, but he always goes to do something else and ignores me."
A thought occurred to Nerdanel. "Tyelpe, how would you like it if I taught you something?"
"You can do that?" Celebrimbor inquired. "You know how?"
"Of course I do! My father is one of the greatest smiths in Valinor, as is Fëanáro. It may be true that my father taught Fëanáro much of what he knows now, but if it had not been for me, he never would have persevered." A cloud of sadness passed over Nerdanel's mind as she remembered all the times sitting in this forge, watching Feanor working silently, waiting for the right opportunity to say something. However, she was in far too glad a mood to let her memories trouble her for long.
"What would you like to make?" She asked Celebrimbor.
"I do not know. There are so many things I would like to make. Can we make a ring?"
"Certainly" Nerdanel answered, wondering about his fixation with rings. She brought him over to a table with several metals lain out on it. "Would you like to use silver, iron or copper."
"Silver," replied Celebrimbor, "like my name."
Nerdanel handed him a small lump of silver and took for herself a piece of copper. Celebrimbor commented that he thought it was very pretty, like her hair, and she smiled. She remembered someone else saying that once. Soon, Nerdanel had Celebrimbor making a simple silver ring, while she made an identical one of copper. Celebrimbor burned himself once when he went to retrieve his ring without waiting, but Nerdanel quickly covered it in ice and he felt better in no time. By the time they were finally finished, Nerdanel looked out the window to see that Laurelin was now waning.
"Come, Tyelpe," she said, "It is time for you to go to sleep."
"Alright," he yawned. Nerdanel picked him up and carried him up the stairs. By the time she reached to top, he was fast asleep. She lay him down in bed and took the silver ring out from his tightly closed fingers and lay it by his bedside.
The next morning Celebrimbor rose late. He came creeping quietly down the stairs, hoping he would not be noticed. He was quite surprised to see not Nerdanel, but Mahtan at the bottom of he stairs.
"Good morning," he said as he looked up and smiled at Celebrimbor.
"Where is my grandmother?" Celebrimbor asked immediately.
"She is outside in the gardens. I am sure she would be very happy to see you." In a flash, Celebrimbor was out the door, running towards Nerdanel. He noticed the necklace he had given to Feanor around her neck.
"How did you get that?" he inquired, pointing to the necklace.
"Fëanáro gave it to me a long time ago." Nerdanel replied. "And good- morning to you too."
Celebrimbor ignored her last comment, too wrapped up in the mystery of the necklace to notice. "That's not possible! I just got it from my Ada the other day, and I only just gave it to Fëanáro yesterday!"
"That is also true. Fëanáro gave it to me yesterday as well, but he also gave it to me a long time ago." Celebrimbor looked confused. "It was given to me by Fëanáro just after your grandfather Maitimo was born," Nerdanel explained. "After I came to live here I left it along with a few other things. I suppose it was passed on to your Ada, then to you, then back to Fëanáro who finally gave it back to me yesterday."
Celebrimbor noticed the sadness in Nerdanel's eyes and he wrapped his arms around her, just as he had done to Fëanor yesterday. "Do you miss living in Tirion, with Fëanáro?"
"Yes." Nerdanel replied plainly. "Sometimes I do. But I do like living here, and most of the time I am quite happy here. And visits from time to time make it much better."
"Good," stated Celebrimbor, "Then I will visit you all the time. Maybe sometime I will get Ada and Nana to come with me. Ada is very busy most of the time though. oh! I almost forgot!" he reached in his pocket and pulled out the silver ring he had made yesterday. "I want to give this to you." He said to Nerdanel. "So you can remember me."
Nerdanel smiled and tried to stop herself from crying. She took off her own copper ring she had made and handed it to him. "Here." she said, "You can have mine too."
For once Celebrimbor didn't have anymore to say. He just smiled at her and gave her a big hug.
That evening, it was not Fëanor who came for Celebrimbor, but Curufin. Nerdanel ran out to greet him as he rode up to the house. It had been so long since she had seen him, she thought she may never see him.
He dismounted and looked at her. Once again she was reminded so strongly of Feanor that it startled her. It wasn't long before it passed and she threw herself right at him, suddenly embracing him, which in turn startled him.
"Atarinkë!" She cried. "It is so wonderful to see you."
Curufin let a small smile cross his face at the sudden affection of his mother, and the use of the name he hadn't heard for so long. When Nerdanel finally pulled herself away, Curufin noticed the necklace she was wearing. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Ada!" Celebrimbor came running down the stairs and before anyone was aware of it, he was in Curufin's arms. "I am so glad you came to get me! I thought you would be angry that I came here."
"Of course not," Curufin replied. "Nerdanel is my mother. You have every right to love her as much I do." He looked at Nerdanel and she understood. They mounted Curufin's horse and she watched them ride away until she could see them no more. Tears of joy filled her eyes. The time had finally come when the past could be forgotten.
"It is a book about forging metals. It really isn't very interesting, it belongs to my father." Nerdanel explained.
"I am sure it is interesting," Celebrimbor went on. "Did you know that I can forge metals?"
Nerdanel looked down at him and smiled. "Can you? That doesn't come as much of a surprise. Your father and his father are two of the greatest smiths in Valinor. I'm sure you will grow up to be just as good, if not even better than them."
A huge grin covered Celebrimbor's face. "Do you really think so? I don't think I could ever be better than Fëanáro." Celebrimbor looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I like making rings the best." he became very serious when he said this, and his face looked so much like Nerdanel had remembered Feanor's ambitious face that she had to look away.
Finally she spoke, "Tyelpe, how would you like to visit the smithy when your grandfather first learned to forge metals?"
"Could I?" Celebrimbor's eyes widened with excitement but soon his grin faded. "Is it near here? Because I am very tired from the ride over here."
"Of course it is!" Nerdanel laughed. "It's right in this very home. Follow me."
She took Celebrimbor's small hand in hers and led him down the stairs into the warm forge that smelt always of metal. It brought a comforting feeling to Nerdanel when she walked in. This forge had been where she had spent most of her young life, if she was not wandering some unknown forest. This forge was the place where she could return to innocence and be at peace. She could reflect on her whole life and yet reflect only- not agonize. Celebrimbor interrupted her thoughts when he pulled away from her grasp and ran towards a hot stove.
"Careful, Tyelpe!" she cried. "That is very hot. You cannot get too close to it." Celebrimbor looked back at her disappointedly. He was just as bold as his father was. Only if it had been Curufin, Nerdanel would have scolded him. Celebrimbor's wide, innocent eyes prevented her from doing this to him. Instead she just looked at him pityingly.
"I am sorry." Celebrimbor explained. "I just really want to learn to make things, but no one will teach me because they say I am too young. Sometimes grandfather tries to teach me, but he always goes to do something else and ignores me."
A thought occurred to Nerdanel. "Tyelpe, how would you like it if I taught you something?"
"You can do that?" Celebrimbor inquired. "You know how?"
"Of course I do! My father is one of the greatest smiths in Valinor, as is Fëanáro. It may be true that my father taught Fëanáro much of what he knows now, but if it had not been for me, he never would have persevered." A cloud of sadness passed over Nerdanel's mind as she remembered all the times sitting in this forge, watching Feanor working silently, waiting for the right opportunity to say something. However, she was in far too glad a mood to let her memories trouble her for long.
"What would you like to make?" She asked Celebrimbor.
"I do not know. There are so many things I would like to make. Can we make a ring?"
"Certainly" Nerdanel answered, wondering about his fixation with rings. She brought him over to a table with several metals lain out on it. "Would you like to use silver, iron or copper."
"Silver," replied Celebrimbor, "like my name."
Nerdanel handed him a small lump of silver and took for herself a piece of copper. Celebrimbor commented that he thought it was very pretty, like her hair, and she smiled. She remembered someone else saying that once. Soon, Nerdanel had Celebrimbor making a simple silver ring, while she made an identical one of copper. Celebrimbor burned himself once when he went to retrieve his ring without waiting, but Nerdanel quickly covered it in ice and he felt better in no time. By the time they were finally finished, Nerdanel looked out the window to see that Laurelin was now waning.
"Come, Tyelpe," she said, "It is time for you to go to sleep."
"Alright," he yawned. Nerdanel picked him up and carried him up the stairs. By the time she reached to top, he was fast asleep. She lay him down in bed and took the silver ring out from his tightly closed fingers and lay it by his bedside.
The next morning Celebrimbor rose late. He came creeping quietly down the stairs, hoping he would not be noticed. He was quite surprised to see not Nerdanel, but Mahtan at the bottom of he stairs.
"Good morning," he said as he looked up and smiled at Celebrimbor.
"Where is my grandmother?" Celebrimbor asked immediately.
"She is outside in the gardens. I am sure she would be very happy to see you." In a flash, Celebrimbor was out the door, running towards Nerdanel. He noticed the necklace he had given to Feanor around her neck.
"How did you get that?" he inquired, pointing to the necklace.
"Fëanáro gave it to me a long time ago." Nerdanel replied. "And good- morning to you too."
Celebrimbor ignored her last comment, too wrapped up in the mystery of the necklace to notice. "That's not possible! I just got it from my Ada the other day, and I only just gave it to Fëanáro yesterday!"
"That is also true. Fëanáro gave it to me yesterday as well, but he also gave it to me a long time ago." Celebrimbor looked confused. "It was given to me by Fëanáro just after your grandfather Maitimo was born," Nerdanel explained. "After I came to live here I left it along with a few other things. I suppose it was passed on to your Ada, then to you, then back to Fëanáro who finally gave it back to me yesterday."
Celebrimbor noticed the sadness in Nerdanel's eyes and he wrapped his arms around her, just as he had done to Fëanor yesterday. "Do you miss living in Tirion, with Fëanáro?"
"Yes." Nerdanel replied plainly. "Sometimes I do. But I do like living here, and most of the time I am quite happy here. And visits from time to time make it much better."
"Good," stated Celebrimbor, "Then I will visit you all the time. Maybe sometime I will get Ada and Nana to come with me. Ada is very busy most of the time though. oh! I almost forgot!" he reached in his pocket and pulled out the silver ring he had made yesterday. "I want to give this to you." He said to Nerdanel. "So you can remember me."
Nerdanel smiled and tried to stop herself from crying. She took off her own copper ring she had made and handed it to him. "Here." she said, "You can have mine too."
For once Celebrimbor didn't have anymore to say. He just smiled at her and gave her a big hug.
That evening, it was not Fëanor who came for Celebrimbor, but Curufin. Nerdanel ran out to greet him as he rode up to the house. It had been so long since she had seen him, she thought she may never see him.
He dismounted and looked at her. Once again she was reminded so strongly of Feanor that it startled her. It wasn't long before it passed and she threw herself right at him, suddenly embracing him, which in turn startled him.
"Atarinkë!" She cried. "It is so wonderful to see you."
Curufin let a small smile cross his face at the sudden affection of his mother, and the use of the name he hadn't heard for so long. When Nerdanel finally pulled herself away, Curufin noticed the necklace she was wearing. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Ada!" Celebrimbor came running down the stairs and before anyone was aware of it, he was in Curufin's arms. "I am so glad you came to get me! I thought you would be angry that I came here."
"Of course not," Curufin replied. "Nerdanel is my mother. You have every right to love her as much I do." He looked at Nerdanel and she understood. They mounted Curufin's horse and she watched them ride away until she could see them no more. Tears of joy filled her eyes. The time had finally come when the past could be forgotten.