"Good morning!" announced Celeborn cheerfully as he entered the sitting room. It was day five of six without his wife, who had gone to see to the stability of the borders. The elven-lord who served as King Amroth's steward often forgot that it was his own wife whom Amroth had, upon his return from the war, appointed to oversee the wardens. Celeborn was not one to begrudge his wife anything, least of all a position she took such interest in. It was only the third time he had been left to take charge of the children on his own in her stead, but secretly, he enjoyed taking the week off in order to bond with his daughter and young son.
His daughter did not return the happy greeting from her position on the couch. Instead, she watched him warily as he crossed the room and disappeared into the dining chamber, only to appear a moment later.
"Is something the matter?"
"Why do you care?" she muttered under her breath.
Knowing that his daughter was not one to typically greet the mornings with as much enthusiasm as she had for the night, he tried again. "I said, good morning."
"And just what is so good about it?" demanded Celebrian.
Celeborn sighed and crossed his arms. She was at 'that' age; that unpredictable time between childhood and true majority, when things that made her happy one minute repulsed her the next. He was mindful of this, and still, there were times when he found that nipping it in the bud was much preferred over a day-long episode of angst. "This is not the time to adopt an attitude with me. I am going to wake your brother. Wash up and come to breakfast or you will be late for your classes."
For a moment, Celebrian locked her eyes with those of her father, giving him a defiant glare. It was not very long before her bottom lip trembled, and with a loud sob, she dropped her chin down against her chest and drew her hands up to cover her eyes.
Unsure at first as to exactly what had caused such a drastic mood swing, Celeborn stood dumbfounded at the doorway until little Haldir scampered into the room. "Why you crying?" demanded the elfling before shoving his thumb into his mouth and making a loud slurping noise.
Celeborn reached down and gently pulled Haldir's thumb out of his mouth, which made an odd popping sound. "Haldir, go make your bed and stop sucking on your thumb."
"Alright, Ada." Haldir headed back into the area where the bedrooms were, immediately shoving his thumb back into his mouth as soon as he had turned the corner.
As Haldir left, Celeborn approached his daughter. "Sweetheart, if something is wrong, you need to tell me what it is instead of snapping at me."
"When is Nana coming back?" she asked, continuing to cry with her face hidden.
"She should be back tomorrow evening, but if something is the matter, it could be a long wait until tomorrow. Maybe I can help until then."
"I doubt it," she sniffled as the sound of Haldir running back into the room made Celeborn look up.
"Ada, Ada, Clebri's bed's all bleeded on!" Haldir started to stick his thumb back into his mouth, but when he remembered he was in his father's presence, shoved his hand behind his back.
"What were you doing in my room?!" shouted Celebrian.
Haldir scrunched up his nose, becoming quite defensive. "I felt bad for you crying so I was gonna make your bed after mine, but your bed gots blood on it! What was you doing?"
The sudden realization made Celeborn groan inwardly. Of all the times his wife could choose to go to the borders... "Haldir, that was a nice gesture, but you should really stay out of your sister's room. What I think you should do is get dressed and then go and find Lord Glorfindel and let him know you and your sister will not be attending your lessons today." With a nod, Haldir scurried back out of the room, and Celeborn turned his attention back to Celebrian. "We should, uhmm... we need to, uhhh... get you something."
"You have no idea what to do, do you? I want Nana," whimpered Celebrian as she started to cry again, albeit much quieter this time.
"No, no, I... uuhhh... I just need to get something..." Celeborn hurried out of the room and around to his small study and personal library. He quickly skimmed the shelves, eyes finally falling upon a text on simple, natural remedies. In hopes that it might have some information he could use, he scanned through the index, furiously flipping to the pages noted. "Delicate time.. recurring cycle.. best handled by the mother.. yes, well, if she were here, I would not be consulting a bloody book, would I?!" Celeborn slammed the text down on the top of his desk. Four books later, he was convinced that either no one truly knew what to do in such a situation, or there were some bizarre mysterious rituals that occurred that the ellyth did not want the ellyn knowing about.
In any case, he could hear someone coming up the flight of stairs that led to their talan. Throwing the latest disappointing tome onto his chair, Celeborn left his study and returned to the sitting room to find that Haldir was back, and was now accompanied by Glorfindel. Celebrian looked fairly distressed to have her cousin in the room, as well as her brother, who looked just about ready to ask more questions.
"Glorfindel, I apologize, there was no need for you to come back here. I only asked Haldir to let you know that he and Celebrian would miss their lessons," explained Celeborn.
The blond nodded, his concerned look directed toward Celebrian. "I thought I should make sure everything was alright. It was a little difficult to understand, but Haldir said something about blood, and—"
"Oh, sweet Manwe, why not go and tell EVERYONE, Haldir?" Celebrian picked up a pillow and threw it in the general direction of her brother. He slid out of the way and the cushion whapped Glorfindel's knee instead.
Glorfindel looked to Celeborn for guidance, who said, "It is... uh, she... well, you know, that time, and all..."
"Oh!" Glorfindel gave a nod, his eyes slightly wider and avoiding looking at Celebrian, favoring the floor instead.
"Yes, and well... uhm... this, uhh..." Celeborn cleared his throat and lowered his voice, mumbling to Glorfindel, "This would be the, uhh... the first time and all..."
"OH!" Glorfindel nodded emphatically, and after seeming to consult with the floor, turned his attention back to Celebrian with a friendly and sympathetic smile. "Sorry, I.. I thought.. well, never mind that," he said quickly. He stooped down next to the couch to bring himself eyelevel with the poor young lady and took hold of one of her hands. "This is a very special, and... and magical time for you. You have... blossomed beyond.. ermm... from.. to.. maidenhood, and.." Glorfindel cleared his throat when he heard Celeborn groan behind him. "This... you... this is a very special and magical time for you," he said again quickly, as reassuringly as possible.
Celebrian sniffled. "Really?"
"Oh, yes, absolutely," confirmed Glorfindel, completely missing the movement of Celebrian's other hand until it had taken hold of his collar and twisted it, causing the fabric around his neck to constrict very tightly.
"Because, I have to tell you," growled Celebrian as she tightened her grip, "it really does not feel special OR magical to be bleeding all over myself as my womb feels as if there is a family of irate badgers trying to claw their way out of it!" She let go of his shirt and turned onto her side, taking to crying yet again. "I want Nana!" she demanded between sobs.
Haldir was tugging on his father's sleeve as the adults glanced nervously at one another, wondering how to proceed. "Ada," begged Haldir, "tell me what a womb is?"
"Not now, Haldir," said Celeborn distractedly.
"When?" Haldir shoved his thumb back into his mouth as soon as he noticed that less attention was on him.
"In about eighty years. Maybe." Celeborn scratched his head as Glorfindel gave a little cough and rubbed his neck. "There has to be someone around that can help her. Maybe one of the maids can—"
"I WANT Nana. Not some maid or some person I do not know – I want Nana!" demanded Celebrian.
Glorfindel stood up and touched Celeborn's arm before the elder elf could respond to his daughter. "Look, you and I are intelligent adults; we should be able to figure this out. What does your wife use when this happens?"
"Oh, she stays far away from me when this happens," admitted Celeborn. "If you think Celebrian is moody, trust me, she had nothing on her mother."
"Right. Well... she must have asked you at some point to help by retrieving whatever she uses," reasoned Glorfindel.
Celeborn stared blankly.
"You know." Glorfindel waited, and then added, "Something soft, absorbant, and washable? Anything like that ring a bell?"
Again, Celeborn stared blankly.
"Oh... you are one of THOSE husbands."
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" asked Celeborn as Glorfindel turned to Haldir.
Now ignoring Celeborn, Glorfindel asked the elfling, "Has your Nana ever asked you to get something for her because she could not leave the washroom? Maybe on days when she was in a really, really sour mood for no good reason?"
"You mean, like the rag box?" he asked, taking his thumb out of his mouth only long enough to speak.
Glorfindel gently took hold of Haldir's wrist and moved his hand away from his mouth, well aware of the attempts being made to break the young one of his bad habit. "That sounds about right. Can you show me where she keeps this box?"
"Sure!" Haldir bounded off toward the bedrooms again, and Glorfindel followed after him.
Celeborn watched them round the corner before carefully approaching the couch. Celebrian was wiping the tears from her cheeks onto her sleeve and rubbed her nose as Celeborn pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Is there anything I can get for you?" offered Celeborn. Celebrian shook her head. "Nothing to eat or drink?" You hardly ate any supper last night."
"You noticed that?" asked Celebrian warily. Celeborn nodded. "I did not think you paid attention to me anymore."
"Of course I do. What made you think that?" asked Celeborn gently.
"I guess because you spend so much time with Haldir."
Celeborn chuckled slightly. "Have you seen how much energy your brother has? I have to keep both eyes on him lest I discover an unpleasant surprise of one sort or another. You need no nanny; you should be happy I am not on your heels, looking over your shoulder at everything you do. Still, I do pay attention to you, and I was worried that you did not eat so much yesterday. When I asked, you, though, you said everything was fine. Unless you tell me something is wrong, do I have reason not to believe you? I trust you, Celebrian, but that also means I trust you to tell me the truth about things."
"I know..." Celebrian sighed. "But I miss the time you used to spend with me."
"Well... we are having a chance to bond right now, right?" Celeborn hid his smirk badly as Celebrian glared at him. "I think, when your brother and Glorfindel return, I will ask if they can amuse themselves somewhere else for the day so that we can spend it without anyone else. Would you like that?"
"I think I might like taking a hot bath and a long nap," admitted Celebrian. "Maybe we can postpone until I feel better?"
"As soon as you do, I promise that I will take a few days off and you and I will do whatever you would like. And, I will extend that promise further. Normally I have four days off every month... I think you and I should set aside half of those days to spend together."
"Like when we had father-daughter fun-days, before Haldir came along?"
Celeborn nodded. "And your mother can spend those days with Haldir. Do you like that idea?"
Celebrian winced and nodded, drawing her legs up so that her knees were almost against her chest. "I hate this," she complained. "I felt horrible last night, and I feel worse today."
"Are you sure you do not want me to get something for you? Maybe a little toast and tea?"
"Maybe." Celebrian shrugged. "I hardly feel like anything. Food just seems so unappealing right now."
"Sometimes your mother likes to have chocolate and raspberry tea when she..." Celeborn motioned for his daughter to keep the hankie when she tried to hand it back. "Can I tempt a smile from you if I offer to make you a breakfast of hot cocoa and chocolate brownies?"
"Maybe," said Celebrian, and she did smile when her father reached over and playfully tweaked her nose the way he did when she was an elfling. "Can I have cinnamon in my cocoa, too?"
"A whole entire stick, if I can find them," replied Celeborn. He quickly fixed the unusual meal and brought it back out on a tray. Celebrian did little more than nibble on the brownie and daintily sip her drink, but it appeased her father to see her eat a little something, and seemed to calm her mood a bit.
"I wonder what is taking them so long," worried Celebrian as she swirled the stick of cinnamon in the chocolaty liquid.
"Good question," agreed Celeborn. "Maybe Haldir cannot remember where... no, they probably just got sidetracked," said Celeborn quickly as Celebrian's look of worry began to turn to panic. "I think I am going to see what is going on," he said, but as he stood up, Glorfindel peeked around the corner.
"We found what we were looking for, and... well, I think you should come and see for yourself," said Glorfindel, motioning for Celebrian to leave the couch. She reluctantly set aside the half-full cup of cocoa and took her father's arm when it was offered to her, leaning against him as they followed Glorfindel back to her bedroom.
Haldir was standing in the doorway when they arrived. He held the curtain at the door back best he could to be helpful, which still meant that the three adults had to duck in order to make it through. The curtains had been drawn at the windows, the bed had been remade and turned down, and showed no signs of previous events. "We fixed it all up," said Haldir, keeping his thumb out of his mouth as he spoketo his sister. "Glorfindel had to turn over the mattress, but I made sure there were no wrinkles in the sheets 'cause I knowed you hate them."
Celebrian smiled and crouched down to hug her brother. "Thank you. I appreciate it. I was not looking forward to doing it myself."
"There is a basket next to the wash basin with everything you will need, and, a book I happened to find with a chapter on the subject – I marked the pages for you," Glorfindel added when Celebrian wandered to the basket to pick up the book. "You can read it while you are in the tub if you like; Haldir and I carried up water so that you could take a nice, long soak. I apologize for it taking so long."
After a round of hugs and thanks to her brother and her cousin for the unexpected gestures, Celebrian shooed them from her room, leaving just her father. "I am sorry I was such a... bitch this morning. There was no reason for me to lash out at you."
"I understand, though." Celeborn embraced his daughter and said, "I have to give you credit, though, sweetheart. If I was you, I would have been even more irritated to have to deal with a trio of clueless males in such a situation."
"No offense, Ada, but.. you would be more than irritated. In fact, and I hope you do not take this the wrong way, but I am not quite sure you would be able to deal with all of this."
"Probably not. Good thing Eru had the sense to make me an ellon." He kissed Celebrian on the top of the head. "You are a very brave girl to deal with this without your mother here."
"Not a girl anymore, Ada. According to Glorfindel, I am a lady now... magical blossoming and all of that."
Father and daughter shared laughter over Glorfindel's earlier explanation of things. "Alright, then, m'lady, I shall leave you to your bath and nap. If you need anything, I will be home all day, just give a call and I will be right there." He turned to leave, and then turned back and said, "I know it probably sounds silly coming from me and not your mother, but, congratulations, sweetheart."
Celebrian smiled, looking a little bashful. "Thank you, Ada."
"I know this makes you a lady now, but, try not to grow up the rest of the way too fast. Hold on to these fleeting moments of youth as long as you can; trust me, you will appreciate them later."
"Alright," answered Celebrian thoughtfully. She gave her father another hug before shooing him from the room as well.
In the hallway, Celeborn encountered Glorfindel. "Where did you find that book?" asked the elf-lord of Lorien as they strolled away from Celebrian's room and around the corridor of the talan. "Not in my study, I should think."
"Indeed, the book in fact was from your collection. The chapter, however, was a hastily written addition. I hope you do not mind my tucking the folio into your book, and I hope your daughter does not read the previous and following chapters from it, or she may discover the pages to be imposters."
"What did you do, write the chapter while Haldir made the bed?"
Glorfindel shrugged. "I am sure I did not recall everything, but I managed to include enough information for today. Your wife can fill in the gaps when she returns tomorrow."
"How is it you know such things, and I am left stranded with a half-dozen books that skirt about the matter?" Celeborn wondered.
"Because... I had a sister, and you, my friend, did not," replied Glorfindel. "Who you have for siblings has a lot to do with what 'secret' information gets exchanged. Look on the bright side, though. When your son grows up, if he has any daughters, he will know exactly what to do."
"Let us hope he simply marries a wife without an urge to holiday on the borders, and does not have to impart the knowledge he is gaining." Celeborn smiled fondly. "It was very sweet of him to help you set things up for her, and of you, as well."
"It was his idea to get the water for the tub," credited Glorfindel. "He overheard the conversation and I thought the notion was brilliant. Those two might go at each other's throats from time to time, but they really do care about one another."
"As all siblings should. There are moments, like this one, when I think to myself, I have the best son and daughter in all of Arda," said Celeborn proudly as he and Glorfindel reentered the sitting room.
Haldir had left the bedroom area much earlier than the adults, and was standing next to the couch staring at it. When he saw his father, he pulled his thumb out of his mouth and said, "I was going to sit on the couch, but yuck! Blood all over it too just like her bed! Is Celebrian gonna to die from this? If she does, can I have her room?"
"And the moment is gone," muttered Celeborn as he herded Haldir into the dining room for a late breakfast.
Visitor, The by Zhie
Story Notes:
Written for the #9 Challenge at the JFA and dedicated to Bird,
who pushed and nudged this one from me. Er, wait, maybe that's not
the best of words for this fic... oh well. I'm sure this isn't how
most people interpreted this title, but considering this is a visitor
most of us are familiar with, it just had to be written. The bunny
was insistent. I considered an epilogue to this, but it wouldn't have
been very exciting, and I liked the line this ended on. So, there is
it. Bunniverse compatible, but still reads as a stand-alone, 'cause
that's how I roll. I think. I don't know. I don't really do a lot
of rolling. On to the story before I lose the audience...