Brothers

The child stared at him with unblinking eyes, saying nothing, just watching him as Fëanaro waited for his father to return to the private library. The High king had been forced to leave for a bit when a matter of some importance was brought to his attention. Fëanaro had resigned himself to finding what amusement he could when the door leading to the adjoining room opened and Arafinwë stepped through. Fëanaro spared the child one fleeting glance: blond hair, blue eyes: yes, this one was certainly Indis's whelp, and no one with half a mind would mistake him for a Noldo. Yet Arafinwë was Noldorin and the son of Finwë even as himself no matter how much Fëanaro would like it to be otherwise. Of course forgetting that Arafinwë and the other whelp of Indis existed was made impossible with Arafinwë just staring at him.

"What do you want?" Fëanaro snapped finally, "Do you have nothing better to do?"

Arafinwë looked very scared as he replied softly, "I am afraid."

"Afraid of what?" demanded Fëanaro, "The Iadel that comes to claim little elf children in the darkness and turn them into its slaves?" he mocked. The Vanyar had such active imagination when it came to some things.

Arafinwë gave him an indignant look, "Of course not! The Valar would not allow the Iadel to come here," he said confidently. "I am afraid…" He took some tentative steps forward and laid a gentle hand on Fëanaro's knee before continuing with the kind of honesty only a child could master, "I am afraid that if I blink or turn away or do anything you will disappear."

Fëanaro started, "Why would you care about that?" he demanded, much of the heat disappearing from his voice.

"You're my big brother." Arafinwë replied promptly. "Father keeps telling me about how good and great you are, but I have hardly ever seen you," he told him sadly. "Now that you are finally home, I don't want you to go away." He looked into Fëanaro's fiery gaze with his innocent, sad, noble blue eyes clouded with more than a little fear. "You won't go away again will you?"

Fëanaro didn't know what to say. It had been so much easier to believe that his "brothers" thought as little of him as he did of them, that they hated him as much as he hated their mother and despised their very existence. Yet, yet apparently it was not so. At least one seemed to think the world of him. Fëanaro felt a wave of guilt hit him. "I am sorry." He found himself saying, "I have been apprenticing under Lord Aulë and that has kept me in his halls. But do not worry little brother I will be here for awhile yet."

Arafinwë face lit up with a wide grin. "Good," he said as he reached up to give Fëanaro a hug. Fëanaro bent down to allow his brother to reach around his neck. "Will you play with me?" he asked tentatively, hope and fear lacing his tone as he nuzzled his brother's neck affectionately.

"Very well," said Fëanaro softly. Once again, Arafinwë rewarded him with a smile and promptly began to drag him towards his chest of toys in the other room, a chest of toys Fëanaro resolved to add to with delights the likes of which his little brother had never seen before.

When Finwë returned to his library he was surprised to find Fëanaro gone, but the sound of laughter soon drew his attention to his son's play room. The sight that greeted him upon entering filled the King's heart with joy, for there was his eldest son happily playing with his youngest. He did not know what made Fëanaro decide to play with a brother he had adamantly refused to acknowledge so far. Nor did Finwë much care as long as it lasted, but than again it was so hard not to like Arafinwë. It was the relationship between Nolofinwë and Fëanaro that he was most concerned about, but there would be plenty of time to worry about that later. Right now the only thing the high king wanted to do was watch his sons play in the mingled light of the two trees that flooded in through the window.

Names:

Fëanaro - Fëanor

Arafinwë - Finarfin

Nolofinwë - Fingolfin

Iadel - Void horror (Something I made up, for more information read my story titled Iadel)

Author's notes: A Big thanks to The Lady Legrace for beta reading.