A/N: First off, I cannot thank you all enough for the support being shown to this story. So thank you everyone. I started this on a whim and it's become one of my favorites quickly. Hope you enjoy chapter 10 (9 excluding prologue)
Fan art by Unicadia on FFN
Findekáno led Eve out of their house and into a large yard area. At the far end, a stable stood with six horses. Five of them roamed the yard, but one just stood in its stall. At the sight of the horses, Eve smiled wide.
"You do like horses, then," Findekáno chuckled. "Come. Those two over there are Turvo's, but the rest are mine." He walked forward, avoiding the two furthest from the stable. He gestured for Eve to follow.
She did so, walking calmly straight to the mare in the stable. Findekáno just watched her, curious. When she reached the stall, the blue roan horse came slightly forward. Eve held out both her hands, palms, up, and the mare sniffed them. When she felt the horse's nose on her hands she giggled. It tickled, and she instantly beamed. She heard Finno come up behind her and she turned to look at him.
"You have found Alassë," he told her, keeping his voice calm so as not to alarm the mare. "She is a wonderful companion."
"She's gorgeous," Eve added immediately. "Which horse do you ride? I don't want to take your favorite."
Findekáno shook his head. "Do not worry about that. I ride Turcanno." He pointed to a large white stallion that stood with its head held high. "I fear he lets no one ride him but me." Leading Alassë out of the stall with but a word, he offered her a hand up.
"You guys ride bareback?" She paused for a moment. "I haven't done that in years."
"What is it you do, then?" Findekáno looked at her in confusion.
She gestured to the horse's back. "We use saddles. They sit on the horse and it keeps us in control and not exhausted from holding ourselves up."
"Well, do not worry," Finno assured her, though he still appeared confused. "You will not need one of those. Alassë understands speech, like all good horses. You do not need to control her." He paused before continuing. "As for becoming tired, I do not think you will have issue. I do not know anyone who has trouble, and you are an Elda now."
Eve made a face at him but nodded. Finno leaned into the horse and spoke something, and the horse glanced to Eve. She suddenly felt left out, but not for long.
"Alassë shall carry you if you wish." Findekáno smiled. "You say you have ridden like elves before?"
"Yes, I trained for bareback. But it's been years," she muttered her response, focused in sizing up the horse and figuring out how she'd get on. "I don't suppose you guys use reins?"
"I am not familiar with that term either, so no," Findekáno replied, shaking his head.
Eve muttered something Finno didn't quite catch. He smiled at her, and crouching down, offered her a step up. She looked at him skeptically. "No box?"
"Would you like me to get you a box?" His grey eyes just glittered in amusement.
She huffed and narrowed her eyes, feeling quite glad that she'd smacked him when they'd first met. "No, I'm fine. Just do your job and don't drop me."
Finno grinned. "Of course my lady!"
And so, grumbling the entire time, Eve prepared to use Findekáno's hands as a step. Before taking the leap of faith, she pet Alassë on the neck and asked her to be nice. She didn't miss Findekáno's snickering at that. And so finally ready, she stepped and vaulted herself carefully onto the horse's back.
Findekáno stepped back and watched as Eve got her bearings. He found himself pleasantly surprised at how quickly she did so. He could tell she had been quite familiar with horses in whatever her past life had been. He thanked Ilúvatar for that. It certainly made this easier.
The voice of Findaráto floated to them from the side of the house. "Are the two of you prepared?"
They turned to see him striding in atop a large black stallion. His golden hair had been pulled back out of his face and a simple, small circlet sat on his head.
"You're wearing your circlet today, cousin?" Findekáno asked.
Findo nodded with a small sigh. "My mother requests I do so when in Alqualondë."
"Alright." Finno nodded and then looked at Eve who had been walking Alassë around the yard in an effort to get used to bareback again. "Are you ready, Eve?"
"As I'll ever be," she told them, and Alassë took her back to where the princes stood. "You said horses respond to speech, right?"
"Yes." Findaráto nodded and watched her carefully maneuver to them by speaking to Alassë. "Like that!"
"Cool." She nodded. Eve continued to mutter to herself as she had Alassë walk towards them. "Cool, sweet. Yeah okay I can do this."
Findekáno nodded and led Turcanno over to a fence so he could mount up. "You are doing well, Eve."
She grinned at both her companions. "Like I said, I'm good with horses. And this is freaking amazing, having a horse literally understand me. I mean seriously, it's like talking to a phone but it's alive!" She paused at their blank expressions and sighed. "Sorry, I got excited."
Findaráto gave a single laugh. "Do not apologize. We are sorry to not understand your way of speaking. But come, it is time we left if we wish to reach Alqualondë by nightfall. Already Laurelin is reaching her height."
All three on horseback now, they left the same way Findo had come. It was a path that ran along the side of the house out into the streets of Tirion. They weren't far from the exit into the rest of Valinor, for all the largest houses with massive yards were at the foot of the massive sloping hill.
"And so we exit Tirion upon Túna, and head out to the docks of Eldamar," Finno told her. "It is an hour from here to the Noldorin docks, and then another eight to the Falmari at Alqualondë."
"You guys keep talking about Noldor and Falmari," Eve ventured. "What are they?"
Findaráto jumped in immediately. "There are three elven kindreds here. The Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Falmari. When the elves first awoke, there were three kindreds. They became the Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri. The Falmari are a section of the Teleri."
"What's the difference between them?" asked Eve.
"Most obvious is hair and eye color." Findo gestured to his golden hair. "The Vanyar have golden hair, the Noldor typically have dark, and the Teleri silver."
"There are exceptions," Findekáno added, "Lady Nerdanel, her father Mahtan, and Nelyo and the twins, for example. Red hair very rarely appears in the Noldor. And one of Turukáno's companions, Laurefindil, has golden hair."
"Correct," Findaráto nodded immediately.
Eve nodded thoughtfully at Findo. "So how do you have golden hair?"
"I am part Vanya," he told her. "My sister has remarkable hair. She somehow has silver-golden hair, likely because of our Telerin ancestry as well."
"Artanis, right?" Eve asked him quickly, hoping she remember the name of the girl.
Findekáno answered for him. "Yes. She is a rascal."
With a laugh, Findaráto nodded alongside him. He turned to Finno. "I will not disagree with you."
They continued to speak off and on about the elven kindreds. Eve learn much from the cousins, learning the differences in appearance from the Vanyar, the Falmari, and the Noldor. They also told her of the differences in culture. She learned that the Noldor prized study and craftsmanship, the Vanyar took part in the arts and music, and the Teleri loved the ocean in all its forms.
Eve, remarkably surprised, realized that as Finno had told her, she did not feel tired from the work her legs had to do to keep her on Alassë's back. Instead, it came natural to her muscles. Another perk of being elvish, she realized. She wondered how much she could eat and not gain weight...
They wandered along a road which ran parallel to the coastline. Eve did not like the ocean, but here it seemed peaceful. She did not intend to set foot in the water though, no matter how much her companions would tease her. The golden light of Laurelin had faded and been replaced by Telperion when the they saw a grand city built into the mountains and a massive shipyard and haven. Alike and yet different from Tirion, Alqualondë's primary colors were white and grey, with blue accents.
The stars shined down above them, and the soft ambient silver light lit the area well enough. Eve heard flowing water, and the rush of waves hitting the wood of boats. It formed a music different from Tirion's, but no less touching. A wind from the sea whipped her red hair across her cheeks and threw salt into the air. She closed her eyes against the spray.
"Ossë must be in one of his moods tonight," Findaráto muttered. "Come on, let us dismount. My family's stables are nearby."
The two men dismounted first before Findekáno offered Eve a hand down. He smiled, no teasing in his expression when she hesitated. With a nod, she took his offer of help and swung herself down. He steadied her as she stumbled slightly.
He smiled at her. "How was the ride?"
She shrugged and patted her horse. "The company was alright. Alassë is great."
Findekáno's grin widened and he shook his head. "I am glad you found the company well enough. Hopefully we can do better later." He didn't miss her smirk.
Findaráto led them down a side street that wrapped into the city. There they found a massive stable building for the royal horses. They left their steeds with the workers and then made their way into Alqualondë proper.