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English
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Part 3 of And the Stars Shine the Same, Part 2 of Tolkien Gen Week 2022
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Tolkien Gen Week 2022
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Published:
2022-07-05
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1/1
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Medli and Tinien

Summary:

The first time Beetle came across one of Lord Elrond’s hounds, she thought she was going to die.

(For Tolkien Gen Week 2022 day 2, prompt: Animals)

Notes:

I used this prompt as an excuse to fill in a bit of worldbuilding that I was smad that I missed in the first fic. The kiddos have horrible past experiences with dogs, and Elrond has them everywhere so...it really felt like a missed opportunity for a fun interaction.

So here it is! This is set sometime during the time skip near the end of Chapter 6 of "And the Stars Shine the Same".

Sindarin Translations:
Medli - bear (lit. Honey Eater)
Tinien - spark (f. ending)

Work Text:

 

The first time Beetle came across one of Lord Elrond’s hounds, she thought she was going to die. 

It was a fearsome thing looming in front of her: a mound of gray fur and gleaming white teeth in a gaping, panting maw.

She froze solid in the hall she’d been going down to visit Little Worm in the healing wing. She didn’t want to give the beast a target to chase.

It just watched her. Closed that gaping maw. Twisted its head to one side. Then, to Beetle’s horror, it came after her. It took everything not to flee, but instead to hold as still as she could with her fists clenched at her side. If she ran, she really would earn herself a bite and it would be her own fault.

It didn’t growl. Its tail lashed back and forth. It seemed calm enough. Still, she had known so many dogs to lunge without warning. She’d watched a scrap —one of the smaller boys who’d been stupid enough to get in a bigger roach’s way— get pushed into the kennels. The dogs had ripped his face off.

The hound stood as tall as her shoulder, bigger than any other hound she’d ever seen. It came right up to her— right up to her— shoving its snuffling snout into her clenched fists as if looking for something, then half-toppled her with a nudge to her chest, and then, worst of all—

When its dry, warm nose nudged her cheek, Beetle burst into tears.

That was when she heard the whistle. The hound retreated and she opened her eyes to see Lord Elrond there at the end of the hall, with the hound sitting by his feet. She hadn’t heard him pass by, but then again— she never seemed to hear his approach at all.

“I apologize,” Lord Elrond said. “He’s still a pup and is yet learning his manners.”

That. Was. A. Pup?

It was going to get even bigger? The beast would hardly have to even jump to tear a man’s throat out.

She was shaking all over. Still, she was glad that Lord Elrond had chanced by her in the hall at that exact moment. He only gave the hound a stern look, and the hound lowered itself dutifully to lay on the floor, tail smacking against the floorboards as it seemed to stare up at Lord Elrond with an expression radiating pure worship.

Beetle made herself as small as she could where she stood in the hallway. “I’m sorry— I— didn’t mean to—“ she didn’t know what to apologize for, but she felt sure she had done something wrong.

Lord Elrond made a gesture to stop her. Beetle snapped her mouth shut.

“You are not in any kind of trouble. I am merely sorry for the poor behavior of this little troublemaker.” His voice carried a fond note at the end. “He is quite large and I can see he gave you a fright. It would scare me, too.”

Beetle wished he wouldn’t apologize. She never knew how to respond. Admitting her own fault would only contradict him. Accepting the apology could play into a trap because then she would agree with him that it had been the fault of his hound— and so his fault— and it could not be his fault. It could never be his fault.

Lord Elrond broke the silence with: “Were you on your way to visit your brother?”

Mutely, she nodded.

“Come, then. I will walk you there.” He held out a hand to her.

Beetle didn’t want go an inch closer to that dog by his heel. She couldn’t. It was like her feet were glued to the floor and she couldn’t will herself to make them move no matter how hard she tried.

Lord Elrond studied her, surprised. She opened her mouth try and frantically apologize, tried to stop being so stupid— you disobey him at every turn! Still, she couldn’t get her legs to move. She just kept staring at that dog.

He said something to it in Elvish, and it got up and padded down the hall and turned the corner. Then, Lord Elrond came down the hall to her.

Which was, of course, when her legs decided to work again because she reflexively shrunk back.

He stopped short. Beetle’s heart was thundering so loudly in her chest that she couldn’t hear herself think.

“You have done nothing wrong,” he said softly. He sank down to her level, indigo robe pooling on the ground around his feet.

“I— I disobeyed. I’m sorry, my lord.” Beetle said at once.

He cocked his head as if he didn’t know what she meant.

He clearly wanted her to admit it aloud. She wet her lips and wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to stammer and irritate him further. “I should have come to you. I—I‘m sorry. I’m wasting your time. I shouldn’t have been in the dog’s path. And I should have come to you, and I shouldn’t have— have run like this. I should have stayed put and not made you come even further down the hall. I can stand still and do what I’m told, I promise— and I should have asked before coming to visit Little Worm—“

“Beetle,” he interrupted, still sounding horribly surprised. “I am not angry. I told you: you may go anywhere you like and visit your brother whenever you wish.”

She was still shaking. She couldn’t seem to stop.

He rose again and reached for her, and she couldn’t help the resulting flinch, but he just put a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her down the hall.

As they took the length of it, he asked, “Will you come outside with me after we visit your brother?”

Oh, so he would punish her later. That made sense. Beetle nodded again.

They spent the rest of the morning with Little Worm, then Beetle obediently followed Lord Elrond outside to the courtyard terrace, trying to ignore the pit of winding dread building in her stomach. They walked a short way, then Elrond stopped, whistled, and yet another hound came loping up to them, tail lashing back and forth. This one was only a little smaller than the one Beetle had come across in the hall. Its coat was an almost reddish color, and thick and curly. It trotted right up to Lord Elrond and stood there, panting. 

Lord Elrond reached out to scratch the hound around its ears and told her: “This is Tinien. She’s one of Medli’s littermates.” 

“Oh,” Beetle said, vibrating with terror.

He gave her a glance and went on: “None of my hounds will hurt you, and all but the youngest ones know better than to be so impolite as to nose you the way Medli did.” 

Tinien returned the affection he showered on her with several excited licks to his hands, which he allowed and seemed to enjoy. Beetle had never seen any of King Frumgar’s hounds do such a thing. 

Beetle did not understand what they were doing out here at all. 

“Now, if any of them do approach you, you can simply tell them to sit and they’ll stay put. And if you would rather they not be near you at all, tell them to go to bed.” 

Beetle stared at him.

It was rude. She couldn’t help it.

Elrond simply shot her a smile, still scratching Tinien around the ears. “Try it. Tell her to sit down. Her name first, then the command.” 

It was some kind of joke. It had to be. Still, she did it anyway. “--Tinien, sit?” 

 Tinien, to her shock, sat. 

Tinien’s tail thumped against the ground, kicking up a fine spray of dust from the path. She panted, watching first Beetle, then returning her gaze expectantly to Lord Elrond, who gave her another pat to her head and murmured something in approval that made Tinien wiggle with excitement. 

She stayed put, though. Sitting on the ground. 

“Now tell her the second command. Name first, then the command,” Lord Elrond prompted.

Beetle watched the dog, then tentatively said: “Tinien, go to bed.” 

The dog leaped up and then trotted off inside the house.

“There, see?” Lord Elrond said, turning back to her. “I know they’re very large, but each of my dogs will behave in the same way. Even Medli will sit if told to.” He reached out and gave her shoulder a warm squeeze. “I have some things I must attend to with Erestor, but it is just about time for lunch. Run down and ask Gwaeleth to make you something, won’t you? Just tell her I sent you.” 

“I--I don’t want to bother Gwaeleth--” 

“Nonsense. She’d be delighted to feed you,” Lord Elrond said as if the mere notion was absurd. Then he inclined his head with another one of those small, strange smiles of his and went off down the path to his solar. 

A cat that had been sunning itself on a nearby railing perked up, jumped down, and trailed behind him like a shadow.

Beetle went back to the house --and true to Lord Elrond’s word she did not have trouble with any of his hounds ever again.