[image by SemperViridis, at my request]
The Eldar were a beautiful people, and the House of Finwë was especially renowned for its hair - Finwë himself had been named for the exceptional quality of his hair, and many of his descendants had names that referenced their hair one way or another.
But in Fëanor's opinion, the most glorious hair in the House of Finwë belonged to his youngest brother Finarfin. Since Finarfin had come of age and reached his full potential of manhood, his hair had also bloomed with him, and it was as close to perfection as nature could get. Fëanor was completely enchanted by the way Finarfin's flood of hair shifted silver and gold as the light caught it, reminiscent of the light of the Trees. It was as if Finarfin's hair had been made of the same magic of the Trees.
Fëanor wanted to do something both as a kind gesture for his brother but also to have a hand in sustaining such beauty, like being charged to protect a rare and precious artifact of the Valar. And though it was hard to improve upon perfection, Fëanor had an artist's eye and imagined Finarfin's hair even glossier, silkier... more radiant.
Fëanor thought about it, and at last the idea came to him - he would make Finarfin a special soap for his hair. Fëanor's area of expertise was smithing, not plant-cunning, but he was willing to challenge himself for the sake of that magnificent hair.
And so Fëanor spent days in his forge, this time not working with glass or metal or stones, but concocting a recipe, testing batch after batch for scent and performance. Finally, he had the formula, made from a dozen different flowers and a dozen different herbs, creating a rich, fragrant lather, leaving behind softness and shine.
Fëanor went to Alqualondë to deliver the gift personally. When Finarfin saw the bottle he thought it was wine, at first, but Fëanor secretly thought that the thrall of Finarfin's hair was even more intoxicating than wine.
Finarfin was eager to test out the soap right away - he loved it when Fëanor made him things. It took a very long time for Finarfin to wash all that hair, and Fëanor grew impatient, even as he knew from his own hair how long the process could take. When it was washed and dried, Fëanor accompanied Finarfin out to the garden to view the finished result.
It was even better than he'd imagined. Finarfin's hair didn't just seem silkier and shinier - Fëanor's breath caught as he watched Finarfin's hair ripple around him, glowing.
Such was the loveliness of Finarfin's hair after using the special soap formula that Fëanor thought it was unfair for Finarfin to keep that beauty to himself and not show the world. Together they strode through the town square, with Finarfin's hair swirling and flowing like waves of the sea, if those waves had been made of pure light. People who were well-accustomed to lovely hair stopped in their tracks and gasped to marvel at Finarfin's hair swaying and shimmering.
"Thank you again so much for the soap," Finarfin said. "I know you went to a lot of time and trouble to make it for me."
Fëanor smiled and put an arm around him. "You're worth it."
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[image by SemperViridis, at my request]
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