Who Shall Release Us? by polutropos

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Fanwork Notes

Written for SWG Challenge 'Major Arcana' for the card Judgement. 

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A re-embodied Maedhros slowly remembers. As he does, he must come to terms with an absence and accept that there are some things he will never know.

Major Characters: Maedhros

Major Relationships: Maedhros & Maglor

Genre: General

Challenges: Major Arcana

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 2, 323
Posted on 11 October 2022 Updated on 11 October 2022

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Who Shall Release Us?

Warning for grief processing, references to canonical suicide. 

Comments

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Maedhros on a path to knowledge and healing is so painful. Love for Findekáno came back quickly, but it is the loss of Maglor (and where is he, alive, faded, dead?) that knocks him into the world. Floating in the sea listening for music broke my heart, and opened his. 

This really burrows in.  The self-loathing at all that he thinks might have happened, the way he cannot be anything to his family (not a comfort, not a source of answers)... the way he is so empty himself he has nothing to give them.

I ached for Amrod.

But yes, if not healing exactly, then a kind of peace at the end.  Coming to terms with it...

You paint with words so masterfully 💖

(yes I left the same comment on ao3)

Your description of this as a series of snapshots is apt - and they are lovely and heartbreaking!

I have the impression this all took considerable time, the healing wasn't very quick. Did Maedhros also talk to his other brothers? And what does Elrond think of all this?

Yes, I definitely imagine it took a lot of time. It would have taken many more thousands of words to cover it all. 

Elrond's feelings on this are difficult! I still haven't worked through that in my head so it's both intentionally and necessarily unsaid. 

Thank you for reading and commenting. 

That really frightening bit, when he thinks he might have killed Maglor...

Very effective imagery, grief dragged from oblivion and unveiled until it can be grasped, if perhaps not exactly dealt with.

Your use of music is powerful and the descriptions of Este striking.