West Wind Blowing by Himring

Chapter 1

Forms part of a story arc which assumes that Maglor's wife stayed behind in Valinor and that Maedhros loves Fingon, but hasn't told him so (that is, not at this point in the narrative).

Read Chapter 1

The two brothers stood together alone on the highest tower in the chill light of a winter dawn. It had been another very long night. Wave after wave of the Enemy’s forces had broken against the walls of Himring, yet the vehemence of each succeeding attack had seemed undiminished. Now, it appeared, even Morgoth’s servants must rest a while.
The brothers looked west, hoping against hope to see Celegorm and Curufin returning or indeed any sign that, outside the walls of Himring, others of the Noldor had survived and held out against the storm. But the pass of Aglon was crawling with foes and all movement to be glimpsed through the pines on the slopes beyond merely turned out to be even more enemy troops being brought up against them. And yet, as they gazed, a west wind arose and a clean breeze swept away the stench of smoke and blood that hung about Himring these days, dispelling the stomach-turning smell of the orcs’ cooking fires far below.
Maglor took a deep breath.
‘I am half weary of battle’, he said.
Maedhros moved a little closer to his side, but said nothing.
Maglor leant out over the battlements and began chanting very softly:
Tell me, West Wind—you crossed over the stormy sea—
did you see my love? And does she still speak of me?
There was a short silence. Not expecting an answer, they both nevertheless listened hard. Above their heads, the banner flapped in the wind. There was no other sound.
Then Maedhros raised his face into the breeze and sang, even more softly:
Tell me, West Wind—you passed over the rainy plain—
does my love still live? And will I see him again?
They were silent again for a while.
Then Maglor said:
‘At least I know that she is safe—although not for me.’
Maedhros replied:
‘At least I know that, if he lives and if fate permits me to see him again, he will smile upon me when we meet.  For he is kind, although he does not love me.’
And he put his arm around Maglor’s shoulders.

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Chapter End Notes

 

Obviously, asking the wind for news is a feature of Aragorn and Legolas's lament for Boromir in LOTR. You may also have come across this short anonymous poem, which is one of my favourites (quoted from memory): "Oh western wind, when wilt thou blow so that the small rain down can rain? Oh that my love were in my arms and I were in my bed again!"

And two shamelessly self-referential notes (sorry, far too many notes anyway for such a short piece!): Maedhros fully believes what he says at the end of the story, based on previous experience, but when he does meet Fingon again, Fingon is most definitely not smiling--and that is not the only count on which Maedhros turns out to be wrong (dramatic irony is when the author plays practical jokes on her characters). As for Maglor, when he composed the West Wind Quartet (an instrumental piece for two flutes, harp and fiddle), he based the second movement on the tune he and Maedhros are singing the words to in this ficlet, but the lyrics themselves remained strictly private.