Thralldom and Pearls by LadyBrooke

Chapter 1

Last story for the challenge.

Prompts:

Theme: friendship

Story element: friendship

Event/Time Period: Morgoth frees captives for treacherous purposes.

They weren’t important elves, in the grand scheme of Arda’s history.

She was never more important that cleaning the great halls where Sindar kings and princes lived and died, and he served on the borders for the same kings and princes.

But they had been friends since childhood, and she cried herself to sleep the night that word came he had been taken by Morgoth. Even Celeborn bringing condolences from King Thingol himself was a cold comfort.

The same scene was echoed in the homes of the Noldor and Men, as loved ones resigned themselves to never seeing their loved one again. And she cried and the best hope was death, because Morgoth would mistreat his prisoners – everyone, even among the Sindar, knew of Maedhros’ torment.

And those who had lost loved ones and still selfishly hoped to see them again ignored the rumors that there was something Morgoth had manage to twist in all his captives.

Celeborn muttered to the king of him knowing where the first orcs had come from, and the king whispered back that they couldn’t let the others know that they may be shooting their own lost lovers and friends if Morgoth had managed to twist them again.

One day, some of them returned from captivity, weak and pale but still seemingly themselves. And her lover brought her seashells and pearls, and she didn’t let herself think of how strange it was that he would have those things. After all, he knew she wanted them.

So they went back to whispering to each other at night.

Thingol rejected her friends’s request to rejoin the border guards, and she told herself it was just so her lover could recover (and ignored the flash in his eyes that made Thingol tense and Mablung watch him carefully).

When he wanted to know about her day, she continued to tell him all the gossip.

And if his eyes flashed again right before the dwarves slayed them, she told herself that there was no role Morgoth could have played in this, even if he had still be in Morgoth’s thrall.

Chapter End Notes

I'm so glad I actually got these all uploaded. I might have had to lock myself in my bedroom after everyone went to bed with a broken laptop, but they're done.

I think I write about the Sindar too much.