Elemental by Ysilme

Sky /3

But could he even go back? Where should he go? He knew nothing about the lay of this new land, nor about its masters, did not know about settlements and borders and the peoples inhabiting it. Maybe he would be killed on sight when he was recognised as a kinslayer?

At least then I would have tried.

And even if they did not kill him, why would they not just chase away a dismal stranger who came to beg for alms? Those who dwelled here along the coast would most likely still struggle to survive after the cataclysm, and have nothing to offer for free. But he had nothing to give. All he had ever been was a warrior and a minstrel. He would never touch arms again, though, and he doubted that what songs he had to offer would be considered suitable payment. He had no gay songs for dancing, nor ballads and poems for entertainment; all he had were the sad and bitter songs that told of pain, and loss, and loneliness.

No. He was thinking too far ahead. He did not need to live among people to ease his loneliness. Somebody to talk to would be enough for a start. He just needed to stop avoiding the wanderers he occasionally saw, and find out if they would talk to him. He could learn about the peoples and the land, and go from there.

The sky had grown darker, with the bright colours fading away into the velvety blue of the night. Maglor yawned and crawled a few yards towards the outcrop, where the sand had piled up. He found a comfortable spot and laid down, looking up and watching the stars come out one by one. This never failed to comfort him, although for a long time, he had not known why. As beautiful as the sun was with all the colours it would draw onto the sky, there was more beauty still in the deep majesty of the nighttime sky, and he remembered with fondness those who had shared this view with him before. Elrond had been the last, had he not?

Maglor stilled. How could he have forgotten Elrond? His son - no, he must not think of Elrond in this way; he had only ever been the guardian of the twins, and had certainly forfeited any right to regard Elrond as more. But the child who had warmed his heart and had brought him - no, not peace, but contentment -; the one he had fought over so often with his brother, so the child could pursue his own passions, the young man who had meant the world to Maglor - where might he be now? What had become of him? Had he been able to follow his dream of becoming a healer? Or had he been forced into war and strife, like they all had been?

He could find out. He could ask about him when he met people. He could find Elrond.

Yes, he would look for Elrond, and find out how his life was going. And then - well, he would just see.

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter End Notes

Written for the B2MeM 2017 prompt: Gameboard, Green Path, 6: “Darkness falling”

You might be wondering why Maglor is calling himself Maglor at this point in his life. In my mind, at the beginning of the story, he is already subconsciously aware about the changes he underwent, and of being on the path to leave everything behind and start into a new life as a new person. Keeping to the Sindarin version of his name is a sign of that awareness.