The tragedy of Sirion by Aprilertuile

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2 - The attack

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It had taken a little while, a few weeks. But finally, Amrod and Amras, tired of seeing their brother tormented as they were decided to take things in their own hands again... And once again Maedhros and Maglor noticed.

And so now they were on horseback, riding toward Sirion.

"How do they even *do* that? They barely notice anything when it's not orcs or spiders or each other! Amrod hissed for his brother who looked about as surprised as he was himself.

-We're not blind. We just choose to give priority to things. You and your guards pranking each other in an endless game of "who can do it better" is worth so little on the scale from court-manners to Morgoth is at our door that, quite frankly, yes, we tend to ignore it, and anything as harmless get painted with the same brush. Maglor answered bluntly.

-How the fuck did you hear me? Amrod spluttered in surprise.

-He's not deaf, that's how." Maedhros muttered unhappy, riding in front of them.

The twins exchanged an unhappy look at the mood of their elder brothers, but consoled themselves with the knowledge that soon they'd be cheered up.

As soon as they got that damned stone of their father in fact.

The journey to the doors of Sirion was long, annoying and the weather was clearly another thing that was definitively not on their side. In short, everyone was miserable for the last few days of travel.

And then they arrived in view of Sirion.

An alarm rang even as they placed themselves in formation.

And they saw a panic start before they even started to attack. There were people fleeing left and right, and screams and...

Maedhros signaled the start of the attack but... Seeing the people so terrified of them that there'd be a movement of panic within the city just at the view of them...

And no army ready to oppose them...

A few of their followers refused to follow order and... Attacked them in defense of the city instead.

The fight spread. Somehow a fire started somewhere, Maedhros didn't even know *how*.

The brothers were separated during the fight.

Maedhros could see here and there people injured because trampled or pushed aside by the panicked crowd, and others fighting or just hiding...

He himself went with single-minded focused after Elwing. He needed to find her.

And he did find her, above a cliff near her house.

"Murderer. She breathed seeing him.

-Give up the Silmaril and I'll order the retreat.

-Never. You don't deserve to have it.

-That's not yours to decide. And is keeping the jewel out of our hands worth the lives of your people? That's what you're bartering with right now." Answered Maedhros tensed.

Elwing hesitated, her eyes flying to the destruction she could see around, the fire, the smoke, the bodies, the fighting, the screams...

Maedhros, as a show of good faith, sheathed his sword.

"I can, and will, call my people back to retreat, as soon as I have the Silmaril in my possession.

-No harm will come to my family?

-None."

Elwing hesitated a moment... But suddenly she saw smoke raise from her house, and she closed her eyes in grief.

"It's too late. There's nothing left.

-Elwing, don't be....

-Don't take another step! She warned taking a step back, far too close to the cliff's edge.

-Elwing... Called Maglor approaching, with a guard at his side, and twin children caught in the guard's grip.

-Stay away!" She screamed at them, without even looking at them, her eyes locked on the burning building.

The blood seemed to race in her body, a sort of eerie calm invaded her. She heard little of what was going on around her. Her children were in that building.

"It's all your fault!

-Elwing, think of your people...

-You'll never get that jewel back."

Elwing barely turned and jumped, the jewel on her necklace pressed closed to her breast.

Maedhros ran the last few steps that separated him from the cliff's edge, already knowing it'd be useless and...

Even as Elwing was going to touch the water, her body seemed to radiate light, and a majestic white bird flew away, the Silmaril in the necklace around her neck still.

Maedhros emitted a wordless shout of rage and pain, and just stood there watching the bird fly away with the jewel... Again.

He should have given the order to go after the refugees of Doriath straight away the first time around. At least his brothers wouldn't have died in vain then!

"Brother. Are you injured? Maglor asked approaching carefully.

-Elwing flew away with the stone.

-We saw, yes. Maglor nodded.

-Amrod and Amras?"

Oh, he didn't quite need the confirmation. As soon as Elwing had flown away, he had tried calling all his brothers through Osanwë. There was no mistaking that dreaded silent where his brothers should have been.

"Nelyo...

-Dead I take it then...

-... Yes. Amrod was killed by one of his own people and Amras died avenging him. I was... Close enough to see it, too far to save them."

Maedhros felt his heart break just a bit more and wondered how much more he could take before just hearing a bad news would utterly destroy him. Surely at this rate it would happen.

"She thought we were going to kill her children. Maedhros breathed.

-They're fine. The children... I don't know how the fire started in the house, but we got them. They're... mostly fine.

-They won't be for long.

-Brother!

-The city is destroyed, and their parents are gone and going to think them dead, so they won't be in a hurry to come back. If we leave them, they'll be left to fend for themselves, with high chances of starving to death. And that's only if the orcs and wargs don't find them first. Call it mercy if you will.

-Your sense of mercy is screwed.

-What do you want me to do? I can't undo the attack. I can't miraculously find them a shelter. I can't miraculously bring them their damn parents back. Besides, a life for a life, no? Elwing wanted us to spare them in exchange for the Silmaril, but she left with the stone and abandoned them behind. It'd be...

-It'd be cruelty and nothing else.

-Besides, they're mongrels. Mix-breeds that shouldn't exist. Their kind only brought despair to us, stealing the Silmaril and keeping it, awakening our oath against our own kind again. All for the sake of their ego. Let's call it mercy upon the world. Who knows what two of those can unleash in the world next. Maedhros snarled losing control of his temper.

-Do you hear yourself?! They're children! They can learn! Besides, are you really, honestly insulting the line of Turgon? He answered to our call when we tried to gather and go after Morgoth! He doesn't deserve our scorn, and his lineage did nothing to us. Maglor argued even as, with the guard, the children were crying, holding on to one another.

-Those were raised by Elwing.

-Those are innocent children. Don't become the monster I know you aren't.

-Their grand-father killed our brothers.

-And how many people's grand-father, father, sibling, or child did we kill?"

Maglor narrowly avoided his brother tentative to punch him.

"We can't promise them safety, we can't undo what we did, what all happened, but we can take them with us and offer them the safety we took from them.

-Why should I? That accursed family of them only brought chaos to us.

-I'd think our oath and Mandos' curse did that all on its own.

-Maglor...

-Look, if nothing else, she's bound to come back.

-I don't see...

-Her and Eärendil. The way to Valinor is closed. There's nowhere else for them to go. One day, one way or another, they'll be back. If we abandon or kill the children in cold blood, we'll truly be the monsters they accuse us to be. We'll have no leg to stand on to barter with them. We save the children...

-And we'll have an exchange possible with them. Maedhros completed thoughtful.

-Please, brother. You killed the people of Celegorm who killed their uncles. Don't become as much of a monster as they were. They're just children."

Maedhros stood there, studying his brother. Maglor was rarely the one among his brother to directly oppose him, but when he did, it was worth listening to his advice. And even if often he had ignored him, Maglor letting himself be pushed aside and ignored, this time...

It has been years since Maglor got that stubborn light in his eyes. Literal years.

If he pushed... He couldn't live without his remaining brother.

He wouldn't let three pests from the line of Thingol break their bound.

"Fine. Fine. Do what you will, brother mine."

Maglor smiled tiredly at him.

"Then come. We need to go. We don't want to be caught unaware by nightfall in the hills.

-Our brothers...

-Their bodies will be taken with us. We'll give them a pyre as soon as we're able to. I already gave orders in that sense."

Maedhros nodded, feeling... Numb.

"It's just us.

-Yes brother. It's just us left, and the oath."

Maedhros could see in his brother's eyes the same doubts and despair than in his own. 8 they had started and been unable to complete the oath with an army at their backs and their family as allies. Now 2 they were, with but a fraction of their army, and very few allies...

Maglor caught him by the arm and led him through the ruin of Sirion, the guard following with the two crying children.

One day Elwing would come back, and they'd go after her Silmaril again, so was the nature of the oath, but until then, they only had one enemy left, and children to take care of.

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Chapter End Notes

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