Start of the journey by Aprilertuile

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Start of the journey

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The rain was falling hard on the land, and Maglor was wondering if it'd be alright with Elrond if they went back under the rain to go get food, be it by hunting or foraging.

Elrond was really looking tired and he didn't quite want to worsen his situation by letting him catch a cold. He was aware that they didn't have an incredible supply of dry wood for fire to start with so if Elrond ended up soaked, cold and unable to warm up…

On the other hand, not leaving the cave meant having breakfast and nothing else for the day. Maglor would be fine, yes, but it wasn’t really a healthy solution either.

Strangely enough, the idea of leaving Elrond on his own in the cave, to the risk of the young elf deciding to take a dive in the sea and just drowning or something of the sort was not appealing in the slightest.

However, for now it was barely dawn and considering the state of the sky outside, Maglor had a couple hours at least before Elrond awoke and he had to decide between cheerfully pushing Elrond to put his nose out of the cave, or keep him busy within the cave, dry and warm.

Maglor might be a tad paranoid, but…

However, the sea bubbled just in front of the cave entrance and Ossë appeared.

Maglor grimaced. He didn't quite enjoy the presence of that Maia. He was unpredictable on the best of days, and it's not like Maglor had done anything to be in his good graces. Last he checked the Maiar, like the Valar, were rather condemning of his actions.

They weren’t wrong, to be fair to them, but that didn’t fill him with confidence now.

"Maglor Fëanàrion.

-Lord Ossë. To what do I owe the... Honor of your presence?"

A bit of politeness would go a long way toward not getting drowned and endangering Elrond.

"I bring a warning. The rain caused a mudslide that affected the camp of the Host. The brother of your ward is fine, but they're moving he camp further east as a result. You might want to move too, to avoid them."

Ossë disappeared in a splash of water that barely missed Maglor, making him mutter under his breath something not very flattering to the Maia.

"So they know."

Maglor jumped, startled and turned, to find Elrond looking at him from his place curled up in Maglor's cloak.

"The Maiar are close to their elements. My guess is that they knew you were here the moment I brought you back with me.

-Do you... Do you think they told Elros?"

Maglor seemed to hesitate.

"I think that if they had told your brother, we'd already have been swarmed by a bunch of locust in elven and human forms.

-Unless I was right and they don't care.

-They do care. Or at least Elros cares, if no one else.

-He chose to abandon me, so I doubt that.

-Did he?

-He chose to become a man, didn't he?

-But did he tell you why?"

Elrond shook his head, no.

"And did you ask him why?

-How could I have? They went straight to celebrate. Elros will be king, you know. That's a grand thing."

Maglor hummed a bit under his breath, thinking.

"I think you should ask Elros next time you'll see him.

-If I see him again you mean.

-You will. Maglor answered simply.

-You can't know that.

-I do.

-You don't have the Sight, atto. I love you, but you don't know.

-Call it a hunch then, Little Star. And in any case, we need to decide what to do, if you heard Ossë's warning."

Elrond nodded.

"So, do you want to go further east? Or should we wait here until they catch up to us?

-We're not staying here.

-Hm... We'll go if you wish to.

-I wish to.

-Do you want to tell me why?

-Because nothing is right with them. They never listen to a thing I say. And because they won't let you stay and they won't accept that I want to stay with you. And I... I don't... If they... I don't want to... I don’t want you to leave me again.”

That had Maglor wince in regret. He hadn’t wanted to abandon the twins… Or to give them the feeling they were abandoned.

“They might listen to you if you go back to them you know. You might even settle the problem with your brother.

-They'll never listen.

-What makes you think that?

-They don’t want to listen. I overheard Oropher and Celeborn talking after our choice was announced.

-You know, overhearing things is rarely the best source of information…

-They were talking about how to convince me to do what they think is best for their people. They saw Elros and me as the heirs of Doriath, so since Elros chose to be a mortal, I absolutely need to stop playing at being a healer and start acting like a proper lord! Like I know anything of the people of Doriath, apart from the fact they're isolationist to the extreme, and also proud to the point of insult whenever we meet.

-I'm sure they have qualities beyond that. Besides, we noldor have no right to throw stones about pride, you know.

-I don't care. I'm not one of them, and I don't want to lead them. They have Oropher, and Amdir and Celeborn anyway, if they want a leader. Void, Celeborn is more closely related to Thingol than I am at this point! He's his damn grand-nephew while I'm his great great grand-child. He lived with him, under his rule, he knew him! I never even met the elf! I never so much as lived in Doriath! So what do they need me for even if they wanted to rebuild a sort of kingdom in their corner of the world?!

-Not through any fault of their own, you realize, right? Maglor noted with clear regret.

-Atto, I love you, really, but if Doriath and Gondolin hadn’t both fallen, Elros and I would never have been born so the question wouldn’t be asked in the first place.

-…Right. Sorry for that. And to go back to the point you raised, they might need you now for… Tradition? You are of the line of their king after all. Or they might be afraid to lose you if something happens...? Maglor offered after a while.

-Well, if they wanted to follow traditions, they should have ensured that Elros wanted to be an elf. He’s the one who loves the idea of being a leader. Not me. They didn’t, well too bad for them. I’m not Elros’ replacement copy.”

Maglor grimaced at that. He wasn’t quite sure how to tackle all the issues that were in those few sentences.  

“Hm... If you talked to Gil Galad about the problem of the leadership of the doriathrim...

-Last I tried he rambled on and on and on about duty and all, and warned me not to try and unbalance a government by trying to take a place that doesn't belong to me. Since, you know the Noldor have no need of me but the Sindar of Doriath do. I just said I didn't want to be a leader of any sort, and was happy being a healer, but what do I know, apparently it translates as: "must want to be king of the noldor".

-I see… Perhaps he just…”

Maglor was interrupted by Elrond who apparently wasn’t quite done ranting. Well, at least he was talking, it was always easier to deal with issues when he actually knew what those issues were…

“Just because ELROS is entirely unnaturally happy with being a king doesn’t mean I want that too. What, twins can’t be separate entities with their own wants and needs now? Besides, who, with any knowledge of our people’s history would want to be a king? The whole thing is a nightmare.”

Well, Maglor could think of a few people who had wanted the crown, over time, starting by at least one of his own brothers…

“I don't know what's their obsession with crowns and leadership in general but they need a reality check. Not everyone wants to be that! I certainly don’t! I like being a healer. It’s something I know, it’s something I love, what’s it to them if I don’t act like a proper prince anyway?”

Maglor hesitated at that but finally sighed. Politics was the last thing Elrond needed and the doriathrims, or what was left of them after two kinslaying and a long war, could learn to deal on their own. They had enough experience in that by now anyway.

Actually, Maglor thought, Celeborn, Oropher and Amdir might want to check with their people, because by now it was largely probable that the people themselves had arranged their own lives with another leader, perhaps one of those three even, and that they wouldn’t exactly welcome a new one…

People had the magical ability to adapt to new situation rather fast when they wanted to, and it wouldn’t surprise him at all if Amdir, Oropher and Celeborn where the only ones actually looking for a king to unite the Doriathrims again, or whatever their reason was.

Not that Maglor could tell them that. He’d probably be killed or jailed on sight if he so much as approached them.

Aside from that, if that little upstart for a noldo king wanted to play games with Elrond, threats to his life or not, Maglor would ensure that Gil Galad would quickly understand why it was a bad idea to anger a son of Fëanor.

But first, Elrond needed to recover. 

"Then we'll go East. Just eat and relax for now, once we're ready we'll leave."

Elrond looked at him with a stubborn look in his eyes.

"I'm ready to go now.

-You need to eat, dear one.

-And if they arrive in the area while we lose time? We...

-Little Star, they can be in the area all they want, they won't separate us. Now eat.

-But they will! They...

-My brothers and I committed atrocities over less grave offences. They will NOT take you from me against your will, I can promise you that."

Elrond looked at Maglor, uncertain for a moment, before he nodded cautiously.

It came briefly to Elrond’s mind that he should probably not find that as reassuring as he did, but couldn't quite muster the energy to care.

They ate quickly, and left the cave, Elrond was ready to go before Maglor was, and the elder of the two could see how nervous the younger actually was, jumping at every noise.

"Hey, I'm here with you, and not leaving you, alright? Now, let's see if we can cover some ground and find a nice new place.

-Can we...

-Yes?

-Can we just... Just walk for a few days, or... Or weeks even? I really don't want to... To have them so close."

Maglor nodded.

"We can. Let's go then."

Elrond took hold of a piece of Maglor's cloak as they started on their way.

"And to say that you thought that Elros and I affected the weather. Elrond said suddenly, after a while, as the rain still fell down on them relentlessly, soaking them to the bones.

-Oh that does absolutely nothing to convince me you don't.

-... You think I want the rain?

-No. I think that you're just that close to crying, or shouting of rage, whichever, and I think your brother must not be entirely happy either. I'd be far more surprised to have a perfect sky."

Elrond stayed silent for a long moment before whispering:

"Elros has no reason to be unhappy.

-Hm... I could think of at least one."

Elrond snorted at that, and let Maglor lead him inland, walking eastward. Elrond was distinctly unwilling to stop to eat in the middle of the day, and Maglor didn't see the issue with not stopping so they kept on walking.

Maglor only stopped them somewhat mid-afternoon when he found a place that looked like a better shelter from the element than he had seen until now.

Not perfect but they worked to make it more rain proof until night fell and they settled to rest.

Elrond was fast to fall asleep against Maglor, under both their cloak. They had covered a lot of ground that day, it was cold, he was tired, and Maglor was an unparalleled source of comfort, and heat.

No need for a fire when Maglor slept next to him.

And at dawn, it's the sun piercing the clouds that woke Elrond. The day wouldn't be the best sunny and warm day, but at least it didn't look like there would be unending rain from morning to evening.

"See? Better weather. Not my doing. Sun is evil." Elrond grumbled, before hiding his face against Maglor's side.

Maglor snorted a laugh at that.

Elrond might be an adult, might have lived in a less than ideal situation with Maedhros and himself for years and then worked as a healer apprentice or whatever his rank was for years in the war of wrath, but he still could be such a child when he wanted to...

Or a cat.

The youth was perhaps more like a cat. Maglor passed a hand through Elrond's dark hair, and chuckled as Elrond emitted a sound half way between groan of annoyance at being bothered, and sigh of comfort.

Not to say it sounded like a cat purring but...

"I don't purr. But I can bite." Huffed Elrond obviously following somewhat Maglor's surface thoughts.

Maglor hesitated a moment to have again that conversation about privacy of thoughts, but decided that it wasn’t worth it. Again.

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Chapter End Notes

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