The adventures of tiny Crablor by Aprilertuile

For close to 5000 years now, every few years Elrond had taken a leave of absence and had gone looking for his foster father. This time again, he had left Imladris in the capable hands of his sons, hoping there would be no issues in his absence.

Orcs and wargs had started to be a problem again, and he really, really hoped he didn’t leave the valley at the worst moment but he had a feeling he could find Maglor if only he left now.

He knew that Glorfindel had been anxious at his, admittedly, hasty decision to leave, and leave now, but the twins had been admirably willing to step up for however long he’d need.

His children always made him proud in everything they did. Elrond had no doubt that now his children would do admirably in the task of leading the valley. And the twins had an advantage over him, they were two, for when things became too much, even though he had no intention of leaving for long enough for things to become too much for them.

The journey has been nice, the weather was fine, and he saw no trace of orcs, wargs or goblins on the way.

Admittedly, that was a relief to him as he reached the shore. Now he just needed to find the place he had seen in his vision…

Or he just needed to follow his foster father’s voice.

For indeed, on the wind he could hear a heart-breaking melody without lyrics sung by a voice he had once known well.

Elrond sighed. Had Maglor spent the last 5000 or so years in misery? That made him dismount quickly, leaving his horse behind for he knew Maglor would hear the horse long before he could hear Elrond himself, and he was very able to disappear if he wanted to. Elrond didn’t want to risk it.

He then walked toward the direction he could hear Maglor’s voice coming from, walking quietly and…

And he saw no one on the beach, even though he was sure that Maglor was there. The song couldn’t come from nowhere.

Elrond walked on the pebbles toward the water, taking a look at the rocks and cliff nearby and… His eyes grew wide as he saw on one of the rocks a crab large like his palm… and a torso that looked like Maglor… And it seemed that this creature had been the one singing.

The voice was definitely Maglor’s…

But how was it even possible?

Elrond didn’t realise he spoke aloud and the song stopped even as the creature, tiny Maglor? hastily dried his face from tears but looked at him without hesitation.

“Some years ago, I lost count, there were giant waves coming to the shore. I was too close and was taken by the currents. I died. Or I should have died at least. Lady Uinen saved my life but to do so she… Well, you see the result.”

Elrond stood speechless in front of him for a moment.

“Well, she has my gratitude for saving your life, even if… It’s not exactly what I thought I would find.”

Maglor’s smile was shaky and tearful, even as he looked slightly down, and Elrond couldn’t help himself, and offered his hand for Maglor to get on.

He couldn’t exactly hug him as he would have an elf, but he could offer comfort nonetheless, and a hug adapted to his foster father’s new size.

Maglor looked up at Elrond, and wasn’t that a strange thing when Maglor had seemed just so tall to Elrond, even next to Maedhros who had been downright a giant to the twins.

Elrond smiled gently:

“No matter your form, you are my foster-father, an elf I love like any member of my family, and my children really want to meet their grand-father.”

Maglor escaped a sob and got onto Elrond’s hand, and got on his shoulder as soon as it was feasible, jumping from the peredhel’s hand to his shoulder and… Hugging the side of his face.

“I missed you atto.”

“I missed you too, Little Star.”

Maglor let go of Elrond’s face, but he twisted one of his pincers in Elrond’s hair to keep his balance on the elf’s shoulder.

“Come back with me to Imladris.”

“You know I can’t, Little Star. I’m…”

“You will find that Imladris is a haven where everyone is welcome, and you will also find that the words of the Valar are not exactly of great importance for the inhabitants of the valley. And my children would love to meet you.”

“You know I’m… Cursed.”

“Yes, well, you can be cursed as well in Imladris you know.”

Maglor looked at his hands with regrets, as if he could still see the blood on them, despite all the years that had passed.

“I shouldn’t…”

“Great, that means you agree, let’s go then, I left my horse this way. What do you eat now? Can you eat lembas? I’m afraid that I haven’t exactly planed for finding changed to quite that point.”

Maglor sighed but settled properly on Elrond’s shoulder, so that his balance wasn’t just guaranteed by his pincer’s grip on Elrond’s hair. His son had come by his natural stubbornness honestly from all sides of his family so…

“I haven’t had lembas in years. But I managed with fishes and algae since… Well, since lady Uinen saved my life.”

Elrond frowned at that. They were days of travel from Imladris, weeks perhaps depending on what he’d find on the way, and he really didn’t appreciate the idea of carrying fish for that long.

“My upper body is that of an elf.”

“A tiny one perhaps.” Elrond chuckled a bit hysterically.

Elrond yelped as the free pincer just pinched the skin of his ear for that.

“My upper body is that of an elf, I could probably eat something else than typical crab food, and I’d appreciate to have lembas as I haven’t managed to get those in millennia, thank you.”

Elrond had to stop and sit even as he was suddenly overtaken by definitely hysterical laughter, and he leant his head into the crab like body of his now hand sized foster father, even as the tiny elf… Crab? Cryptid? Gently touched his face, while whispering slightly panicked reassurances.

Maglor yelped in alarm as Elrond’s hysterical laughter turned into sobs and Elrond picked him up and took him to his chest, against his heart, both hands surrounding his body.

“I missed you so much, I feared so much our last meeting would have really been our last and… I never thought… I was hoping but I never thought I’d see you again… I’m… If I had found you sooner.”

Maglor hated himself just a bit more, for being unable to hug his foster son as he so wanted to, and as it’s the only thing he could do, he just started to sing, a lullaby full of his love for the peredhel who held him, his own tears falling down his face for the limitations that prevented him to really help his son.

They stayed there for a long time, Elrond kneeling on the rocky beach, holding Maglor to heart like the most precious treasure, and when they both calmed down, sun was already setting on the horizon.

“I’m…” Elrond started quietly.

“If your next words are an apology for something you had no control over, like your ability, or lack of thereof, to find me, know that I will pinch you.”

Elrond snorted at that, amused despite himself.

“Alright then, no apologies. We should probably spend the night here and go in the morning.”

Maglor nodded, and Elrond let him climb back to his shoulder, even as he rose to his feet carefully, and walked back to his horse.

The animal was peacefully munching on the herbs he found at the edge of the beach, waiting patiently. It was a good horse, very calm, very patient, and very clever.

Elrond took off the horse’s gear, and put his backpack next to the saddle on the floor. He sat next to it and rummaged in it to find the few lembas he had left, offering a piece of one to Maglor on his shoulder, and he couldn’t help the amused smile at the way the tiny piece of lembas looked big in Maglor’s hand: Elrond had given him a lembas that was the size of his head!

Maglor just cut a piece he could actually eat and let Elrond pick up the rest.

“Talk to me of your valley and of your family.”

Elrond’s smile turned tender as he started to talk about his children.

They fell asleep late at night; Maglor stealing just a tiny corner of Elrond’s cloak to ward off the cold, feeling warm for once in this season, and the next morning, Maglor took place in one of Elrond’s pockets for safety’s sake, even as they started on their way toward the valley.

Elrond arrived in Imladris after a calm journey. He had luck on his side this time. It wasn’t always the case.

His sons, Glorfindel and Erestor welcomed him in the courtyard:

“No news I take it?” Erestor said, seeing no one with Elrond.

“In fact, yes, I have news. I found Maglor.”

“Where is he? Will he join us? Should we go to him?” Elrohir started excitedly.

“I am right here.”

The twins exchanged a look of shock at the sudden voice, and Elrond put a hand in his pocket to bring Maglor up to his shoulder.

Maglor stretched all of his numerous limbs as soon as he was freed from his prison of fabric: Travelling in a pocket wasn't fun even for a crab-size being.

“What the… What is that?!” Glorfindel spluttered in shock.

“Rude!” Maglor huffed with a glare for the blond elf.

“That’s Maglor. Lady Uinen saved him from drowning, but it wasn’t without effects, as you can see.” Elrond said calmly.

“Are you sure it’s him?” Erestor asked suspiciously.

“Yes, I’m sure. Trust me please.”

“I can always sing you the Noldolantë if you want a proof?”

“It’ll be fine without. I take it you will need water.” Erestor said firmly.

“Quite.”

“I still have an aquarium in my room from when I had a pet fish last. It’s currently full of scrolls but I can empty it.” Elladan said quickly.

“Do I look like a fish?!” Maglor reacted immediately.

“You look more like a crustacean! Let’s go!”

Elrond sighed as Elladan just grabbed a protesting Maglor from his shoulder, and took off with him, in a run, his brother in tow.

Glorfindel looked a bit unsure of the situation there. He had been waiting for Elrond to come back sad because of a failure, or happy with Maglor in tow and for Maglor, he had been prepared for a kinslayer prince, an elf, with an either terrible or far too good state of health, not a…

Cryptid.

He looked at Elrond with shock, even as Elrond let the stable-hand take his horse.

“How?”

“Oh, you know, Maiar…”

“Are you really sure, no doubt possible, that it’s prince Maglor? I don’t mean to be rude but…”

“Despite his size and crab half, the creature looks and sounds like prince Maglor.” Erestor said cautiously.

“He sings and acts like him too. Honestly Glorfindel, yes, it’s him. And I was as surprised as you are, but it’s him, he’s alive, he’s… Somewhat healthy, and willing to stay with us.”

“Probably because if he lives here he’ll have fewer chances to get caught by a seagull for dinner!” Glorfindel said in a voice that could have been teasing or judgement.

“And he’s very welcome to stay and if he decided to do so because of the seagulls, then these beautiful birds are owed my thanks.” Elrond answered with a smile.

As they talked, Elrond led his friends toward Elladan’s room, to find both twins laughing at a story Maglor was telling them from his perch on a pile of books that looked perhaps not the most stable. The aquarium was half full with water. And there was a pitcher, now empty, sitting next to it.

Apparently someone had tried to install the aquarium first but got distracted, probably by the story.

Elrond winced at the story told: one of his and Elros’ not so bright ideas to adopt a baby fox to cheer up Maedhros.

Maedhros hadn’t been cheered up at all.

Admittedly it hadn’t been one of their most brilliant plans ever, but they were ten at the time so…

Well, so long Maglor didn’t tell them about the warg cub incident…

Maglor raised an eyebrow at him, as if he knew exactly what Elrond had been thinking about, which Elrond wouldn’t put past him really.

Elrond looked at him with a sheepish smile, and felt the delicate touch of Ósanwe from his foster-father: “They’re good children.” Came as a whisper in his mind.

Elrond nodded amused. Of course they were, he raised all his children well.

“I trust you boys didn’t already put paint or pepper in your grand-father’s… Aquarium?” Elrond said, stumbling a bit on the word aquarium instead of room.

“Of course not ada.” Elrohir said with mock offended voice.

“There were talks of paint in your room, though, Little Star.” Maglor said amused.

Elrond chuckled at the twin’s dramatic display at that “betrayal”, as Elladan called it.

“I don’t doubt it a moment.”

“Grand-father agreed to tell us stories of you as a child. Arwen is going to be so jealous!”

“She’ll get her own share of stories too.” Maglor said with a smile.

“Yes, but we had stories first!” Elrohir said smugly.

Seeing no impending disaster, Elrond left them to go refresh himself. Travelling on horseback did imply a severe need for a bath afterward.

As soon as he was ready, it was time for diner, and Elrond went to get the twins and their cryptid grand-father.

There was no point in hiding Maglor’s presence from the inhabitants of the valley. Those who would be there in the Hall of Fire would spread the news fast enough throughout the valley, and the fact Elrond had no will to abandon his foster-father in a corner would tell well enough for those missing the day’s announcement that Maglor was more than welcome in his home.

Maglor was sitting on the table all throughout diner, and went back to Elrond’s shoulder after diner, to see the entertainment.

Lindir looked thrilled at learning that Maglor was here, though he looked sad at his lack of a proper harp.

To be fair, Maglor had also seemed sad when he recounted for him, and the whole Hall of Fire, the tale of the loss of his beloved harp.

It turned into an apparently epic poem telling of a giant wave crashing on the shore and the unsuspecting minstrel, a losing fight against current that separated the elf from his harp, and even as Maglor resigned himself to abandon his harp in order to perhaps save his own life... He was himself pulled too deep into the sea and was choking, drowning into the dark water… When lady Uinen found him and turned him into a cryptid though she didn’t save his beloved harp, letting it fall down and down, further into the dark abyss.  

And it’s not as if he really could play a standard instrument now anyway.

Once the entertainment was over, entertainment half provided by Maglor’s tales of his recent life, Elrond retired, with Maglor on his shoulder, and they discovered that the half full aquarium had been placed in his living-room and filled with water, and a rock that’d allow Maglor to enter and leave the glass container at will.

Maglor jumped in it, still talking animatedly about what he had seen of the Hall of Fire: According to Maglor, Lindir wasn’t bad at all, really far better than a lot of minstrels he’s met over the years. Elrond had been lucky there.

They took a week to figure out a sort of rhythm with Maglor being his current size and form, living in a place that was very clearly not made for it.

That morning, when Elrond woke up, Maglor was gone from his apartment. Elrond didn’t worry; no one in Imladris would hurt him. Probably.

He went to the kitchen, to arrange for breakfast and see if the cooks had seen Maglor. And there he found the head cook looking at an ill-at-ease Maglor.

Oh yes, the elf had been at Sirion when… Oh that was so awkward!

“If you change your mind and become a danger, believe me when I say I have a recipe that calls for crab meat with your name on it.”

Maglor raised his hands in surrender and nodded, glad for any kind of somewhat peaceful resolution. Elrond cleared his throat to signal his presence, and raised an eyebrow as they both turned toward him.

“Do I want to know?”

“We were just clarifying a couple of points, my lord. Are you here for breakfast?”

Elrond eyed Maglor who just nodded, looking unbothered, and he sighed but nodded.

“For me and for Maglor, unless you already ate?”

“Breakfast for two then. Fish for you, prince Maglor?”

“That’d be lovely, thank you.”

The cook nodded and promised to send a tray to Elrond’s office, and Elrond took Maglor on his shoulder and left. He had an office to get to.

“Your people are more welcoming than I thought they’d be. I’m… Quite sure your cook wasn’t lying when he said he was at Sirion and yet…”

“Sirion was destroyed 5000 years ago or so. We’re all evolving here. We’re in the valley because we chose, together, to strive toward healing and forgiveness. In the valley, there are people from Sirion, people from Eregion, people who had been your loyal followers, and just… people or various origin who choose to join us for any reason at some point. We couldn’t have stayed all together if we kept living off of grudges and hatred for events long past. Those who couldn’t see past ancient mistakes have long left the valley.”

“That’s nice. Nelyo didn’t think it would ever happen after our deeds.”

“It’s only in my home. I’m quite sure that Galadriel would have words with you, if she knew.”

“Knowing her, she will know sooner or later and yes, she will have things to say.”

“Later is very fine by me.” Elrond commented simply.

Maglor nodded. Later was fine with him too. That cousin of his has always been sort of terrifying when she wanted to.

Elrond was reading a border patrol report for Maglor when the door opened on Lindir who was carrying a breakfast tray.

Since when did Lindir work for the kitchen?

The minstrel sat down with them without even asking, which was far from his normal behaviour, unless he was so focused on a project that he forgot the rest.

“My lord Maglor, I imagine you have had no instrument to play in quite a while.”

Elrond chuckled softly and was ignored by both minstrels. Of course. Lindir did have a project then.

“Indeed. Alas, I can’t see things changing anytime soon.”

“Why not? Imladris has all the necessary elements for you to build the instrument of your choice.”

Lindir looked determined, and Elrond nodded when Maglor looked at him. He’d have to make his own instrument from scratch of course, strings included, but…

Lindir looked somewhat nervous for a moment, blushing slightly, looking neither Elrond nor Maglor in the eyes as he fiddled with something small in his hands.

“I… Actually, I tried… I mean. I realise I can’t tell as well as for a standard harp if the string placement is right, and it’s not exactly proper strings either. You understand, I wanted to make sure it’d be doable first before talking to you about it and… Well it is doable, and I’m sure we can find a way for you to craft proper strings…”

Elrond looked at Maglor, wanting to see his reaction at the very unexpected crab-sized lyre that was suddenly trusted at him, before Lindir took his leave hastily.

Maglor looked like he couldn’t believe it. The lyre was made in clear wood, clearly well thought out, but for the strings really.

“We do need better strings but…”

Maglor hugged the instrument to his chest, looking somewhat near tears at the unexpected gift. He had an instrument again. A lyre that he could play for the pleasure of it. How many years has it been? Oh that kind minstrel needed to have a song made for himself.

Maglor stole a corner of a parchment, and started to write using a gift from Elladan and Elrohir who had found the feather of a small bird and crafted it as a pen for him on his second day in the valley.

Elrond was far too amused to stop him. He’d gift Lindir a set of jeweller’s glass so he’d be able to easily read and copy to normal elf size document whatever Maglor would give him.

Minstrels…

Elrond was pretty sure that Maglor would make Lindir cry of emotion there.

At least he knew that they’d get along well.

Elrond was also curious as how Lindir had managed to craft such a tiny an instrument. He would have needed very special tools for that. Oh well, he’d let Maglor investigate when curiosity would strike him.

Later.

Everyone had come, it was time for the council, and despite already having a headache from the presence of the One Ring within Imladris’ borders, Elrond was ready to defend the fact that the ring absolutely could NOT stay here for much longer and that yes, it needed to be destroyed once and for all.

He didn’t doubt at all that someone would suggest using it, probably one of the men in attendance. Men were always so reliable in their ability to poke at things they really shouldn’t approach. Elrond was so deep in his thought that he didn’t notice that Maglor was still in his pocket, his tiny harp now silent for Maglor knew very well that if Elrond noticed him, he’d be put down and told that the current issue of jewellery from the pits of Mordor was not his concern and he should concentrate on himself and getting better and perhaps getting back in elven form at some point before the cooks mistook him for an actual crab.

So Maglor made himself very discreet and forgettable, and by luck, Elrond was by now so used to carrying him around that his presence was perfectly familiar, and he was an unnoticeable weight for the peredhel lord.

He may be tiny, and half a crab, but he was still Maglor, son of Fëanor, and he could always help, if only with his voice. Granted, faced with an orc he’d be lucky if he was noticed and not just stepped on but hey… With that council at least he could do something.

Perhaps.

Elrond sat in a stone seat, and Maglor moved just slightly to be able to see what was happening. Really, Elrond needed better pockets, he’d have to speak about him on the matter at some point.

The bell rang, and others invited to the council came in. Glorfinddel, Gloin and his company, Estel, Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo…

Elrond drew Frodo to a seat by his side, and presented him to the present company. Maglor listened to everyone quietly, the tales of the other realms were interesting. And of course, he listened carefully to the tale of the One Ring too.

He shook his head at the story. Really his nephew should have known better than to trust a maia. And yet, he didn’t deserve the end he was given. If he had known… Oh, how Maglor longed to be able to put his pincers on Gorthaur’s neck and to tear him apart like he did small prawns…

Maglor looked aggrieved at the news of the fall of Numenor, though it may have been then that a wave drew him in the ocean’s depth. Since his transformation, he certainly hadn’t talked with humans to barter for things he couldn’t make himself or he’d have certainly heard of Numenor’s destruction. Surely such an event wouldn’t have been unnoticed by the common folk in Eriador…

Or perhaps it wouldn’t have been. It was an island far removed from Eriador after all.

When Elrond told the tale of Isildur’s decision to take the ring, Maglor almost pinched him. Elrond should really have taken ring and man into the volcano and thrown them both in it if that’s what it took to destroy that pest of a Maia.

“Behold Isildur's Bane!” said Elrond once Frodo showed the ring.

Maglor sprang up from the pocket and Elrond reacted too slowly to stop him from reaching his shoulder… And then sighed. Since he was here anyway…

Boromir opened his mouth to speak, eyes wholly stuck on the ring, but Maglor was faster to speak:

“Are you kidding me? That’s the Ring? Everyone who knows a thing about jewellery knows that gold is the worst material to use for it’s too malleable and too fragile to hold shape! Is Sauron an idiot? Honestly, I can see from here the spells to strengthen the ring itself so it doesn’t collapses on itself! Why couldn’t that idiotic maia use something less flashy but more useful as material, instead of using something wholly unsuitable that required a truly unnecessary layering of spell work?! My father would have done so. Much. Better than that !”

Elrond’s head fell in his hands even as he emitted a very much unlordly whimper of distress.

“What kind of creature is that? Since when do elves have talking pets?” Boromir blinked, shocked and slightly distracted from the ring, as Maglor smugly noticed.

Though…

“Excuse-you?! DO I LOOK LIKE A PET?!”

The voice reached ear shattering levels, and Elrond was sure he heard a window crack nearby. Boromir cowed away from ring and elves alike at the sound that gave him a headache.

Maglor was fuming.

A pet indeed. He was a prince of elves!

Elrond looked at Erestor at his side and the look of exasperation on the other’s face was telling. Elrond raised a hand, even as Maglor was vibrating of rage, and just daring Boromir to say just one more word, and said:

“Excuse-me just a moment.”

He caught Maglor in his hands, as carefully as ever, but firmly, and even as Maglor started to rant about the brain of men, or perhaps the lack of thereof, nicely insulting everyone of the men currently in residence, Elrond left the council for a moment, walking fast toward his office even as Elladan came to him, looking curious.

“We heard…”

“I think the whole valley heard, Elladan. Do me a service and take your grand-father to my office. Do NOT let him leave it again. I have a council to get back to.”

Elrond gave a ranting Maglor to Elladan who looked torn between amusement and curiosity, and left again, back toward the council.

Elladan looked at Maglor with a smile:

“Should I ask?”

That started another rant about the stupidity of men, and did he look like a pet?

Elrohir was already in their father’s office, looking over a report from the border guards, when Elladan entered with a pouting Maglor on his shoulder.

“I thought the window breaking was a grand-father shaped problem yes.” Elrohir said to his brother after he was told of the situation.

“Wait until it happens to you, you will certainly not find it that funny!”

“We will do our best to avoid drowning and being saved by lady Uinen, grand-father.” Elladan nodded amused.

Maglor huffed and left his shoulder to settle on a desk corner, pouting, and thinking. He was the second eldest off seven brothers. He raised twins. Surely there was something he could come up with, even in that diminutive form of his to teach manners to that man?

That’s how Elrond found him, hours later, after the council.

“Oh dear, should I ask or just wait for the disaster?”

“That child of a man called me a pet, Elrond. A PET!”

“Yes, we gave the council a short explanation, and they are now aware that you are a member of my family under a spell of Uinen, spell used to save your life but with long lasting effect. Boromir of Gondor wishes to present you his most sincere apologies, so please, please don’t start a war with Gondor.”

“… Technically it wouldn’t be kinslaying even if I did?”

“Please atto!”

Elrond looked at Maglor with his most pitiful face and Maglor folded like wet parchment:

“Very well, I will not retaliate against that man.”

“Thank you atto.”

Elrond was thankful that Maglor was still susceptible to his begging look. Now he just needed to keep the men and Maglor apart as long as possible.

And to perhaps prepare a letter to Galadriel and Thranduil else they learn of Maglor existence and presence in Imladris from Aragorn or Legolas.

He had no illusion that either of them will take it well…