The adventures of tiny Crablor by Aprilertuile

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Arrival in Imladris

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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.