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agathne · 10 months

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CHAPTER TWO | THERE'S MILLIONS OF ME DARLING

Description: Thranduil and Legolas are transported to the past - where the late Elvenqueen was still alive - minor hiccup, she doesn't know who they are.

series masterlist | chapter one

Thranduil always prided himself in being able to feel the forest - to feel the very soul of his citizens that resided in his kingdom - for some reason, he couldn't feel his son tonight. A small groan exits his mouth - under the impression that Legolas closed his mind.

His beloved son - who was green as summer grass. His son, who has never experienced the life of a refugee - was difficult and hard headed. War was easier than raising children.

A knock breaks him free from his thoughts - he raises his head slowly, with the grace and dignity of a Woodland King. "Who is it?" he raised an eyebrow - there were none who dared to disturb the King's leisure time - none except Galion, but he has already sailed.

"It is Tauriel, my king." the elf replies - panic dripping from her tone. He walks slowly - descending from his bed and opening the door. "What requires my attention at this time?" he inquired, eyes searching for his son's figure.

"Legolas. Something has happened to him." the elleth rants, choking on her breath - fearing that something awful has befallen her friend. His vision is blurry - his heart is nearing collapse.

"Where is he?" he interrogated - doing his best to keep his fears at bay. "I-I don't know," she answers.

He loses all remnants of self control.

"My ada was gifted in foresight, I was not - but even an elleth like me can understand the outcome of this war." you take a deep breath, scouring through the mountains with difficulty.

A bitter chuckle exits your husband's mouth.

"The battle does not call for you today, melleth." he responds in a calm tone, holding his sword near his waist. It was his job as your husband to protect you and you son against harm. "- but it does, Thranduil." you interrupt him, looking back at the tents behind you.

"I can hear it - I dream about it." you explain, hoping that it would be enough for him to understand. "And what of our son? How can either of us live without you?" he argues, eyes nailing deep into yours.

You look back at the grassy terrain - back facing his front.

"Neither of us can live without one another - but our son. He is strong, he will live - he can live." you breathe - biting the insides of your cheeks. Legolas was your greatest accomplishment, today - he will be your greatest regret. "- but I am not." he reached for your forearm, pulling you close to his armored body.

"You are stronger than you seem, believe me."

"We've been sending men, sire - but none of them are able to make it through the light - they are not sucked in, unlike Legolas." she explains and the King's hold on your sword tightens. "My son could be out there - cold and starving. We waste our time and technology," he gritted his teeth - attempting to use his powers to scour Arda for any signs of his boy.

His jaw tightens as he feels no motion.

Thranduil stares at the light - feeling his son's fea through it.

He takes a step forward.

"Sire, it is not wise to do that." she attempts to pull him back, but he raises a hand - preventing her from touching him. "Tauriel, send a letter to Lord Elrond - he will deal with it better than I." he commands while charging through the portal.

The sky falls upon the King - and he is vanished into thin air.

Thranduil awakens in the middle of a grassy field.

His eyes narrow slightly as it adjusts to the warm light. He breathes a sigh of relief - sensing that the air was calm and safe. The bright light must've led to another part of Arda - and his son wasn't far from him.

He takes another deep breath - eyebrows merging into each other as he realizes that something was different. He could hear the flowers sing again; you're not supposed to be here, they taunted. 'What is that supposed to mean?' he wanted to reply, but the sound of hooves prevents him from doing so.

He attempts to stand up but a dagger was placed on his neck.

"What are you doing in the lands of King Gil Galad." the elf interrogated, and Thranduil's grip of the sword tightens once more.

"What is your name, trespasser?" he questioned.

"Thranduil," he responded - realizing that he was speaking to Cirdan. "Nonsense," the man scoffed - and Celebrian begins walking towards them. She was fair in the face - eyes of twinkling moonlight. Her stomach was heavy with a child; Arwen would be her name.

"Lord Cirdan, we are in the borders of Lindon - mayhaps, this man is lost." she explained in a calm tone, smiling fondly at the King.

"My lady, he is pretending to be someone that he is not." Cirdan responds, prodding his dagger nearer to Thranduil's neck. Her eyes trail down to the sword on his hands - her eyes widen as she sees the familiar bearings.

"That is my daughter's sword, what business do you have with it?" Celebrian inquires - exchanging a confused stare with Cirdan.

"The elleth who owns this sword is my wife - the mother of my son." he asserted - and before his good-mother could reply. Cirdan knocks him out.

next chapter>>

@murder0fcr0ws @cheyxfu

#thranduil x reader #thranduil x oc #legolas' mother #thranduil's wife #thranduil x elrond's daughter #thranduil x elrond daughter

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sotwk · 1 year

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I have a slightly weird headcannons request if you're want to write it if not that's okay no pressure just wanted to ask and see 😊

The elves with a mortal s/o and they've just found out that human women experience periods and how they initially react and how they help or do they even try help or just leave you to it lol (Any elves of your choice and if you are ok to write this can you pls include thranduil)

I view "weird" requests like this as a challenge, and as long as it's possible to discuss the topic in a SFW way, I welcome them! Thank you for the ask!

I think Elves--learned, wise, and immortal as majority of them are-- would not be blindsided by this particular feature of the female human body. Male elves who are open-minded enough to enter into a romantic relationship with a human female would also have already done their "research" on the differences between Elven and Human physiology. Canonically, Elves do not take falling in love lightly; they enter serious relationships with the intention of forming a marital bond, which means they will have considered the possibility of having children with their beloved mortals. In their attempt to learn how that might work, they will surely learn about the wonder known as a woman's "period".

Here are my headcanons of how male Elves would react to periods, using two of the more popular LOTR elves who are also very different from each other in background, skills, and personality:

Some content below is slightly above my usual standard for safe-for-work, but nothing is explicit. Just a fair warning in case you're not comfortable with this topic!

Thranduil

His initial reaction: Horrified and slightly disgusted. It will take him a bit of time to adjust to the idea of this bodily function, but when he learns that it is vital to procreation, he will appreciate its role in bringing new life. He will still view it as rather barbaric and inconvenient, but then again, so many aspects of being mortal are. He loves you in spite of all that, and sees human fragility as part of what makes your life so precious.

How he will try to help:

Thranduil is used to having power and control, so he will be very frustrated that he cannot really DO anything to eliminate your pain. He will insist on bringing in the best healers at his disposal to ease your symptoms, but eventually he will realize and accept that the best strategy is to support and distract.

Every month, expect to be showered with exotic food, lavish gifts, and endless affection; anything your heart desires that might make the time of the month better for you. If he has to take an entire week away from his duties to whisk you away to a quiet, remote place where he can simply hold you in bed, he will.

"He will do all that every month?!" you might ask. You, his beloved, are mortal; the total amount of time devoted to serving you during your period is very much the equivalent of a blink of an eye to him. Your time together is far too limited and priceless for him to just watch you suffer without giving his best effort to make it go away.

Patience is not not his strong-suit, so your hormone-driven mood swings could potentially irritate him, and arguments and heated spats could arise. On the bright side, Thranduil is also very good at making up.

Elrond

His initial reaction: Curious and sympathetic. As a very wise, learned healer with experience treating health conditions of members of all races, he would not even be too shocked or alarmed by the discovery of a woman's cycle. His first instinct would be to learn as much about it as he can, so he can fully understand the implications on your health and your relationship.

How he will try to help:

Elrond will try to both science and magic his way through it at first. He will throw in a great deal of effort learning everything he can about your specific symptoms and the ways they can be eased through all the healing abilities and resources he commands. It is always a privilege to be treated by the best healer in all of Middle-earth, but more so for something quite trivial!

Methods of providing comfort would include skilled massages, luxurious baths (together, if you prefer), and daylong cuddles in bed. Elrond would the last elf to be bothered by blood, in any form, so even nsfw options would not be off the table for him if it would help you in any way.

Once standard healing methods are exhausted, he will then insist on just having you rest and relax, and will provide everything you need to achieve that. But he will let you decide. If going for a long, tiring walk is what will help distract you, he will simply ask to accompany you.

His compassion and understanding of the mortal condition means he will also prioritize your emotional well-being. He will stay patient and understanding throughout your irritable periods, and may attempt to assuage your foul moods by entertaining you with music and gentle humor.

My Ask Box is always open for random headcanon asks! Don't be shy; anons are welcome too, but I love to connect with fellow LOTR fans!

Fic requests are open as well! Please check my Guidelines and send an Ask.

For more of my original content, please see My Masterlists.

#sotwk headcanon #sotwk answers #random asks #thranduil headcanons #elrond headcanons #lotr elves #lotr headcanons

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stilltrails · 1 year

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How do I phrase this--I know there’s a common complaint about the interpretation of the Kidnap Family being too happy. There’s an implication that people don’t acknowledge how complex Elrond, Elros, Maedhros, and Maglor’s relationship, or are just not aware of it (or worse, not capable of understanding the complexity of their relationship)

And I have two thoughts about this--

The first being that there actually is a lot of media that does portray a realistic take on their relationship. It’s out there. Most fanfiction that starts from the twin’s childhood, at least from what I’ve read, has acknowledged the complexities and fear and anger that Elrond and Elros have towards the Feanorians.

Fandom media especially portrays Elros as being distant to the Feanorians, even as an adult.

I think it’s a bit insulting and offensive to fans and writers to assume that there’s no complex takes on their relationship, and that all takes are 100% lovey dubey when writers and fans and artists who are a fan of the kidnap fam have spent a lot of time pouring complexities of their relationship into their work.

Myself included.

It’s like saying “these people have never ever delved into the dark relationship between these four and just want it all to be 100% happy” when we’re sitting here with long stories, metas, comics, etc. about the darkness you’re talking about. We put in the hours and did the work.

It’s there, but I think if you’re someone who’s not a particular fan of this family, or the Sons of Feanor, you’re not going to be looking deep enough in the first place. And that’s one of the spaces I see the criticism from. From people who don’t really like this dynamic. And that’s fine, but please don’t assume that writers, fans, and artist haven’t been making the most complex kidnap fam content when you haven’t looked, or when you’re admittedly not a fan of it.

That’s a bit insulting.

Secondly, it’s fanfiction. The Silmarillion itself tends to hyper-focus on agony already. Why would fans dedicate their time solely to reproducing the agony that already exists. For almost everything sad that happened in the Silmarillion, I’ve seen at least ten happy portrayals in fanfiction, because fans don’t just want sad things. And that’s fine.

That’s like saying, “Don’t make Sam and Frodo happy together in Valinor because realistically in canon Frodo probably deals with a lot of PTSD and Sam is probably still hooked on his wife.” Like maybe that happened, maybe it didn’t. But don’t blame fans for wanting a happy ending.

The purpose of fanfiction is to delve from canon, especially if that canon makes you sad. It’s escapism, especially if you relate to these characters. That’s why i’m always particularly bothered by, “Why are people always portraying the Feanorians and Elrond and Elros in a happy relationship, they canonically did this”.

Because we can? Because these are characters people relate to on somewhat personal levels, and being able to write them in a way that makes us feel good is allowed. What’s the point of fanfiction if we’re criticized for how we write it?

And again, the idea that no fan of the kidnap family is aware of the complex, dark relationship is both infantilizing, hurtful, and dismissive to the writers, artists, and fans in this corner of the fandom who have dedicated time to exploring the dark complexities of the relationship.

But we also don’t have to 100% fixate on the sadness.

From the words of Arwen herself, we choose both the bitter and the sweet. Let us be XD

#elrond #elros #maglor #maedhros #the silmarillion #tolkien

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elithilanor · 2 years

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Imagines for Elves Responses to a Reader Suffering Sensory Overload (from a person who suffers from sensory overload and overstimulation) p2

Celeborn:

Personal headcanon is that since he and Galadriel run Lothlòrien together, that he tends to be in charge of the more militaristic and marchwarden side, while Galadriel is in charge of the political and statehood stuff (even though they obviously assist each other and discuss any good co-rulers and partners would do). And sorry, I just can’t see them as unmarried 😂I think they both - and together - take other lovers and maybe even occasionally a secondary partner for a time, but they’re the Lothlòrien power couple baby. Also like Celeborn (like Elrond and Thranduil) just have peak Dad energy.

Just imagine being out on patrol with the other graduating Marchwardens of the Galadhrim and being out for your final run before the bestowing before the whole of Lothlòrien. It was never meant to easy necessarily, but this last finessing of training with Celeborn at the lead rather than Haldir or another Marchwarden was meant to be more formality than anything else. Unfortunately, your patrol had run into over a dozen orc packs, several with wargs, had to deal with a dispute in one of the more far-reaching settlements, came across a caravan of dwarves and humans attempting to breach the barrier, and more than one person in your troop was was injured. Luckily, everyone’s healing skills had dramatically increased. Unluckily, you were all tired, dirty, and sore and still over a week away from Caras.

You just wanted some fucking peace and quiet but the new human settlement nearby had other ideas. Winter was fast approaching and in their misguided effort to build settlement in time (they couldn’t, it was too late in the season) they were sawing and felling trees long into the night. The forest stank of tree death and rot and sounds grated in your brain. You ground your teeth and clenched your fists. You just wanted to sleep and was they can’t even see in the dark so why is it so fucking hard to

Celeborn’s soothing voice cut through your thoughts. “Grinding teeth has never been good for anyone.”

You went to get up to bow, but he pushed you back down and instead sat next to you. He handed you a mug of tea, spiced like the autumn leaves that crunch on the ground and he pulled his cloak over your head. He wrapped an arm tightly around you and ran a hand over your back soothingly, repeating the motion until some of the stress bled out of your shoulders.

“Sleep, Marchwarden.” He said, surprisingly muffled. “We will return home soon enough.”

Galadriel:

Woman’s got magic powers so headcanon she can silence the shit out of anything she wants to.

You recited your list in your head again, preparing the council room for the next mornings session. Surely, things will go smoother than the last. You hoped. It’s not that you don’t like King Thranduil or his sons, but by the Valar they really made things much more complicated and drawn out. The festivities were still going on just the first night and it was already past the curfew time, so recently created since Sauron had been rumored to return. The music was so loud too, the trees providing no insulation against the talented Mirkwood flautists and bards.

You jumped and twirled around, heart pounding as someone grabbed you from behind. Papers flew across the floor. “M-my Lady.” You stuttered, looking up at Lady Galadriel. Her lips were down turned as she looked at you.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, little one. I was calling for you for some time, but you weren’t responding. Are you well?” She asked.

“Fine, my Lady.” You mumbled. It was hard to understand her. Everything seemed so far away except the music pounding in your head and ears, growing into a migraine. You had always been sensitive to noise.

Galadriel hummed softly and you winced, then widened your eyes in fear.

“I - I- “ you started, panic thrumming in your veins. You had allowances, but surely…

Suddenly, her lips were against yours and her arms were pulling you closer. You made a soft noise and she kissed you again, her nose pressing into your cheek. Her lips pressed against your cheekbones and you realized that as you were distracted with your Lady’s lips that the festivities seemed to have abruptly ended. You blinked, confused.

Galadriel smiled at you and kissed you deeper as her voice sounded in your head. “I would silence the realm for your comfort, but tonight, this room shall do.” You flushed and caught the shine of Nenya in the candlelight.

“Now,” she murmured, picking you up and setting you on the table and stepping between your legs, hands running up your thighs, “let’s see what we can do about that unfortunate pain.”

#Celeborn imagine #lotr imagine #Celeborn & reader #Celeborn x reader #gn reader #galadriel #galadriel x reader #Galadriel imagine #Galadriel x fem reader #elithilanor

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meteors-lotr · 5 months

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More Pokémon AU

We havin fuuuuuuuuun

Here’s a link to part one

Also this will be less of like, explanations of teams, and more little trivia, headcanons, and character relationships.

Eevee is a very common starter Pokémon in...Middle earth region (idk), due to its popularity in breeding, their easy to handle for children, and the many evolution possibilities. The bardlings, Sam and Frodo, Legolas, Bard, and Thranduil all had an Eevee as their first Pokémon

Sam and Frodo's Eevees were particularly close, and even evolved into an Espeon and Umbreon just minutes apart.

Aragorn and Boromir both started out their respective journeys with a Honedge, and it's the initial source of their friendly rivalry. Their strats with Aegislash is wildly different however, as Aragorn depend more on the blade form while Boromir leans on the shield form more

In their youth, both Elrond and Galadriel dabbled in Pokémon contests before taking on their respective gyms. Both still keep up with the scene even years later, and both are quite intrigued by the curly haired upstart with his Gogoat

Almost everyone in the region knows that gym leader Sauroman and professional nuisance Gandalf are divorced, but almost no one has any memory of the two of them actually being married. Even people in their age range only ever remember the two as divorced. It's one of the many anomalies surrounding Gandalf Gray.

Mirkwood is not the actual name of the city, but Greenwood. Surrounding the city is a thick forest, populated mainly by mean spirited fairy and dark types, that drove away most of the grass types that kept it, well, green. The forest became a creepy and dark place made to get lost in, so it gained the nickname of ‘Mirkwood’ most inhabitants of the city dislike the name strongly, and sees it as an insult.

Many young trainers fear entering the forest due to how easy it is to loose your way in it, and how dark it is even during the day. This is why Illumise and Volbeat are very popular Pokémon around that part of the region

Despite being generally unhelpful and sometimes a bit grumpy, Gandalf is extremely kind to to everyone he meets, and does see the potential in everyone. The one exception to this is Peregrin fucking Took, who he for some reason is extremely hostile and rude towards. Pippin takes this as a compliment

Champion Lobelia Sackville-Baggins team consists of six Alakazams, all of which can mega evolve. I am committing to this bit

Bard Dragon retired around the time Bain was born, wishing to spend more time with his family. He was, to no one's surprise, a Dragon specialist, but in current day he only still has two of his old team with him, his Hydreigon (Was a Zweilous back during his gym leader days), and his Goodra.

Aragorn and Legolas are childhood friends, and have always traveled together. They started traveling with Gimli when they reached Erebor city, and needed a guide to navigate the mountain, as it's easy to get lost. He just sorta stuck around after that.

So far Aragorn has had run ins with Ho-Oh, Raikou, Celebi (Twice!), Shaymin, Arceus (That was an experience), Victini, and Zeraora. He has no idea as to why they are so drawn to him.

Merry and Pippin caught their Zigzagoon's and their Plusle and Minun entirely separately on different occasions. They're a little bit pissed that they have matching teams, as people mix them up enough already.

The Pokémon professor of the region is an odd fellow by the name of Tom Bombadill. No one knows what he’s studying, no one knows what his deal is, but he is in possession of several legendary Pokémon so no one really fucks with him.

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leucisticpuffin · 11 months

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can we hear about "put the lights out" please? <3

So this is one of the barely sketched out ideas (I don't have a snippet to give you unfortunately).

It's essentially an AU of an AU: when I first started planning "we will make this place our home", I couldn't decide whether I wanted to set it in WW2 or the 1970s. Obviously I decided to go with the 1970s, but I really want to write out how the first few chapters of the WW2 version!

The basic premise here is that Elrond and Elros are evacuees sent to the countryside for safety during the Blitz. Like many children, they're evacuated with their school; when they reach Formenos at the end of a long train journey, all the children are taken to the village hall and the locals choose which children they want to host. Elrond and Elros are in the unenviable position of being chosen last: few villagers have space for more than one child, they refuse to be split up, and they're too young to be much help on a farm. In the end, one of the teachers has to take them through the village and plead their case with every villager who hasn't already taken in an evacuee.

Enter Maedhros and Maglor, local recluses and veterans of the last war. Alone in the dilapidated manor house, they are cut off from the rest of the community. The local children fear them (and, in especially audacious moods, dare one another to jump the Feanorians' hedge). Ghost stories abound. Maedhros has not been seen in some years, and the local gossips are convinced he's dead. They certainly didn't volunteer for the evacuation program.

All this goes through Maglor's head when a very insistent teacher knocks on his door and presents him with two wide-eyed, overtired city kids. He shouldn't take them in: he has enough on his plate caring for Maedhros, and the manor house is about as far from welcoming as you can get.

But. But. Everyone else in the village has said no.

Cue several chapters of Maglor and Maedhros trying to pretend they don't want the evacuees there, but getting attached against their will - much like the proverbial Dad Who Absolutely Doesn't Want A Cat. Meanwhile Elrond and Elros are just trying to get used to their new strange circumstances (the house is definitely still haunted and possibly a lot creepier than I've written it in the 1970s AU). And also deal with the fact that the locals keep looking at them as if they're the bravest souls this side of the Atlantic.

...okay that was a lot more rambling than I planned for xD I really need to get round to writing this thing.

#WIP ask game #my asks #we will make this place our home #theghostinthemargins

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 1 year

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Planning on seducing Elrond and it not going exactly as you had planned would involve...

Elrond x reader. This is a modern!AU.

Dedicated to the lovely @montyc !! Thank you so much for your support!!

*****

🧝 You and Elrond meet on the job, since you both work for Gil-Galad, an important businessman; Elrond is his personal assistant and speechwriter, while you work in the marketing department.

🧝 You soon find out you take the same train to go to work and return home. You don't actively decide to ride together, waiting for each other at the station and sitting together, it just happens, and soon a friendship develops between the two of you.

🧝You like Elrond a lot. Clever, kind, humble and hard-working, focused on his work and capable to carry out a conversation and make you laugh the rest of the time, he is exactly the type of person you could appreciate; you rarely interact while in the office, but when it happens you work so well together that Gil-Galad assigns the two of you on a new project to manage together. Elrond also clearly appreciates you since, while he is friendly with most colleagues, you are the first real friend he makes at the office, and he often proposes to hang out in your free time.

🧝Life is not always easy for Elrond. While the company has strict rules against workplace bullying and a couple of employees have already been dismissed for mobbing, your friend is harassed by colleagues and superiors, who either resent his close relationship with Gil-Galad or belittle him for his Half-Elven origins; there have been a couple of very unpleasant episodes that he never reported to your boss or the HR Department despite the urging of his friends, inclunding you.

🧝Also, there are moments -days, sometimes even weeks- in which his usual sunny demeanor fades into melancholy and sadness, and he withdraws in himself, spending days at a time isolating in his office or at home; more than once you offer your help, your time and your support, to comfort him in whatever problem he is dealing with but, while grateful, he remains tight-lipped about his troubles, determined to keep them for himself.

🧝You care for him; a lot. When he is sad, worried or mistreated, you know there is nothing you would not do to see him smile again; in any case, he is the best company you could wish for, and when you are with him, even if you are just sharing a coffee in your living room or sitting quietly next to each other on the train, you feel happy, relaxed, safe, and you wish those moments would never end.

🧝Even through you think the world of him, it takes you a while to realize your feelings go beyond mere friendship; you have always known Elrond is handsome, with his elegant features, sunny smile and deep, warm brown eyes, but at some point you realize your heart beats twice as fast when he takes your hand to help you (he is such a gentleman!) climb down a ladder or that the flush on your face is due to a specific reason that time that you accidentally enter his office while he is changing his shirt after an accident with a cup of coffee...

🧝You have a crush on your friend; maybe even something more than that, you reflect one night when sleep has eluded you and you spend a whole hour staring at the ceiling, lost in your thoughts, and while you already consider yourself lucky to be his friend, you wish your relationship would develop beyond that.

🧝The problem is, you have no idea whether he shares your feelings or not; Elrond is an extremely private person, and while you know for sure he is single, you have no idea whether his heart beats for someone in particular. If you confessed your... affection, and you found it is not reciprocated, it could be the end of your friendship, and that you want to avoid at all cost.

🧝So you decide to... test the waters, trying to make your affection known to see whether Elrond reciprocates and at the same time acting with enough discretion to save you both the embarrassment if he had to let you down. You take special care in your appearance when you hang out, make sure you spend time together alone and not with other friends, especially in the privacy of your home or his, and take every opportunity to touch him -obviously not in a way that would make him uncomfortable; an hand on his arm to get his attention, your thigh lightly pressed against his when you sit side by side on the train, your usual hugs lasting just a second more and your kisses slightly moving from his cheeks towards his mouth- hoping to elicit a physical reaction before an emotional one.

🧝It doesn't work; not in the slightest.

🧝The problem is, your relationship with Elrond is already close, warm and affectionate; you already spend so much time together, mainly without the company of other friends, that there is not much more that you can do to in that regard without potentially resulting intrusive, and your friend is physically affectionate by his nature, as well as always complimenting you on the way you look or dress, which makes it difficult to understand whether those gestures and words are given out of friendship or something else.

🧝So, you decide to step your game up. One night when you have decided to visit a club together, you wear a particularly... interesting dress, showing more of your cleavage and legs than you normally would, and later, when you sit on his sofa to watch a movie, you press yourself against his side, almost sitting on his lap. Still, it doesn't work; Elrond compliments your dress, like he has done a thousand times before, and while you sit together, he simply asks if you are comfortable or want a pillow to put behind your back. Damn him! How can such a clever person be so clueless?

🧝Of course it is also possible that he knows perfectly what you are up to, and ignores your advances because he is not interested in you like that and is trying to let you down as gently as he can. It could be, you admit to yourself, since you have been friends for three years now and he has never shown to want more than friendship from you, but you still suspect... or maybe it is just wishful thinking, who knows... that he simply hasn't realized what you are doing. Which can only mean one thing...

🧝You have to be even more direct. You have tried dressing up to impress him; now you will do the opposite.

🧝Gil-Galad is away on an important business trip, and while Elrond usually leaves with him in his role of the CEO's personal assistant, this time he has been left home to run the company while Gil-Galad is away, a choice that has displeased many higher-ups and has made you enormously proud of your friend. Elrond has never been so busy, but he is doing a great job, even at the expense of his personal time. He deserves to be rewarded... and you are only to happy to take the matters in your own hands.

🧝The next day at work you barely see Elrond, who had to come to work early to take care of his new responsabilities, and who remains after everyone has left after dark. You, inspired by your friend's dedication to his duties, make sure to complete your work, then you wait for the building to be empty except for you.

🧝You have bought some very special lingerie, in a color Elrond once told you looks particularly good on you; your hands tremble as you put it on in the ladies' restroom, paired with a pair of high heels, then you fix your hair and make up. You look at your reflection in the mirror and yes, you tell yourself, you look really nice, and if Elrond doesn't want you tonight, he never will.

🧝The thought makes your legs shake as you cross the corridors, dark and empty, having covered yourself with a long coat; Elrond's office -he didn't want to occupy Gil-Galad's while he is away, even if it means having to go back and forth between the two rooms to check the CEO's mail and files; he is so humble, you have thought, your heart full of love and pride- is on the second floor, the light inside visible through the colored glass walls. You take a deep breath, push the door open, and enter.

🧝"Hello, Elrond; would you like some company?" you ask, in what you hope is a sensual voice -but maybe it is just corny- standing in front of his desk; you open the coat, revealing the lingerie you are wearing, and let it fall on the floor. You look at him, waiting for his reaction and hoping it is the right one... and then you freeze as you realize you have come in the least opportune moment.

🧝Elrond is crying. Sitting behind his desk, his back bent as if wishing to offer as small a target as possible to an attacker; his shirt, his hands and face and even his hair are dirty with what seems to be green paint, and your poor friend is shaking as he cries, holding something against his chest.

🧝He is so lost in his own pain that he didn't hear you come in, and when he realizes you are standing there, taken aback and not knowing what to do, he gasps, and then he looks at you, goggle-eyed. "Oh, you are here, I didn't hear... what are you wearing?! Why are you half-naked?!"

🧝"I wanted to surprise you, obviously! And make my intentions clear, since you appear to be blind to what I feel!" you cry, and seeing him blush is quite satisfactory, but whatever intention you had for tonight disappears from you mind a second later: you have no idea what has happened, but your friend clearly needs help and care.

🧝"What is wrong? Are you all right? Why are you covered in paint?" you ask as you hastily put your coat back on and walk to him; he shakes his head as he tries not to look at you, but then he sighs, too exhausted and pained to focus on your state of undress.

🧝Today is the anniversary of his brother's death. Elrond has lost him when the two twins were barely more than children, and while many years have passed since then he has, nor he could, never overcome the loss of the person who was closest to him, as well as the death of his parents, also untimely. Your poor friend has lost his entire family when he was still a boy, and that grief has remained his constant companion ever since, especially in the days that remind him of his solitude the most, like the festivities and the anniversary of his relatives' deaths. This is way he sometimes appears melancholic without an apparent reason, and even though he is generally more than happy and satisfied with his life; still, today he couldn't stop thinking about Elros, his beloved little brother, and he was so tired and stressed for his already demanding job and the added responsibilities due to Gil-Galad's absence. Moreover, those idiot colleagues who disapproved of the CEO's high regard for his assistant decided to pull a cruel prank on him.

🧝"I had gone to Gil-Galad's office to check some files, and returning I found the door ajar; I didn't think much of it, even though I always make sure to close it when I leave, but then... they had placed a bucket full of green paint above the door, and when I closed it, the bucket fell and its content spilled all over me. This shirt was new, and I am so tired and I have so many things to do, then I started thinking about Elros again, and... and..."

🧝It is too much, you realize as your heart fills with so much pity it could break it, too much even for a clever and resilient Elf like him; he could bear to do the CEO's job as well as his own, or face his colleagues' bullying, or mourn his family and withstand the solitude and the grief stemming from it... but not all three of those things together. No one could.

🧝"It is all right; cry if you want, if it makes you feel better." you whisper as you hug him, caressing his hair as you hold him trying to comfort him; you are still half-naked, the coat only partially covering your body, but neither of you pays any attention to it "My poor friend... if only I knew you were suffering so much. Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you..."

🧝Elrond delicately points out that actually you couldn't, since his family is lost forever and you don't have the expertise to help him carry out Gil-Galad's duties. He is sorry you had to see him like this, he had a... a moment of weakness, but he is all right, he can go back to work...

🧝 "That is out of the question; you cannot work properly in the state you are in, especially not today, and especially not after what those idiots have done to you. You need to go home and rest; come on, I will come with you." you decide; this is definitely not how you had imagined, not to mention hoped, your night would go, but now you need to take care of your friend, and this comes before everything else... including the embarrassment you will feel yourself blush with as soon as you won't have anything more important to focus on. "Come on. I need five minutes to put my clothes back on; I'll see you at the door."

🧝 Usually you are not so assertive, and maybe because of this, or maybe just because he is too tired, Elrond half-heartedly tries to protest he has too much to do to call it a night, but then he relents. The thing he was holding to his chest as he cried is the framed photo of his family, taken during the last birthday party he ad his brother celebrated with their parents; he kisses it reverently before putting it back in its place on the desk, and does his best to remove the green paint at least from his hands and face.

🧝 Five minutes later, fully dressed once more, you join him at the door. There is no awkwardness between the two of you, only compassion and gratitude; Elrond doesn't want the people you would meet on the train to see him in his state, so you call a cab and ask to be driven to his apartment.

🧝 "I will wait for you, shall I?" you propose once you have closed the door behind you "And I will prepare some tea while you take a shower, you look like you need it." Elrond's smile is weak but grateful, and as you take your coat off you see his eyes drift along your body, as if he is remembering what you had meant to offer him; he says nothing -because he is not interested? Or simply because he is waiting for the right moment?- but his look is enough to make you blush, maybe because in it you see what you want to see, or maybe because after being so brazen at the office, now you can't help feeling naked and defenseless, your feelings as exposed and easy to read as your body was, an hour ago.

🧝 When Elrond returns, wearing clean clothes and having gotten rid of that blasted paint, you welcome in his own kitchen with a smile and a cup of his favorite tea. You have just made a pot of it, and you drink it together, sitting side by side as you have done a thousand time already, and you don't need to tell him how sorry you are for everything he is dealing with, the mobbing and the pressure and the mourning for his family: he knows already, because he knows you, and he has never been so grateful as he is now.

🧝"Do you want me to leave?" you ask softly in the end, instinctively taking his hand in yours "When I am sad I like to have my friends close, but if you'd rather be alone to relax..." Elrond shakes his head; usually he does prefer to be alone when he's dealing with something important or dramatic -or both- but this is different... you are different, and he has known within three days of meeting you. "To be honest... I'd really like for you to stay. I don't think I can be good company and I want to go to bed early, since tomorrow I'll have to go back to work, but..." "But you don't want to be alone?" "Being alone would be fine; but being with you would be even better."

🧝You obviously accept. You order a pizza at Elrond's favourite restaurant, and you eat it together in front of the TV, paying little attention to the movie on the screen but enjoying each other's company as you have always done. Elrond wraps his arm around your waist, and you rest your cheek against his shoulder; there is nothing romantic about those gestures, but they speak of the affection and the trust between you, the way you just need to be together to feel comfortable and safe and happy, and you will treasure it as long as you live.

🧝"You need to talk to Gil-Galad." you tell him in the end; you know the last thing he wants to talk or even think about are the reasons for his moment of desperation just three hours ago, but you know that if he doesn't do something to change things, his situation will never improve "It was not fair of him to delegate all his work to you, since you are already so busy with yours. I know you are the person he trusts the most, and you should be proud of it; but this doesn't mean he can double your workload and not think about the consequences. Your mental health matters as well, and there is no shame in asking for help." Elrond nods, too tired to argue, and promises that the next time he will have to substitute the CEO, he will ask Gil-Galad to assign someone to work with him, to share the added workload.

🧝"And, you'll have to report the idiots who pulled that prank on you." you add, still munching your pizza, and Elrond sighs; he clearly would like to relax and enjoy his dinner and your company, rather than discussing such an unpleasant matter. "Can't we talk about it another time?" "I am sorry, we have to; and don't pretend you wouldn't insist as well, if I were the bullied one. Because this is bullying, not just pranks or friends joking around; you are continuously insulted, demeaned and harassed by your colleagues, and this cannot go on. The longer you do nothing, the crueler they will get. You need to tell Gil-Galad, and the HR; or I swear I will."

🧝 Your friend sighs, clearly unhappy at the thought of you getting involved in something he would like to forget; but he has to realize you are right, because "I'll think about it, I promise." he says in the end, and you are satisfied, because unlike a thousand other people he really means those words when he says them; his free hand finds yours, and for the first time since you met, you perceive his shyness as he looks at you "Now... I could call a cab for you, but..."

🧝You smile. Eru, you love him so much. "But?" "But, I would really appreciate if you stayed the night. With me. In my bed. I know it wouldn't be proper, but it would really be... of comfort to me, and..."

🧝 Those are the words you needed to hear. "Elrond?" "Yes?" "Stop talking. Do you have a shirt and a pair of shorts I could borrow?"

🧝 And so you find yourself sleeping, and only that, in your friend's double bed, wearing his clothes, after using a new toothbrush in his bathroom. You happily snuggle under the covers, and a similar joy is clear in Elrond's smile as he snakes an arm around you, to keep you close. As deep and close the friendship between the two of you has been, this is new, and beautiful because of it; to pass your fingers in his hair, still damp after the shower, to feel the heat of his body as you snuggle against him, to hear the strong, peaceful beating of his heart as you rest your cheek against his chest.

🧝 You smile in the darkness of the cozy room, and Elrond should not be able to see it, but he does, and answers with a smile of his own as he kisses your forehead. "I know this is not the night you had hoped for..." "Oh? You know?" "Well... not to be presumptuous, but I think I can make an educated guess. And I am sorry I cannot... give you what you wanted, since I am exhausted; but I am so happy you came."

🧝 You smile again as you turn on one side to look at him. Since I am exhausted, he said, which means that he would have welcomed your visit the way you had hoped, had he been less tired; this bodes well for you and the future you had hoped, but there will be time to think about that, time to talk and discuss and make plans. Now you only want to enjoy this moment, this intimacy with the Elf who has captured your heart, and in the meanwhile, make sure he is all right. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." you whisper as you cradle his smooth cheek in your hand "So clever, and loyal, and hard-working, and kind; I wish you would see how much respect you deserve, and that your origins are nothing to be ashamed of, quite the opposite..."

🧝 "I am not ashamed of my origins, and of my parents; I could never. And because of that, I am not touched by offenses and insults." You tell him you are glad to hear that, but that his moral superiority does not give his colleagues the right to keep harassing him, especially when the abuse turns physical; that night has been the last episode of a long list, and you wouldn't be surprised to discover that your friend has been shoved or tripped more than once.

🧝"You need to tell Gil-Galad, Elrond; about that, and about the need to share your responsibilities with someone else when he is away. Please, promise me you will." He huffs, but there is affection in his eyes, that you can see despite the darkness, not contrariety. "All right; I promise. Can we sleep now?"

🧝 The feeling of the soft sheets against your skin is pleasant, but not as pleasant as the one of Elrond, safe and content and in peace once again, holding you in his arms and kissing your hair as you both wait for sleep to claim you, your hand caressing his chest to listen to the beat of his heart.

*****

🧝 The other half of the bed is empty when you wake up the next morning, the memory of body heat on the sheet the only proof you haven't slept alone. For a moment you stare at that emptiness, more saddened and disappointed than any other time something like this has happened in the past, but then you realize this is different, because this is not your apartment or an hotel room found for a specific purpose, but his bed, and that Elrond has gotten up before you doesn't mean that he wants to forget everything that has happened... or not happened, since he was so tired. But you are happy nonetheless.

🧝 You visit the bathroom next to the bedroom, cleaner and tidier than what you could expect from a five star hotel, brushing your teeth and making a half-hearthed attempt to fix your hair. Then you move to the kitchen, where you are welcomed by the delicious smell of bacon, as well as Elrond's smile; he's standing in front of the stovetop, barefooted and handsome enough to leave you breathless, looking at you above his shoulder.

🧝You quietly exchange your hellos, and he confesses that last night he has slept better than he has in a long time, and for the first time in weeks he feels well-rested and ready to start a new day. He insists on preparing breakfast by himself, while you wait sitting at the table. You share a look, but neither he nor you feel the need to talk until he serves you a plate with a delicious breakfast, and a cup of coffee prepared exactly as you like it. "I just wanted to say... about what you did last night..."

🧝 "What did I do?" you ask, displaying your most perplexed impression.

🧝"Please, do not make fun of me. I just wanted to say... I am flattered. And I know I ruined the moment -no, no, it's ok- but if you would give me a second opportunity... I have cared for you for a long time, and I never thought you would think about me as something more than a friend, but I would like to show you... how important you are..."

🧝Your friend is even more adorable when blushing and stammering, but in the end you can't help putting him out of his misery. "Elrond." you start covering the hand resting on the table with yours "I have been flirting with you for four months and last week I spent a week's wage on a dress to impress you. Believe me, you are also very important to me. And as much as I care for your well-being and your mental health, it would be a complete lie if I said I only see you as a friend. So if you want to ask me out please do, because I won't refuse."

🧝Elrond's happy and slightly bashful face is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen; he quietly proposes to go out tonight, after he has left the office at the end of his normal working hours instead of staying so late it is almost early, to have dinner and maybe later go dancing. Of course, if you'd rather do something else...

🧝"I'd love that." you quickly reassure him; it is a new side of his personality you are discovering, awkward and shy when the person in front of him is no longer just a friend, but you quite like it, like you like everything about him "Now I better eat, and then go home to change. Do you mind? It smells delicious."

🧝Elrond sits next to you, in front of the second plate he brought; you feel his leg touching yours under the table, and you smile, and he smiles back, and neither feels the need to talk in the room bathed in the red-yellow early morning light.

Tagging @starlady66 and @elvenenby!

#The Lord of the Rings #The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power #The Rings of Power #Rings of Power #Elrond #Elrond Peredhel #Robert Aramayo #Bellona's stuff

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aeonianarchives · 2 years

Text

Candlelight

Fotfictober Prompts: 23 - Candlelight

Summery: Erestor confesses to the reader by the Candlelight

Pairing: Erestor x reader

Character: Erestor, Reader, Glorfindel, Elladan, Lindir, Elrond

Warnings: non

For: @eunoiaastralwings (The memes will be back shortly take a fic in the mean time, i thought of you while writing it as i always do when i write Erestor)

Reader Pronouns: She/They

"Come on Erestor, Just confess to her already, it is obvouis she likes you" Elrond said, as most of the other lords had left leaving Erestor, Lindir, Glorfindel and his son Elladan.

"What the grumpy librarian likes someone this is news to me" Elladan said kicking his feet up on the desk, only for Lindir to push them off Elladan chuckled at his actions.

"I'd never thought I would see the day Erestor would get advice on how to deal with his love life" Glorfindel said with a smirk

"Oh shut up, you quite obvouisly have a type of brown haired minstrels" Erestor shot back at the blond who had now a mock offended look on him Elladan was just laughing.

"If I may, Y/n clearly likes master Erestor, we could pull what the race of men call a fright night were we frighten her into the library and then lock the door and then maybe master Erestor confesses" Lindir said Glorfindel turned to Lindir in shocked

"Did the innoccent little songbird who gets jump scared by an angry Elrond just suggest we scare them into a libary, no offence song bird but you aren't exactly scary, your way to cute to even be considered scary" Glorfindel said Elladan sat up

"He has a point and he doesn't exactly have to be the one scaring her" Elladan said

"No scaring Y/n into the library and that final" Erestor said leaving Elronds study

"Lock her in it, the next time she goes in their, Erestor just said no scaring, but he never said anything about locking them in the library" Glorfindel said.

"Good point" Elladan said

You sighed as you got to the library, you took a deep breath, you were just returning the book which was tucked under your arm back to the library no other anterior motive master Erestor was much to scary to confess your feelings to, you just had to hide them away maybe not the best idea for an elf but still you had to do it, even if he was grumpy all the time, he still was scary, especially after dealing with Glorfindel or Elladan.

You pushed open the Heavy oaken door and walked in, the Library was dark, moonlight crept in to light the place but it was still dark, Candles hung in candle holders on the side of bookcases lit the main way well enough to see.

In and out that was all this was, put the book back without running into Erestor which was easier said than done in this maze of book shelves and then get out, you got to the middle of the library you thanked Eru that Erestor was not there not just because the book was late but you couldn't face him without becoming a lumbering idiot.

You managed to put the book back but when you went to leave the door was lock, the door was lock, you cursed Elladan and Glorfindel as you heard their laughter on the other side of the doors, it had been a week since the other exits of the library had been sealed due to how many time Elladan ran through here to escape trouble and Erestor had had enough.

"I hate you both, let me out of here" you whisper yelled at the door.

"Never" Elladan responded back

"Come on you can't lock me in here forever with him, I should never of told either of you" you hissed back

"Lady Y/n" Erestor said coming out of an isle you kicked the door but it slammed shut again you huffed Erestor raised a brow.

"It was only a matter of time before they did that" Erestor said

"You knew this would happen" You question

"Regrettably yes" Erestor said as he walked to his desk you followed him knowing those two would stay there until they got what they wanted or got bored.

"What were you doing here this late" you questioned

"It's not that late, it gets darker earlier this time of year" Erestor said as you followed him as he did the rest of his closing up the libary rounds however this time you could not leave and he didn't have a lighter to start a fire so he kept a candle lit

"What do they even want anyway" you questioned Erestor sitting on his desk he sent you a glare but did not dare tell you to get off

"I do not know" Erestor said, you let out an annoyed sigh, Erestor heard you curse under your breath, you walked to the door he did not bother to listen into the conversation, you soon came back.

"How do you even work in that light, Elrond says it's bad for you, and you shouldn't do it" You said Erestor looked up to you

"You are no healer, and you do not follow his instructions so why advise me to" Erestor said

"Then why do you feel the need to advise me on my work if it has anything which could possibly harm me then, I know what I am doing Erestor" You returned, the more you shot things against each other pointing stuff out the more you realized you were both stupid and oblivious.

"We are supposed to be the smart ones right, I'm feeling pretty stupid right now" You said

"How can you feel stupid, you showed it the most and I was just not changing to you, i'm the stupid one" Erestor said

"I mean compare with how you act towards others I should of really spotted it as soon as you started caring for my well being and going out of your way" You said.

"Why don't we just lay out clearly a confession, so we don't feel so stupid" Erestor said

"Your suggestion, you first" you said Erestor stood up and moved to be in front of you he sighed and cursed himself

"Fuck, I don't know how to, I can't articulate how strong my feelings for you are, I thought when i saw another Elleth that my heart was captured by them and then you came, my heart ached to the the one who held you, the one who you came home to every night" You snickered

"Me come home to you, Erestor you do realized how many all nighters you pull right" You said

"Shut up and let me speak" Erestor said

"You are so rude" you said

"You're Rude" Erestor shout back you huffed and grabbed his collar

"Shut up and kiss me" you whispered you had pulled his face inches from you'res he had only stopped himself from kissing you from putting his hands on the desk behind you

"Are you sure you wish for me to kiss you" Erestor whispered back

"It is apparent we both like each other romantically so shut up and kiss me, stop over thinking you grumpy o-" you didn't even finish your sentance as Erestor's lips were on yours

"Better not insult me, when i have permission to kiss you to shut up" The Advisor said kissing you again, you heard the doors open Erestor quickly parted from you and walked to Glorfindel and Elladan you sighed as he told them off.

"Master Erestor is blushing" Elladan said, Erestor shooed them out like they were a bird.

"Why didn't we just leave through the windows" you questioned Erestor as you stood next to your new lover, he looked to you.

"Glorfindel's stupidity is rubbing off on you" Erestor said

"What, the library has huge windows which open on the 1st floor" you said

"Into the Rose bush that Celebrián planted, Elrond would murder you" Erestor said

"Better to die to Elrond's hand than an Orc's" you muttered Erestor shot you a glare

"Shut up, no it wouldn't" Erestor said

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the-elusive-soleil · 5 months

Text

love from before still strong

For @tolkienfamilyweek Day 1 - Parent-child relationship

Maglor is shaking as he makes his way through the shadows. His hand is still in searing pain, even though the Silmaril is now at the bottom of the sea. He can see the horrified, startled face of the guard he killed, and the horrible blank emptiness on Maedhros’ face just before he pitched forward and--

He shudders, tries to put it out of his mind.

He needs to get to Elrond. There is no room for a plan or for thoughts of consequences, only for that singular goal.

There’s nothing else left, is the thing. Morgoth is defeated (no thanks to him), all his brothers are dead, the Silmarils are gone and it is probably for the best, and Elros is already gone with the Men from the Host, departed for their new Isle of Gift while Maglor was huddled in the woods trying to come to terms with still being alive.

There is, distantly, the lurking possibility in the back of his mind that that could change. He is trying very hard to not entertain that possibility. There is no good reason for him to be alive when all his brothers are dead, but the situation only becomes more senseless if he throws away the life that only he has been allowed to keep.

So here he is, slipping through the camp of the Host of the West that he fled from, sword dripping blood, only days ago.

Fortunately, he does have some idea where to go in search of Elrond, from when he was here before--not from anything he saw, but rather from where in the camp Gil-Galad was most eager to prevent him and Maedhros from passing. More than that, he knows his son, and it is no stretch of the imagination to suspect that he ought to check the healers’ tents first.

Sure enough, as he approaches the tent at the end of the row, he hears a familiar voice saying, “Is there anything else you need from me tonight, Annehtë?”

It’s Elrond, which is good, but he’s not alone, which could cause problems. Maglor draws close to the side of the tent, the better to listen for an opportunity, and to stay out of sight of anyone passing.

“No, you’ve done all you ought to and more,” says an elf-woman who is presumably Annehtë. Peering through a gap between tent panels, Maglor spots her, a blonde Vanyarin who is probably not that much younger than himself, but whose face bears less stress than any elf of Beleriand’s anymore and makes her look unwontedly young.

Elrond, in plain and serviceable healer’s robes, looking weary but otherwise no worse for wear, is moving towards the tent entrance. “Then I will bid you farewell till morning, for this day has me unusually weary.”

Before he can leave, though, Annehtë calls out, “If you will stay a moment, there is a matter I would speak with you on.”

Maglor stifles a curse, and Elrond looks no less irritated as he turns around--he’s hiding it well enough for dealing with a relative stranger, but Maglor recognizes that set of his shoulders from every time he was made to eat greens he did not want. “What is it?”

“Why don’t we sit down?” Annehtë says, not really making it a suggestion. Elrond complies, mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’ve been meaning to check in on you ever since...well, since the incident a few days ago.”

So that’s what this is about.

Elrond’s face remains a polite mask. “I don’t see how there’s anything to discuss. Unless you suspect me of aiding and abetting them, which King Gil-Galad and King Finarfin have already determined was not the case.”

“Oh, no, of course not.” Annehtë sounds shocked at the very thought. “It’s only that, well, they put you through so much before. You were only just starting to recover, and then to have them come so close again, so violently--you must have been afraid they would come after you and your brother, to take you again.”

“Why would they do that,” Elrond asks quietly and evenly, “when they were the ones who sent us here?”

“I can only guess at how such twisted minds may work,” Annehtë ventures, “but people like that don’t ever really let their victims go, you know. It’s part of the game they play, catch and release.”

“And what exactly would you know about it?” Elrond’s voice is terribly calm and cool. “Having lived all your life in Aman, where supposedly everything is perfect.”

“I have had opportunity to learn from my Sindarin colleagues since arriving here,” Annehtë retorts primly. She reaches out and takes Elrond’s hands in hers. “I understand that you must have felt such a need to be defensive of the Fëanorians when you first came here. You’d never known anything else, so of course you would want to cling to it. But they’re gone now, and it’s safe to let yourself admit that they were cruel to you. They destroyed your home and took you captive, and allowed you to know nothing but their own ways and their rules. They hurt you, and now you don’t have to pretend otherwise anymore just to get by.”

Maglor’s heart pounds in his chest. Not because he believes what the Vanyarin woman is saying in her falsely sweet voice--he knows he and Maedhros parented the twins to the best of their ability, knows that they gave them every scrap of love they had to offer, and is fairly confident that Elrond and Elros held some affection for them in return. But this is exactly what he had feared would happen when they sent their sons away: that the Sindar and Amanyar would teach them to hate the people who had raised them, and would in time so convince the twins that they had been abused that he and Maedhros would never be able to reunite with them again.

He supposes it is only surprising that it took this long for anyone to try.

That does not make it tear at thim any less when Elrond bows his head and admits, “I cannot deny that there is some truth in what you say.”

Maglor cannot stand to listen any further. He came too late and lost his chance, and now his son is slipping away from him. Intervention is impossible, so he does the only thing left to him and flees.

***

Elrond had already had more than enough of Annehtë before she tried to lure him into some kind of soul-baring exercise. The fact that she was delaying him when he could swear he felt the presence of one of his fathers just outside only compounded the irritation. He tried polite evasion, and when that seemed to be waxing ineffective, attempted to feign at least partial agreement in the hopes that she would let him alone.

Instead, his trouble only increased: no sooner had he forced out the words than he felt Maglor’s presence abruptly recede, as if in flight. No, no, this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t have the chance to finally keep hold of someone just slip through his fingers like that.

He itches to leap up and chase after Maglor right then and there, but Annehtë is still there, looking at him expectantly after his most recent statement. Right. He has to deal with this nonsense.

“It is true,” he continues, “that Maedhros and Maglor invaded and destroyed our home when we were children. But that is the only true thing you have said. They were kind to us from the beginning, although it would have been expedient to kill or abandon us. They loved us as their own sons; they only sent us away because they were sending everyone away that they could.”

Annehtë is spluttering. “But--but they were, are kinslayers! They cannot have had kindness in them, or how could they have done all that they did?”

“I do not know,” Elrond says, a little proud of how steady his voice is despite his rage. “I have wrestled with that myself. But there is no doubt in my mind that they loved us, that they gave us all the goodness they could scrape together in themselves, which was no small amount. So you will not say such things to me again--not only because they are false, but because my relationship with my fathers is none of your business.”

Then, finally, he has the opportunity to storm out in the wake of her stunned silence, and the moment he is out of the tent, he breaks into a sprint in the direction he felt Maglor’s presence receding towards.

Fortunately, his foster father does not have much of a head start, and it only takes a few minutes for Elrond to detect that flare of fëa and follow it into the woods. He quickly spots a figure curled in the shadows at the base of a large tree. A couple of paces closer, and he realizes that Maglor is weeping silently.

That does it. He flies across the short remaining distance, dropping to his knees and reaching out. “Atya? Atya! It’s all right, I’m here, I’m sorry...”

Maglor looks up at him, wide-eyed. “Elrond. Is it really you? I thought--”

“If you had stayed only a moment longer, you would have heard me go on to verbally eviscerate her,” Elrond declares. “I felt you outside the tent, I was trying anything I could to get away quickly, but it only led to me having to chase you down. What has happened to you? Where is Atar? Why did you not come to me, or to Elros or both of us, before?”

Maglor shivers. “Maedhros is dead,” he says hoarsely.

Elrond freezes. “What? He cannot be--they told us they had let you both go unharmed, they swore to me--”

“He cast himself into a chasm of fire,” Maglor continues, glorious voice flat and dull. “We took the Silmarils, and they burned us as they burn creatures of evil, and--he could not bear it. They physical wound, yes, but not--and so he ended.”

He looks up at Elrond, meeting his eyes for the first time. “He was gone, and Elros had already left for wherever his Isle of Gift will be, and there was no one else, so I thought to go to you. And then I heard--”

“--possibly the least important part of all that I had to say,” Elrond assures. He cradles Maglor’s hands in his, noting with an inward hiss of dismay the ugly burn upon the right palm. “I did not want to leave you and Atar before; I am certainly not going to let you slip away now.”

“You should,” Maglor says, making a brief abortive movement as if he would pull away but cannot bear to. “I have slain kin again, I am a thief and a murderer and kidnapper, my heels are dogged by a curse--”

“I care for none of that,” Elrond says quietly. “That is, I am not glad that you have killed again, but I don’t think you will do so any more, and I do not think there is any punishment anyone could inflict on you that would be worse than the rejection of the Silmarils and the loss of Atar.”

Maglor is silent, only bowing his head.

“I will not be staying with the Host for much longer,” Elrond forges on determinedly. “Finarfin has been trying to talk me into returning with the Amnyar, but I do not plan to. As soon as I can make that clear without burning any bridges, I will be leaving here--I want to travel, and study the different peoples of Middle-earth, and collect their knowledge. So much has been lost during the wars, but nowperhaps I can seek to preserve.”

A brief hesitation, and then, “If you will only wait here where I can find you until then, you are welcome to join me--no, more than welcome, I would earnestly desire it. We can travel together. First to Elros, I think--he will be glad to see you are alive, and will want to mourn Atar with us.”

There is a terribly long silence before Maglor lifts his head again. “I should not agree. I do not deserve it,” he says. “But I fear I am too weak now to fight against what I want so badly.”

Elrond lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Good,” he says, a little unsteadily. He can work with that. Slowly, he drops the rest of the way to the ground and pulls Maglor into a tight, fierce embrace. “That’s good. That’ll be all right.”

#tolkienfamilyweek #silmarillion #maglor #elrond #kidnap fam #post war of wrath #maybe this belonged under the found family day?#but kidnap fam was my silm gateway drug and it's what I think of first when I see “tolkien” and “parents”#archaeologist-anthropologist elrond makes another appearance #so does my favorite genre of “outsider sees kidnap fam and assumes the worst”#soleil writes things #refracted (fanfiction)

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sunnyrosewritesstuff · 1 year

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"Treat" for Elrond, please? 🥺👉👈

Sure thing! How about Elrond and children?

The life of an elf may be everlasting, but youth was truly fleeting. Elrond had few memories of his own children in their pre-adolescent state if only because he had a handful of decades with them as so compared to the centuries he’s spent with them as adults. Which has indeed been an honor and a privilege to know them as individuals in control of their own minds and bodies. After all, why glorify the journey to self-discovery when the end result is beautiful in its fruition?

He just sometimes forgets this is not an opinion shared by the mortals around him. They see the start of life as something pure and invigorating, and upon occasion choose to press their joy upon him. As if his many years upon this earth make him an ideal minder, and when dealing with royal mortals, it’s an unnecessary headache if he does manage to offend. Which is how he found himself in a staring match with the dwarvish child in his arms.

The little prince tilted his head, gurgling something as his chubby fingers reached out for something he could not reach.

“And what is he trying to communicate with me?” Elrond asked, not taking his eyes from the curious child.

Thror smirked as he relieved Elrond of his burden.

“He’s a baby, Master Elf. He’s just making noise.”

Elrond cocked an eyebrow which had the young Prince Thrain squealing, his face stretched into a smile. Something about his stand-off had his father barking in laughter.

“Your face looks as if you plan to be facing orcs and wargs any moment.”

“Forgive me.” Elrond bowed his head. “It’s been…awhile since I’ve interacted with someone so young.”

“Aye, I figured. You should have been here last week. Thrain latched onto a handful of Thranduil’s hair, and the poncy git looked as if he were trying to decipher if the attack was intentional.”

Elrond had to hide a smirk behind his fist in order to save face. Thranduil had a long memory after all, and he would hate for it to get back to the self-proclaimed “King of the Woodland Realm”. Seeing the twinkle in Thror’s bright blue eyes though, he could tell he wasn’t successful. The father set to tickling his son under his hairless chin which had Thrain screaming in glee and latching onto one of the large rings to decorate the king’s finger.

“You know, my advisors think me mad already. ‘Introduce your son to the elves? What good could come from trusting those…’ and you’ll have to forgive me, they used some rather creative insults at this point.”

“Of course.” Elrond mused in a dry tone.

“But, I remember what my father said, Mahal rest his soul, about good friends. We’re not close enough to be ‘good friends’, I’m unfortunately stuck with Thranduil on that front. But I have heard of the impartiality of the Lord of Imladris. I hope that perhaps that means we can be good…acquaintances.”

Elrond hesitated. He’s thrown his loyalty, his friendship, to so many mortals over the years only for it to backfire. There is a reason Rivendell served as a Sanctuary and not a Kingdom. However, looking at the care Thror used attending to his son, it brought a smile to his face.

“Should Erebor need help, they need only turn to the Last Homely House.”

Trick or treat my inbox.

#sunny's treats #the hobbit #elrond #thror #i got to thinking about elrond's line of knowing thror and went off on a tangent #pre thror's madness which makes this kind of bitter I know 😭#let's just call it a salty treat...

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tolkien-feels · 2 years

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So, I was thinking about your lap sits = adoption post, and realized it raises two related questions:

Do you have any thoughts on how first age elves deal with war orphans? Orodreth's family suggests that at least a notable minority DID have kids during the long peace, so what do you think the official or unofficial default for caring for war orphans would be? (I'm thinking in cases where there are no distant relatives to take them in, or those relatives are somehow unsuitable/inaccessible. )

Do you think elves handled human war orphans the same way, or would be be more "?!?! Oh heck, uh, Blorbonwe, you're friends with a human, right? Where do humans send their orphans??" And the kid gets shunted to the nearest human community, whether or not it's the same cultural group?

(I am asking for pure spontaneous headcanon, no research required. I am also assuming that Tuor's situation was atypical, or at least atypical in a world that isn't actively apocalyptic. Elrond and Elros are also atypical on account of hostage potential and political value.)

Excellent questions I will Not research atm but if anyone has actual canon-based answers let me know because I'm curious now!

And here are the headcanons based on Nothing:

For the first question, I want to say that it probably depends a lot on where we're talking about. If an elf of one of the hidden realms dies and leaves behind children, I imagine (assuming the kid has no relatives, which seems unlikely given how insular the hidden realms seem to be) that the child would be raised by a close friend. I already headcanon the hidden realms have communal childrearing practices anyway - I mean, Arda being pseudo-feudal it's already unlikely that we're supposed to be thinking of strictly nuclear families anyway, but I feel that's extra true for the hidden realms for Reasons (insularity, strong social bonds, great security that allows greater freedom for children, etc.)

For the non-hidden realms, I feel like it's probably the same for places and periods that are relatively safe. If things begin to get dangerous, or if the place itself is no place for a child (eg Himring), I imagine they would be sent away to somewhere with ties to whoever the parents were; barring that, I imagine the default would be being sent to allies of whoever was the lord of the dead parents. The reason for this headcanon is that elves seem to greatly value children, and they're also somewhat rare, so I imagine protecting children would be a priority, even for non-royal children. The exception being, maybe, elves who have not quite come of age but will very soon; I think then their opinion would be considered but they would probably stay where they are (although that strikes me as a choice that would be given to male elves more often than female elves because I subscribe to Elven Society Is Sexist headcanons.)

Now for mortals, I feel like the situation is much more complicated. To begin with, even very small elflings can probably communicate well - it's not that easy for a mortal, especially because they might not speak Sindarin even if they speak a little of their own language already. I feel like in general the kid would be dropped off at the closest mannish settlement, yeah. But there would be exceptions. For instance, I don't think they'd drop a blond kid with the Haladin. If a kid looks like they belong with a certain people (physically, or maybe they're wearing something very distinctive, or an elf happens to recognize the kid's specific accent, etc) I think that's where the kid would end up.

And as a general rule, barring emergencies, I think a child old enough to talk to might be taken to speak to a figure of authority among the elves (I'm not thinking kings here, just like, a captain of some sort) - I think elves would consider this a matter requiring wisdom and experience.

Having said this - it probably depends a lot on (1) the individual elf who finds the kid and (2) the culture of that elf. I don't imagine there is a specific protocol for this kind of situation (although there should be!!), so if the kid happens to be found by a kind elf in a pro-mortal culture, the situation will be considered much more carefully than if the kid is found by an indifferent elf from an arrogant culture.

And then there's also the matter of battles. Of course, major battles that kill like half the elven population are outliers and shouldn't be counted, but I think in general, if I, a mortal, die in a minor skirmish serving my elven lord (if I have one), that lord will offer some measure of aid to the family I leave behind (especially if I only leave children.) Not even necessarily out of kindness, but just because a lord who offers inadequate protection to his vassals would quickly earn a reputation for bad leadership. Although I assume that obligation is much lessened if the kid is part of a thriving community.

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disorganisedautodidact · 1 year

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Was sorely tempted to join in on the Elwing discourse / kidnap fam discourse that’s been going around, but honestly my main complaint to a lot of the discoursers boils down to „ffs stop complaining about the way other people enjoy their favourite characters and just make a post about how you interpret them instead, and let people have their fun“, so I’m following my own advice and making my own post about my current Elwing headcanons (subject to me changing my mind in a week or two because I had / saw another idea I liked). Where I mention other takes I’ve seen, I’m doing so to clarify my point via what I don’t mean, not to criticize anyone.

- Elwing’s early life was pretty much shaped by the experience of her home being destroyed and her family slaughtered when she was only a toddler, and then they lived a probably pretty precarious life in a refugee settlement and as a very young adult many things happening to that settlement became her respondibility. Her mental health probably wasn’t great, and I don’t think anyone in first age Beleriand had access to therapy except for Maedhros’ former thrall self-help group in Himring. This doesn’t mean her life was a complete horror show all of the time – I like to think she found some joy in her friendship and later romance with Eärendil, in learning and discovering her talents, in helping people … – but I think any serious portrayal of Elwing should take her trauma into account (maybe she was drinking a lot? maybe she was sometimes aggressive without a reason that others could see? maybe she just had terrible nightmares or couldn’t stand certain foods because they were what she ate on her last night in Doriath…. (also give me Elwing and Eärendil learning each other’s trauma responses and helping each other deal, btw)), and I think it probably affected her decision-making and her relationships with others, to a degree.

- it’s important for me to take into account how young Elwing was, although of course we can’t quite tell exactly how young she was – half-elven aging is notoriously weird, but honestly even humans are pretty young, at twenty-something, to take on a leadership role in a situation like that, and be in need of more guidance than Elwing had at the time. And I do think Elwing was „younger“ than a human would have been at that age. Elven children develop faster than human children cognitively, but slower physically and emotionally, so there’s alredy a lot of potential messiness with even „simple“ half-elves like Eärendil. And Elwing was more than half elven, with a decent chunk of Maia thrown in. We have no idea how she might have aged, but it’s entirely possible that she and Eärendil were at pretty different developmental stages at the same age, and also that no-one, including themselves, quite understood exactly how mature either of them were at any particular point. Young people tend not to have a good grasp on their own maturity levels (source: I’ve been a young person) and no-one around them had much experience with half-elves (ok, some of the Doriathrim might have known Dior well enough to be relevant for this, but Dior also had a different mix of elf, maia and human genetics and might well have aged at a different pace than his children). That has both fun comedic potential for childhood friends Eärendil and Elwing, and potential for dark, messy takes on their relationship if that’s your thing.

- I like to think Elrond and Elros inherited their healing talents from Elwing – maybe the whole „the hands of the king are the hands of a healer“ thing started not with Elros, but with Elwing! It was probably a very useful talent to have in late first age Beleriand, and perhaps one of the things that made the Gondolindrim in her settlement look to her as a leader rather than just their leader’s wife (the Doriathrim would have already accepted her as Thingol’s heir)

- speaking of which. ruling over a settlement of the remnants of two recently uprooted cultures as someone who has no roots in (in fact, may have inherited active opposition to) one of the cultures and lost the stable home of the other as a young child cannot have been easy, and Elwing was really young (see above). I simply can’t imagine she didn’t make plenty of mistakes and wasn’t a controversial figure (beloved, too, perhaps, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive). It’s possible she did very good work as a ruler and a healer! But that doesn’t mean she was in any way flawless. And she lived in a time when there were so many mistakes to be made and not a lot of good choices.

- Elwing was dealing with her own, probably significant, emotional issues, AND trying to hold together a settlement of refugees from at least two different cultures, AND parenting young twins by herself with Eärendil mostly off at sea. I headcanon that she loved the twins a great deal and raised them as best she could, but I also think she probably struggled to give Elrond and Elros enough of the kind of close, emotionally attuned attention that kids need, and the lack of which can seriously fuck a kid up. Being raised by a traumatised parent can be rough even if everyone involved is doing their best.

- which isn’t to say she wasn’t a loving parent. I do think she tried to spend as much time with them as she could, and that she made every decision with them in mind (not all of those decisions worked out well, but I do think she was trying). But she was alone in very different circumstances, and it’s not unreasonable to assume that she was often (physically or emotionally) absent or lost her temper and yelled sometimes.

- it’s also not to say that Elrond and Elros weren’t devastated to lose her.

- this post isn’t about my interpretation of the Oath of Fëanor, so I won’t go into it a lot, but basically I’m the „the Oath is a metaphysical compulsion that takes away free will to an extent, and while the silmaril was at Sirion, the Fëanorians were going to attack it sooner or later whether they wanted to or not“ camp. And I do think Maedhros told Elwing that and begged her to believe him.

- I also think Elwing had absolutely no reason to believe a single word he said.

- I think that she thought, wrongly but understandably, that the sons of Fëanor valued a shiny rock more than the lives of innocents, and acted accordingly

- possibly she could have prepared for the attack better, like sending her kids away to Balar or something, but to be fair, sending your children away, even for their own safety, is a heartbreaking decision to make and Elwing not doing so is understandable

- nor do I think it’s fair to say she abandoned her children – she was probably realising by now that she and the silmaril were what was putting them in danger, and figured she’d take that out of the equation

- but I do think the twins FELT abandoned, because when you’re six, you don’t understand that kind of reasoning

- as a teenager you might understand, but intellectually knowing your parents loved you and acted to keep you safe, and FEELING loved by them are two different things

- this isn’t the time to get into my kidnap fam headcanons, of which I have many, but in brief: I also think that it took Elrond and Elros a long time to feel safe with Maglor and Maedhros or feel affection for them, but I also think that, while it was their fault that Elrond and Elros were alone in the ruins of a destroyed settlement (yes the Oath forced them into the kinslaying, yes it’s still their fault for swearing it in the first place), once it got to that point taking the children with them was probably the best option. Gil-galad’s forces were still a ways away, and the survivors of Sirion were fleeing. What were they supposed to do, leave them sitting around among damaged buildings by themselves in a land swarming with orcs and other monsters? And once they were with them, I’m completely convinced that Maglor and Maedhros did the best they could to raise them, teach them, and not do further harm. Result: E&E were raised and loved by the least malicious of the monsters out there, and that’s messy and fucked up and fascinating.

- I don’t think adult Elrond would have been all „fuck Elwing, Maglor and Maedhros are my real parents“ (though sometimes fics like that can be cathartic for reasons that have nothing to do with the characters and everything to do with sometimes you just need to project some stuff on your blorbo), but I do think teenage Elrond might have thought it sometimes

- please join me in imagining adult Elrond, already working as a healer in the war of wrath, getting to Gil-galad’s camp and meeting people who knew his mother, who tell him about her work as a healer, and the complicated emotional journey he goes through from having that connection with her, a connection I think he grew to cherish

- also I think Elwing went through a lot of healing and growth in Valinor because 6000 years is a long fucking time – if 30 year old Elwing is old enough to have kids and be a leader, then imagine what she’s like at 6500 years.

- Elrond and Elwing and Eärendil reconnected in Valinor, but it likely took all of them some time to get to know each other again – but by then I think they were all in a place to want to try despite everything

- and by everything I do mean, among other things, Elrond’s genuine familial love for Maglor and Maedhros and his care for their followers who remained loyal to him after the war of wrath (the details of THAT would need another post that wouldn’t have all that much to do with Elwing, so I won’t go into it much more in a post about her). I think that Elwing and Eärendil would have found that hard to forgive, but I’m also convinced that after 6500 years they cared more about their son than about their (completely justified!) resentment.

- there would have been a different, but equally complicated journey for adult Elros – yeah, Eärendil and Elwing can’t go back to Middle Earth, but can they go to Númenor? who knows, but they could certainly send messages! (unlike Elrond, actually – I know fandom tends to ignore this because it’s Sad, but the appendices tell us that there was no contact between Númenor and Middle Earth until after Elros’ death – the twins might or might not have communicated through ósanwë, but there were no visits or letters)

-anyway this has been a loose collection of my Elwing headcanons as they are right now. I’ll probably make other posts about my ideas about kidnap fam and about the oath and the kinslayings, because I have a lot of thoughts on those topics, but I wanted this post to be mostly about Elwing

#let elwing be complicated #i love her #but i need her to be allowed to be a mess actually

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