silwritersguild | Darkening of Valinor Challenge (Reply)

This is my response to

tarion_anarore's challenge: "How would things have been different had Morgoth murdered Maedhros instead of Finwë?" Cross-posted to my LJ, so apologies for duplication.

Blood and Darkness
Part I

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for this work.

"Blood and darkness!" cried Maglor as he and his younger brothers rushed into the Ring of Doom. "Maitimo my brother is slain, and the Silmarils are gone!" Fëanor collapsed and did not move again until Maglor finished his account.

"My lord Manwë," he said, "on the day of the festival Finwë the king would not go from the house because he had a feeling of great dread. We rode towards the Green Hills but Maitimo turned back to stay with the king. Later in the day we saw that the Light was failing, dim though it is in the North. We rode back to Formenos with all speed and in the darkness a vast cloud covered our father's home. We heard the sounds of a fight, and a loud shout, but our horses threw us and we could not move until the cloud had passed. We believe that it was not Melkor alone; some other evil power was with him.

"Darkness and blood! When we came at last to the house we found our brother slain in the doorway; his chest was crushed as by a great mace of iron. The king was there also, his legs shattered so he could not walk. He told us he too would have died if Nelyafinwë had not taken the blow that would have broken his head. All the others had fled, and our kinsmen stood alone, but to no avail for the house is destroyed, the treasuries are empty and the Silmarils are taken!"

Fëanor sprang to his feet and cursed Melkor, naming him Morgoth, the Black Foe of the world. He ran from the Ring of Doom into the darkness, distressed by his father's injury, the loss of the Silmarils and by his son's death. In that moment he found comfort only in the fact that his son had died to save his father, for Finwë was dearer to him than anything else could ever be. (1)

ooOoo

The Noldor - including the six surviving sons of Fëanor - returned to Tirion, because Formenos was destroyed. Finwë travelled in a carriage, for his legs were not yet healed. There also after a time came Fëanor, and he spoke fierce words to the Noldor, condemning Morgoth and the Valar alike, and urging the people to leave Aman, where the Valar had failed to protect them. "Our king has suffered a grave wound," he said, "and would even now be with his wife in the Halls of Waiting if my son had not defended him." He spoke long and the people were swayed by his words, but then Fëanor and his sons swore a terrible oath of vengeance upon any who would take a Silmaril without their consent.

There was dissent among the crowd, and Fingolfin and his son Turgon spoke against Fëanor, but Fingon, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel agreed with their uncle and were keen to be gone. Fingolfin and Orodreth spoke quietly to calm the people. Then Finwë the king stood by his son and declared that he would go with Fëanor to Middle-earth, and asked those among his people who were willing to join them. In his heart Finwë was loath to depart for the lands of his birth, but he did not wish Fëanor to go without him for he loved Fëanor best of all his children. When the Noldor marched out of the gates of Tirion only one in ten remained in the darkened city.

In Alqualondë Olwë politely refused the Noldor the loan of his ships, but he invited his old friend Finwë to dine with him. Finwë remained in Alqualondë, but Fëanor left the city and waited for the remainder of his people to reach him. They took the ships, though the Teleri resisted, and the battle would have been lost without the aid of Fingon's host. Fëanor sent a messenger to his father, telling him to hasten to the ships, but Finwë was saddened by his son's deeds, and he forsook the march. He stayed with Olwë for many years and helped to repair the damage that Fëanor had caused. Fëanor was grieved by his father's decision, but his oath constrained him and he continued northward along the coast.

The Noldor went on under the stars, some in the ships and some on foot, and eventually they reached the borders of Araman in the north. There a dark figure, who many believed to be Mandos, cursed them for their deeds at Alqualondë. The curse would fall upon those who would not go back and accept their due punishment. Finarfin and his people, but not his sons, returned to Tirion and were pardoned by the Valar. Because Finwë still held himself unkinged by the exile of his eldest son, Finarfin became the ruler of the Noldor in the Blessed Realm. The peoples of Fëanor, Fingolfin and his sons, and the sons of Finarfin went forward still.

ooOoo

The streets of Tirion were strangely quiet, but Maedhros assumed that it was merely early in the day. He went directly to Finarfin's residence as Mandos had instructed him to do. "Good morning Uncle Arafinwë," said Maedhros cheerfully as he walked into Finarfin's sitting room, "if it is morning. How can you tell in the darkness?"

Finarfin gasped at the sight of his nephew, who appeared to be in the best of health and not at all deceased. "But you are dead," he whispered.

"I was," said Maedhros, "but now I am not. It was a most unpleasant experience, and not one I would care to repeat. I cannot understand why Grandmother Míriel has chosen to stay in the Halls of Mandos - it is unbelievably dull there. I would have gone quite mad if I had to stay in the Halls of Waiting any longer than I did. Can you tell me for how long I was dead?"

"A little more than two years," said Finarfin, relieved that this was a question he could answer. (2)

"Are my brothers and my father still at Formenos?" asked Maedhros, "And how is my grandfather? I hope his wounds are not troubling him. They looked quite serious, but I did not have the time to examine them before we were attacked again."

"I think you ought to sit down," said Finarfin, and he told Maedhros about all the events that had occurred during his stay in Mandos.

When he had finished Maedhros jumped up. "Great Eru!" he cried, "I must go after them and help to recover the Silmarils! Moringotto must not be allowed to keep them!"

"I wish you the best of luck," said Finarfin, "I only hope that you may restrain your father from any further wickedness. I do not think it likely, for even the king's influence has failed."

ooOoo

Maedhros travelled for more than a month through the darkness to the northern wastes of Araman. Eventually he saw the camp of the Noldor away to the north, illuminated by an orange glow in the eastern sky. An alert sentry observed his approach and led him straight to Fingolfin and Fingon, who were watching the light playing on the clouds. After a joyful reunion between Maedhros and his kin, Fingolfin's countenance became more serious. "You have come too late," he said, "we are betrayed by Fëanáro. He sailed east in the ships of the Teleri some days ago, and now we see the ships burn. Could he not have spared some ships and men to take us to Middle-earth? Now we must cross the ice, for we cannot go back."

"You should return to Tirion, Nelyo, as Arafinwë did," said Fingon, "we are cursed, but you need not be so. I believe Finwë and Olwë would welcome you in Alqualondë if you would prefer to go there."

"I will go with you," said Maedhros, "and if your curse must be mine also, then so be it. I at least will not abandon those I love." The people of Fingon accepted him gladly into their company, for he had sworn no oath and had always been a friend to their lord before the lies of Morgoth sundered their fathers.

It was some time before the Noldor set out across the Helcaraxë. They carried plenty of food and warm clothing, but most of their personal effects had to be left behind, and their horses had sailed across the sea to Middle-earth with Fëanor in the ships. The winds blowing across the ice were cold enough to freeze even an Elf, and many of the Noldor died during the crossing. Maedhros convinced not a few that being cold was better than being dead, but he could not help his cousin Turgon's wife, Elenwë. The ice cracked under her feet, and she fell into the water, sinking before anyone could reach her.

ooOoo

It was impossible to count the days of the crossing of the Helcaraxë with any accuracy. The ice seemed endless; it gleamed softly in the starlight, a pale expanse stretching beyond even Elven eyesight in all directions. On rare occasions a fire-mountain could be seen in the east, but usually a cloud was settled upon its summit, cutting off even that foreboding sign of the lands ahead of them.

After a long time a silver light rose above the horizon in the south west, passing rapidly eastward across the sky before turning and retreating into the west. As it rose for the first time Finrod, who strayed often from his companions, cried out in a great voice that he had found the end of the ice. When the new light had gone into the east on its seventh journey from one edge of the world to the other, a second light, golden, warm and much brighter than the first, arose. The sky turned first red, then a pale and clear blue, not black as it had always been, and the waters of the lake before them were also blue, although deeper in colour than the sky. The Noldor cheered and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners as they marched into Mithrim.

The camp of the Fëanorians lay ahead, and Maedhros would have gone at once to greet his father and his brothers, but Fingon stayed him, saying "A grievance lies between Fëanáro’s people and mine. Your father will not easily forgive you for coming so far with us. Wait until we can send a messenger to your father telling him of your release from Mandos, and see how he reacts. I would not lose you to death again because of Fëanáro’s swift anger; if you have patience we may yet heal this breach."

"I will heed your advice, my dear friend," said Maedhros, "I have been parted from my nearest kin for five years already. Some few days or weeks more will make but little difference." In his heart he did not believe that Fëanor would harm him, but he knew that his cousin's words were wise.

ooOoo

Notes:

(1) The majority of the phrases in these first paragraphs are taken directly from 'The Later Quenta Silmarillion' in 'Morgoth's Ring', where the message in brought to the Ring of Doom by Maedhros. I have adapted them for the situation and to suit Maglor.

(2) For this story I have used 9.582 Sun Years = 1 Valian Year. However, if you would prefer to think of each year as one Sun Year, or even 144 Sun Years, (as in Tolkien's final view), please do so.

I'll post the second part when I get back from Italy.