Rated for typical Kidnap-family angst and Fëanorian messed-up-ness.
Part 1
"I'm cold."
It was an unnecessary comment.
The cellar was frigid. A barred grate above leaked a malicious draft of snowy air. Dull moonlight glanced off a smattering of leaves drifting across the unyielding cobbles that made up the chamber.
The cellar was devoid of anything more than a few frozen sacks slumped against the far wall.
Elros and I were huddled together, sharing each other's breath, tugging threadbare cloaks over blue fingers.
We sat beneath the grate for the light it gave. We wouldn't be caught off guard near the door for either of the Fëanorians to—to—
Well we didn't quite know what they would do. Bring news that our Adar and Naneth had paid the ransom? That we could be free of the fangs of the cold and the even colder eyes of these kinslayers?
We hoped so.
Water dripped from a small frozen leak somewhere above. If I stretched out my foot, I could feel the icy puddle through my slippers.
I could hear the chatter of Elros' teeth and his shaky breath that misted in my face.
"Go t-to sleep Elros..."
"I can't."
"Elros—"
"It's been t-two days, Elrond. I—"
I'm frightened, he might have said. Elros was far too proud for that, though. Elder only by a few minutes, he still took it upon himself to be the strong one. I appreciated the way he cared.
"You what?"
Elros only shook his head and shivered harder, pressing closer against me. He took my hands in his own and tried to breathe some warmth into them. Our cloaks fluttered in the draft and a whimper escaped me.
I couldn't feel anything. I could hardly muster the strength to speak.
So cold...
The chill sank its fangs down to my clattering bones.
"Nana will come for us."
"Sleep, Elros."
"She will!" he insisted defensively.
I pulled my hands away and cupped his own instead in an attempt to warm them.
No one had come down for the past two days to give us anything. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, adding to the misery of the cold.
We both jumped when footsteps pounded down the stairway above, quickly enough that I could feel the anger of the newcomer before they even opened the door.
I let out a shaky breath. Naneth had come for us. Naneth would be here. She would soothe away the cold and the hunger and the terror and the darkness.
The man that threw the door open was not Elwing. Instead it was the tall Fëanorion, the one with the missing hand and the mass of red hair.
"She's gone," he growled. "And she won't be coming back for you."
My heart nearly froze in my chest.
"Wh-what?"
I could feel him scowl from here, though the darkness did not allow me to see his face. Elros buried his face into my shoulder.
"Sorcery," he spat. "She morphed into a bird by some sorcery with a Þilmaril on her breast. Eärendil is long gone and refuses to relinquish the Þilmaril."
The ellon's voice was hoarse, as if he was not used to speaking this much.
I opened my mouth to question him further, but then the darkness swallowed the light from the open door as the ellon banged it shut without another word.
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my ears. The cold air stung my throat and I buried my nose in Elros' hair. His body convulsed as he sobbed. I stroked his hair and cried too.
No one was coming. Ever.
The thought hurt too much to bear.
We didn't move the entire night, but slept through the day, waking from the ravenous growls of hunger and thirst clawing us from the inside at the first light of the moon.
Nothing in the room was different.
Drips of water plinked steadily onto the cobbles. I had to shirk away from the growing puddle now. Tufts of snow drifted down from the grate. The stones beneath us would not warm no matter how long we huddled on them.
Elros was so still I almost feared for his life, shaking him awake.
"Elros! Elros!" Drowsy, gaunt eyes blinked up at me and I sighed. "You scared me."
He nuzzled against my chest, forgetting that he was supposed to be the strong one for a time. I let him do so. He was looking far too blue for my liking. My heart caught in my throat.
No, Elros would always be with me. He would never leave. He wouldn't...
The door creaked open and I jumped. Elros stiffened but did not rise to face the newcomer.
Emotion washed over me like a bucket of ice.
The dark haired Fëanorion had come.
The one who had found us and brought us here. I wondered if he would take us out of this tiny hellhole.
I liked this Fëanorion better. Or maybe I should rather say that I hated this one a bit less. At least this one's eyes weren't completely dead. This one's eyes were red. I wondered what a murderer would have to cry about.
The ellon frowned and slowly approached us as if we were some dangerous creatures. I drew my knees up farther and leaned to the side to shield Elros.
I trained a steady glare on him, though it was difficult to keep my head from lolling to the side; I felt half-dead already.
Black spots danced across my vision and I blinked hard to keep my attention trained on the ellon that had come.
The clink of glass and ceramic on a tray. Food. It was steaming.
Hungry, I was so hungry...
The ellon set the tray down next to us, shaking his hand and grimacing after it came in contact with the icy puddle at my feet.
I curled further around Elros. It was unlike him to be this unresponsive while a stranger was near. Perhaps he was unconscious. I dare not look away from the ellon long enough to check.
The ellon glanced around uncertainly, then his eyes widened a bit.
"I told him to bring down the blankets..." he murmured so low I could barely make it out. He seemed loathe to even look at us, as if it were forbidden. I saw his red eyes and wondered again what a murderer would have to cry about.
He bustled out of the cellar, wrapped in a thick wool robe that I envied greatly. It didn't take long for him to reappear with a handful of blankets that had certainly seen better days.
The ellon approached us, closer than ever, and I felt my chest ache at the burning compassion in his eyes that felt so forbidden.
They'd captured us, tossed us down here, and left us to die of whatever would get to us first; hunger, thirst, or the fangs of the cold.
But then I eyed the tray of food, unintentionally leaning towards it as if by a magnetic force. Claws of pain raked the inside of my belly.
I watched the ellon guardedly as he crouched down before us, offering the blankets as if he couldn't come any closer.
I looked at the ellon, then down at Elros (his eyes closed...), then gave the blankets a hard look of consideration.
Water please, just a bit of water...
A shiver. Elros is too still, too still...
I reached out my hand to take the blankets, but my fingers would not move to close around them no matter how hard I tried.
The ellon shuffled forward a bit and I drew my hand back, tensing against Elros and eyeing him. He looked about ready to cry again.
I cringed against the wall and squeezed my eyes closed, trembling in fright just as much as from the cold when the ellon spread the blankets and gently laid them over us. The weight of it washed over me and I sighed and burrowed closer against Elros, kissing his icy forehead.
Uneven tear tracks dripped down the ellon's face.
It was curious, for a murderer.
I startled when he spoke, also whispering as if not to disturb the tense quiet of the chamber.
"My name... is Maglor."
Maglor.
It made him seem so much less like a demon and so much more like the comfort I so desperately needed then. I swallowed and gazed at him with the longing of a starved puppy.
Maglor backed up a step, crouching on his haunches, and pushed the tray closer to us, taking off the linen napkin that covered it. My stomach lurched. Elros needed to eat too.
I reached out for the warm cup, but my fingers wouldn't close around it. Furrowing my brow I concentrated as hard as I could with no success.
Maglor's large hand brushed over mine as he took the cup himself. His touch was so warm I audibly gasped and drew my hand back. He came closer than he ever had and gently rubbed my hand between his own. Feeling pooled up my arm.
He took the cup of some warm liquid and pressed it to my lips but I turned away and stroked Elros' blue cheek.
"Elros first," I croaked. Maglor startled a bit when I spoke. I felt so small in his shadow, but it was the good kind that makes one feel protected.
I tipped Elros's head to the side and Maglor trickled some of the liquid into his mouth, massaging his throat gently to coax him to swallow. Nearly half the cup was gone before he awoke with a sputtering cough.
He recoiled violently when he saw Maglor and snatched me closer, almost hissing.
"Stay away from my brother, beast," he said hoarsely, his eyes dark.
Maglor shuffled backwards, but seemed largely unfazed. I patted Elros' face.
"Elros hush—"
"Get out," he growled.
Maglor did not make any move to do so and I relaxed a bit. I didn't want him to leave.
I pressed a hand over Elros' mouth and gave him a stern look that hopefully looked like something Naneth would make. He always listened to Naneth.
"Maglor is here to help."
Elros glared up at me, but there was a glaze to his eyes that told me he was miserable.
Maglor helped me to drink, then warmed our hands so we could feed ourselves. We could eat pitifully little amounts before we nearly were sick.
Less miserable than what we had been before, I curled around Elros again. My back ached viciously from sitting on the cobbles.
Maglor didn't leave, but came close until we were huddled against his strong chest. I clung to him (not really having any other choice), and was surprised that Elros did not fight.
I was even more bewildered when Elros spoke.
"It's not true," he said. Maglor glanced down at Elros, his hand buried in my brother's hair. "It's not true," he repeated, louder. "Naneth is coming for us."
Maglor's touch was calm and gentle. My heart ached and I held onto him tighter, trying to absorb all the warmth I possibly could.
"No, penneth. Your mother and father have fled to Aman. They refused our summons, and will not return. I assumed Russandol had told you, when I bid him take some blankets down to you. I suppose he did not..."
Russandol.
The name was too bright for such a dark creature.
Elros shook with sobs and Maglor kissed his head and rocked him. I felt nothing, like the cold had numbed me inside out. All I knew was that there was warmth and comfort here and that was what I needed right now. I watched his hands and remembered the way I'd seen them covered in blood just a few days past.
I couldn't tell if Maglor was still crying but couldn't bring myself to bother about it.
I fell asleep for the first time in three days until Maglor jostled beneath us and I woke with a start. Voices rumbled in my ears and feet shuffled in front of us, but I was too drowsy to make out the meaning of it all.
Maglor pushed us off and I fell sideways like a sack of potatoes against Elros again, who was rigid enough to tell me I should probably be worried about something.
I came to enough just to catch the last sight of a pleading Maglor in the hold of a silent, looming Russandol. The door closed with a bang and I felt the cold wash over me again.
Elros pulled me into his arms this time and I sleepily relented.
"I hate him," he said, with feeling.
"Maglor brought us food and held us while we slept."
"A killer all the same."
I frowned, my eyes drifting closed again despite the way Elros sat with a rod for a spine.
"Why didn't he kill us then? The ransom didn't work."
Elros stared hard at the door as if willing the Fëanorions to return so he could pummel them. "Pity, maybe."
"That means he has a heart. And it's not entirely bad either." That was good enough for me.
Elros grunted. "You and your nonsense talk. Sleep. I'll wake you if something changes."
My brother was obviously feeling more himself now. He tucked the blanket up around me and I melted against him, though the stone beneath us was still hard and cold.
That's what I thought of Russandol. Hard and cold.
oOoOoOo
A/N: First off, a million thanks to my dear beta, Scribbles-on-Parchement!
Part 2 of this is nearly finished, and part 3 only needs a bit of editing. They will be up soon!
Feedback is appreciated! Before you decide to hate me for showing the worst side of Maedhros, please note that he will warm up eventually :D.