Chapter 25: Memories of days passed by

Maglor:

Travelling back to the capital proved to be a challenge, the area was peaceful now since the rebellion was brought down but Maglor didn't feel at ease around his newfound ally at all. He felt scared. He couldn't describe it otherwise, there was something truly odd about this other noldo and he felt shivers running down his spine each time he was near the ellon. The men and the emperor felt it the same way, there were wide eyes and pale faces whenever he was near but he was very polite and stayed away from the camp fires. It was obvious that he knew the effect he had on others, mortals and immortals alike.

It wasn't until one late evening that the two got the chance to speak, they were busy with the journey and the emperor had managed to get the men extra horses from a trade station. He had just showed his jade medallion and everybody knew that a person carrying such were of very high rank and had to be obeyed so nobody had protested. These horses were not of the same quality as those they had brought to begin with though, they were of the smaller way less elegant type some of the tribes surrounding the desert did breed and Rog didn't want one at all. He rode his huge black destrier with confidence and the animal was surprisingly strong and had stamina like no other animal Maglor had met on this side of the sundering sea. He suspected that it was born and bred in Aman. Somebody had indeed made sure that Rog really was prepared when he returned to the old world.

Maglor sat there eating when Rog did approach him, the tall noldo didn't ask for permission, he just dropped down and started to skin and prepare a rabbit he had caught for dinner. Maglor felt slightly nauseous watching how the other elf tore the carcass apart with his bare hands. Rog just grinned. "Get used to it, I was never one for courteous behaviour and niceties, even before the crossing"

Maglor frowned. "I have heard…"

Rog shrugged. "Oh I bet you have haven't you? You heard what the survivors said, what the legends told…We did hold them at bay that day but paid with our lives, yes we were so very brave…It is sheer bullshit Maglor, pure and simple"

Maglor did wet his lips…"Ah…What do you mean?"

Rog shrugged and put some of the meat onto a stick, held it over the fire. "I mean that it was hardly about saving the others, it was mostly desperation, fear and to some of us vengeance. Heck, to me it was all about vengeance"

Maglor nodded. "You were an escaped prisoner?"

Rog nodded back, his eyes were almost glowing and Maglor shivered, he couldn't imagine what that elf had been through. "Yes, and thus nobody did trust me, or those I chose to involve in my house. We were different, we were…tainted"

Maglor felt a bit conflicted. "What do you mean? I know so little about Gondolin, I mean..,"

Rog grinned. "Yes, you and your remaining brothers were too busy slaughtering people to listen to their stories now weren't you? Not that I blame you, I know what desperation does to people, I truly do"

He turned the meat and grease did drip into the fire, the sizzling made Maglor twitch slightly each time. The blacksmith straightened his long legs and turned his head. "Nobody did trust a former slave, we were surprised that nobody did put the blame on us, heck, it would have made much more sense than the real truth."

Maglor remembered. "It was Maeglin who did betray you wasn't it? The king's nephew"

Rog sneered. "Yes, but I don't blame the lad. He got caught, and he was perhaps hardened by his upbringing but there is no way he was able to withstand the torture of Sauron. Very few are. The lad did what he could to survive, we all did back then. Life is precious, even to a slave"

Maglor remembered the harem way too well and cringed. "Yes, you are right"

Rog watched him. "You have seen horrors as well, I can sense it in you. We are very much alike in that manner."

Maglor swallowed and took a sip of wine. "I hardly think that…"

Rog scoffed. "Ah don't think so lowly of yourself, you are a survivor, be proud of it."

Maglor tried to change the topic. "They say Maeglin did lust after the king's daughter Idril?"

Rog grasped the stick and pulled it out of the fire, tested the meat and smiled. "Lusted? No, he wasn't that twisted. Many think he did but it wasn't her he was after, not really. It wasn't lust the way mortals see it, it was envy. She was the heir, the one with the power and the influence and he was just a poor orphan not at all prepared for life in the great city. He wanted the respect she got, the freedom and the love of the people."

Maglor realized that nobody had been told the real truth about the fall, but here he had somebody with first hand knowledge. "Was it a great city? Truly?"

Rog took a bite out of the rabbit and Maglor did realize that he ate it all, even the bones judging by the cracking sounds as he did chew. If you eat bone you have had to have been used to a diet so bad every little ounce of nutrition matters. The noldo finished a piece of rabbit and spat out some sinews. "Nope, it was not a great city Maglor. It was a great gilded prison, a charade, an illusion. It was Turgon's grand dream and let me tell you one thing about your cousin my friend."

Rog took a swig of wine and Maglor made a grimace. He had never liked Turgon, even before the darkening. He was full of great ideas but did lack the ability to put them into action and he was way too full of himself. Rog made an obscene gesture. "Here is what I feel for Turgon, he was a pompous arse and the grandest most splendorous idiot ever born on Arda"

Maglor had to grin and snicker. "Well, I think you are right there"

Rog did chuckle. "Damn right I am right, I pity the fact that it was his wife who did perish and not him. She had some wits in her brain, and could have done great things. He on the other hand…airhead. And way too pious"

Maglor took a bite out of his dried cheese, he hadn't really thought that much about his cousin for many a century. Talking about him brought back memories, some sweet and some bitter but all precious. "He did take you inn?"

Rog scoffed and grasped yet another piece of rabbit, a leg this time. "Yeah, to feel good and righteous and so so very generous. We had to kiss that moron's ass in more ways than one. He was like a hawk you know, anything he did consider as "deviant" was promptly shunned, heck, I think his ambition was to be more holy than the valar themselves."

Maglor frowned. "Really? But he was noldo, not vanyar?"

Rog rolled his eyes. "I haven't met many vanyar, believe me, I think they are fools too for bowing for the powers the way they do but I think Turgon was scared as shit of them. He tried to impress them I think, to seem as if there was nothing dark or sinful about his realm and I bet his aim was to ward off the doom of Mandos"

Maglor was smirking. "That didn't work"

Rog laughed. "Like heck it did yeah, I am telling you, that city was a cesspit. It did look like a jewel but Angband was almost idyllic compared to it. At least you knew friend from enemy back there, in old Gondolin you couldn't trust a freaking soul."

Maglor tilted his head. "Really?"

Rog nodded. "Yeah, there were informers everywhere, people too afraid to lose their positions to be able to see that they in fact were merely pawns in the king's game. The stories I could tell…"

Rog took another swig of wine and did make a grimace. "Darn, this does taste like horsepiss"

Maglor did hand over his own wineskin. "Here, try this"

Rog did take a taste and grinned. "Way better, yeah, Gondolin may have smelled of roses but it was far from the truth about the city. Many of my people had to hide their true nature, it was considered sinful to be outside of the norm, in any manner. Luckily we were seen as oddballs and we got tolerated because we were "different" but still…the king kept a watchful eye on us"

Maglor tilted his head. "Different?"

Rog made a wide gesture. "Yes, in the king's city a relationship was between a male and a female and if you wanted to get laid it was just to procreate and whence you had a decent number of kids, never above three mind you, you were supposed to keep your legs shut and your cock in your pants and start singing hymns to the valar."

Maglor had to laugh out loud. "Oh Eru, I do remember Turgon as a youngster and he was never thus back then… as a matter of fact he did chase both skirts and pants for a while…"

Rog nodded. "Yes. And he did blame his own wild youth for the loss of his wife, said it was punishment. If you did prefer your own gender you better hide it very well. I know of people who got flogged and thrown in jail."

Maglor gaped. "That is…not what I have heard?!"

Rog scoffed. "I bet! The truth has been hidden very well. But when people are held on a tight leash they tend to become even more perverted as a form of protest. And the things I learned about the other lords? Eru have mercy, they say the fallen maia is twisted but he has nothing on some of them"

Maglor shook his head in disbelief. "I get it, we haven't heard the truth about that city at all"

Rog sighed and pulled the last piece of rabbit off the stick. "You have heard just a neat little pretty version of it. You have seen battle, so have I. We have both seen death Maglor, and caused it, and yeah, I am a kinslayer too. But I was sent back, not because I was so pure and noble sacrificing my own life to save the fleeing population but because I was useful, because I am different, because I simply don't fucking care what I do as long as Sauron pays"

Maglor felt his throat go dry. "I cannot remember having seen you back at Alqualonde?"

Rog shook his head. "Because I wasn't there Maglor. I did kill elves, many of them as a matter of fact. But it happened in Angband and it was all to end their sufferings. I learned how to kill efficiently that way, what makes a body tick. It was very valuable indeed"

Maglor stared at Rog, people had fled when his name was uttered but here he had a real killer, something he never would have been able to even imagine back in the days of the trees. To this elf taking lives was a skill, a trade. It was shocking in a way. "What…how?"

Rog shrugged. "I wasn't named thus back then, I have forgotten my real name for I am not that person anymore. The orcs called me Rauco, the demon, I was chosen to fight in the pits, against orcs, beasts, whatever monstrosity the dark one threw at me. And I learned, every fight taught me something new, I learned to love it, to embrace my dark side and to become its master, not its slave"

Maglor looked down, he and his brothers hadn't mastered that art, they had been pulled headlong into darkness by the oath and they didn't have the strength to even question its hold on them. Rog was stronger that way than himself but on the other hand, the hammer wielder seemed to have lost something too, he didn't seem to be an elf anymore. "I…"

He couldn't say much more and Rog spat into the fire, the flames did reflect in his eyes. "I am unique Maglor, they sent back Glorfindel as well, but he is not as me. He is such a goody two shoes and an obedient servant of the valar. I am a risk, something unpredictable. All they know is that I want to end Sauron and that was enough for them. But I am glad, I am here now and ready to do whatever it takes to make that bastard feel what fear is"

Maglor nodded. "Yeah, you fought very well back there"

Rog spat, there was despise in his gaze. "Bha, mortals. They cannot fight, oh they can be vicious but they are weak. You should have seen us Maglor, holding that square, hammers being swung and battle cries being shouted. It was magnificent. I don't remember how many orcs we did slay but it was many hundred, maybe a thousand or more."

The former minstrel felt a spark of curiosity. "They say that even balrogs were killed?"

Rog nodded. "Indeed, they are flesh and bone too, just surrounded by flames. If one is fast and brave they can be brought down. I know how by the way, their joints are a weak spot. One blow to a knee and you got him where you want him"

Maglor saw that the men were calm now, just chatting and Khailen was sleeping, leaning against his saddle. "They say Ecthelion killed the leader?"

Rog nodded. "Indeed he did, Gothmog was a real bastard, I remember him well. He did like to …have fun… with the slaves and I got to know him, intimately if you catch my drift. But Ecthelion..ah, sweet lad really, very brave indeed. Too bad they didn't send him back as well but they couldn't, he didn't hide the fact that he was very good at…playing the flute…if you catch my drift?"

Maglor blinked. "He preferred males?"

Rog nodded and threw the stick back into the fire, he had devoured the entire rabbit. "Yes, and he didn't try to hide it. Turgon was fuming but he didn't dare to do anything since Ecthelion was so popular and well liked and since he needed the support of his house. Glorfindel was the same way but he hid it, and he too was popular so even if Turgon had found out I don't think he could have done a darn thing about it"

Maglor had a pressing question, he bit his lower lip. "Ah.."

Rog tilted his head. "Yeah, I am the same way, but that wasn't really what you were going to ask about was it?"

Maglor nodded. "I knew some of the lords when they were still in Aman, and Salgant…"

Rog laughed out loud, he laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach and Maglor was stunned by how beautiful the other elf did become when he was merry. "Eru's crotch, yes, he was fat! He was like a well fed piglet that one, if there was food he would find it and it would be his"

Maglor did look puzzled. "But why? I remember him as a very sleek young ellon, he didn't carry even one pound extra, as a matter of fact he was stick thin?!"

Rog nodded and wiped grease off his chin with his sleeve. "That is why Maglor, we did starve as we crossed the grinding ice, some did never overcome that trauma. They became obsessed with food, couldn't leave even a small piece of old cheese alone if it was left unguarded. Salgant was one of them, we did pity him but the king? Bha, that bastard did shame him publicly for being fat and for lacking self control. He and Maeglin were friends though, sort of. I think the lad did use him, Salgant would do anything for a person who did treat him with respect, even if it was fake"

Maglor frowned. "Was Maeglin really that mean?"

Rog nodded. "Yeah, believe me. He had it after his father, not that I had time to get to know that piece of shit but if you take a look at the rumours and then retract about 80 % of what is being told as sheer lies you still have something which can make you wonder if that ellon was an elf at all and not some abomination. Just the shady business of the kid's begetting? And the skills of that ellon? Shady I am telling you, very shady"

Maglor had to think about that for a second "What are you trying to say?"

Rog looked at the fire. "That I have a creepy feeling that Luthien wasn't the only half breed out there, we have no idea of how many maiar were out there now do we? The valar have scores of them and some went rouge very early on. Some joined you know who and others…well, they just vanished. It isn't too far fetched that some of them hit it off with some sindarin beauty, after all everybody claims that he was a relative of Thingol."

Maglor tilted his head. "If he was half maia he shouldn't have been that easy to kill"

Rog grinned, the grin was vicious. "Who says he did die? There was indeed a body, but maiar aren't bound to the flesh"

Maglor felt the hairs rise up along his neck. "You have got to be kidding me? Do you suggest that he still is out there?"

Rog shrugged. "Maybe? I was in the halls for a very long time Maglor, yes, I met many there, and not even your father was hindered from interacting with the others. But Eöl? Never saw him, not even once. Nobody spoke of him, not even Namo himself. It was as if he didn't exist and compared to your father his crimes were few and relatively minor."

Maglor held his breath. "My brothers…"

Rog smiled, it was a genuine smile, with warmth. "The twins have already been re-embodied, and returned to your mother. They were too young to be judged harshly and they had no idea of what they did when they swore that oath. Namo did deem them as innocent and they are back among the living."

Maglor didn't know why but tears started to flood his eyes, it was wonderful news, and it felt as such a relief knowing that Nerdanel wasn't alone anymore. Rog put a huge hard hand on Maglor's shoulder. "Your mother is a formidable elleth, she has come to the doors regularly, begging, demanding and threatening the valar. She wants her son's back, no matter what"

Maglor swallowed hard. "I don't think I can ever return to Aman Rog, I am not …"

Rog did stare at him. "Not repentant enough? Not done suffering? That is crap, and you know it. Yeah, the valar may not see you as worthy but screw them, they live in their own little bubble and have no idea of what it means to truly be alive. They have as much passion as this rock here"

He held a small rock in his hand and threw it into the fire. "They say they serve Eru but in fact they serve only themselves, and their own image of how the world should work. That is why they cannot win against Sauron, they have no concept of how he is thinking. "

Maglor stared at the flames, his voice low. "So we are the last defence? Is that what you are saying?"

Rog scoffed again and stoked the fire. "No, there are plenty of others working to prevent the dark one from winning in the end but we are special Maglor, we have been given tasks the others haven't. The valar do not understand the nature of the mortals, they underestimate them, they see them as weak and an afterthought. But they hold the future Maglor, and in them lay our greatest hope. We cannot fail them, Sauron will roll over all the free countries of this world and bring them all into thraldom."

Maglor nodded. "I have worked to keep the worship of Morgoth out of this realm for a long time"

Rog made a grimace and spat into the flames. "Bha, Morgoth! He will be forgotten soon enough, Sauron will take his place. He has rebuilt Mordor and there will be war soon, they think they may conquer him but I don't think so. His reach is long Maglor, longer than anybody can guess"

The minstrel nodded and pulled his blanket tighter around himself, he wasn't cold but still he felt chilled. "I know"

Rog leaned back. "Good, and now we are two protecting the east. There are others too, two of the maiar went east as well but I have no idea of where they are and what they are doing. So, what have you been up to, except wandering the beaches?"

Maglor had to laugh, it was a rather incredulous laugher, filled with bitter mirth. "Oh, the usual, torture, rape, enslavement."

Rog tilted his head, the odd eyes did glint in the light of the bonfires. "Go on, tell me, I need to know"

Maglor didn't really know why, but he felt that he had to be honest, that he had to tell the other elf everything. He didn't hide anything, not even his love for Artemar and the loss he had experienced. Rog did just listen, he didn't say anything and the intense look upon the handsome face was very telling, He was storing everything away for later. Maglor end the tale when everybody except the guard was asleep and Rog smiled. "You were in some ways lucky, you found friendship and even love in a very unusual place. Don't think that Eru has abandoned you, his ways are mysterious."

Maglor did nod. "Oh, I know, believe me I know."

Rog did lay down, he just stretched out onto the sand. "I think I will rest now, tomorrow you must tell me more of the city. It sounds like a grand place"

Maglor took a deep breath. "It is…it truly is"

Rog just nodded once and seemed to drift off to sleep right away and Maglor remained there, staring into the flames. They did remind him of that fateful night, when the world seemed to have lost all semblance of order and their sorrow and their anger burned fierce and free like flames. He wondered if Rog had been there in the crowd somewhere, watching how Maglor and his brothers all swore that darn oath, encouraged by their father, the one person nobody truly could resist. How his heated words had brought hope back into their hearts, how his visions had seemed almost real there and then. They had never felt any doubt for how could they? How could you doubt the spirit of fire?

Maglor sighed and laid back. He was glad he wasn't alone anymore but the fact that Rog had been sent told him that the fight would get harder from now on. If Sauron truly was trying to extend his influence they had to be very alert indeed.

The next days were uneventful, nothing really happened but Maglor did notice how the men got used to Rog and how they now accepted him among them. They didn't flinch or shy away when he was near and even the emperor dared to speak to him. The area was more populated and both Maglor and Rog hid their ears and their faces and they rarely dismounted their horses when there were people nearby. Maglor did tell Rog a lot about the empire and its history and Khailen became very curious about the way Rog was fighting. The tall elf did show the man some moves and Maglor did see that Rog was holding back, he wasn't really showing his full potential.

They reached back to the city after some time, they took some detours since Khailen wanted to check up on some of the businesses of the outer parts of the realm and it was winter when they returned. The court was overjoyed by the return of their emperor, his son had ruled in his place with perfection but he was glad his father was safe and sound. And they were all glad that the rebellion had been crushed. Maglor did feel a bit more uncertain now, Rog had been accepted among the men but now he was rather conspicuous and stood out like a sore thumb. You cannot easily hide when you are that large and that elegant. But he got a chamber close to that of Maglor and posed as his lifeguard, wearing a mask and an elaborate armour which did conceal his true size and most of the courtiers did accept this without questions.

The empire was recovering from the plague but it had caused some new problems which had to be addressed very fast. There weren't enough workers left alive, and the emperor did send out emissaries to the far away regions, telling that those who would move to the inner areas were welcome to do so and would be given land and enjoy ten years without any taxation. It did work wonders, many came to the city and the farms did again grow enough food. The emperor was working hard and he did cancel some festivals and used the money to help the homeless and those who had lost their families. The orphanages were full but he made sure that the kids were adopted by families who had lost their children and he did also raise the salaries for servants.

Those changes were very welcome and the emperor was beloved by his people but the court wasn't that happy at all. Many did lose money this way, and the idea of having to pay their servants was a bitter pill to swallow for many. Khailen would often admit that he was glad the plague had killed such a huge amount of the nobles, it was good to remove the weeds as he saw it. Maglor had to agree, it was never wise to surround the seat of power with people hungry for influence but poor in empathy, it was a recipe for disaster.

He and Rog did get used to each other, the tall noldo was close to him all the time and Maglor had gotten a new identity now. He was a foreign advisor, an expert on other realms and the emperor did give him a title and more land, but not so much that it became suspicious. It did also allow him to travel around more and gave him free hands in many matters. Rog did travel with him on such occasions, he would oversee the royal stud farms, the smithies where weapons were forged and the barracks where the soldiers were trained. Rog was a person with a very distinct personality, he could be incredibly crass and almost unpleasant but he was also very honest and had a sense of humour Maglor found very attractive. He didn't have any concubines now, he had spread a rumour about being religious and thus bound to live in celibacy, it did solve some of the problems his position did bring. A person of influence, any sort of influence, would be sought after but as his new identity was sort of established everybody knew that this stranger had odd customs.

The realm had a burst of growth now, the loss of so many lives did trigger new ideas and many did move upwards in society. Suddenly everything seemed to be possible and the positive attitude spread both far and wide. The realm was perhaps not as strong as before when it came to manpower but it had many people who now could take their place in the sun and air their new ideas and thoughts. Philosophy and the higher arts became more popular and the capital did attract people from all over the area.

Maglor and Rog were always alert, always trying to see of anybody with sinister intentions were getting closer to the capital and they had a score of spies now. Maglor had realized one thing early on, the people of the streets were eager to get paid but they could be persuaded to work for two masters. And most who did look for a spy would try to recruit just the people nobody really bothered with. So he did something new, his spies were women. He hired washerwomen, prostitutes, merchants wives, the women selling trinkets at the markets, those who told people of their fortune. He hired the rich and the poor alike and in common was the need to be respected for who they were.

It did work fabulously, nobody expected a female to be of any danger, in fact many among the upper class didn't even believe that women had enough intelligence to listen in to conversations and didn't bother sending their servants away when things were being discussed. Maglor did gain a lot of information that way. Rog would roam the countryside, visit inns and bars, use his superior ears for all they were worth and it didn't take all that long before he caught a rumour. Some said that men were promised immortality by strangers coming from the northwest. And some of those who did accept went missing never to be seen again. Rog was pretty adamant that this was serious, Sauron was rebuilding and gaining power and if he was to be removed from Arda once and for all he couldn't be allowed to spread his malice.

Maglor was concerned too but suddenly they got a new thing to consider. Khailen had survived the plague, he was no longer young but a man still in his full strength and yet that seemed to fail him. He grew thin and weary and complained about pain and the physicians were not optimistic. This was something nobody could cure and it didn't take all that long before he did succumb to the ailment. The country was in shock, his son Abh Hay did take the throne although reluctantly and the power balance did shift yet again. Now new people did join the court and Maglor had his doubts about the young man. Abh Hay was a good ruler as long as he was under somebody else's command but he was nowhere near as good on his own. As a matter of fact he did prove to be very unstable when it came to politics and that immediately attracted others, eager to exploit his lack of determination and discipline.

Maglor did try to give him good advice but that didn't really help, Abh was just too immature and too weak to really be a good emperor. He was too fond of enjoying the riches he owned and he left the important decisions to people who would look at their own wealth more than what did benefit the people. Abh Hay did marry as he had to, he got three wives and they were pretty and well bred but Maglor didn't like any of them. Two were too stupid to be a threat in any manner but the third one came with baggage. She wasn't too bad, just a pawn in a game and perhaps a little too fond of her own privilege but her father? Maglor knew things were bad the moment he saw the man. He was a local businessman who had made a fortune as a silk producer and he was well known and respected but the elf could smell that this was a person who had more ambitions than moral.

His daughter was a tool, a stepping stone on the path to grandness and Rog had managed to get one of his servants drunk and the servant said that his master planned on getting the emperor murdered as soon as the queen gave birth to a son. That would make the child's grandfather the one to rule behind the child emperor.

Maglor was not shocked but he was scared and he and Rog knew that something had to be done. That man was a threat to the empire and its stability and the contacts told of war brewing in the north. Rog said that the elves and the men and dwarves would join forces soon and try to get rid of the dark maia but he had his doubts. Sauron was cunning, he had many tricks up his sleeves. The court had become a wasps nest yet again, power and influence everything which did matter and Maglor knew it was bound to happen when the one in charge was soft handed and didn't know how to tighten the reins. There was partying going on every day and soon rumours spread about perversions and crimes being committed. The emperor didn't bother with it, he didn't see the truth behind the rumours and allowed his noblemen to do whatever they pleased to do and Maglor was shocked and aghast. This could spell the end pretty fast.

He had some influence and he was secretive and yet well known, and everybody knew that he was among those the emperor in fact listened to. That made him a target and he did thank the valar that he was an elf many times, he could survive things a human being would succumb to rather fast. Rog did also ward off several attacks and they were always armed, even in bed.

Then the third queen did fall pregnant and now things got really tense, Maglor knew that the other two queens were in mortal danger if they too became blessed that way and they seemed to understand this very well. Abh Hay was too naïve to see the game which was being played right in front of his eyes and Maglor and Rog did take action. They could no longer be passive but protect the empire in whatever manner was needed and the queens father did suffer a nasty accident whilst traveling. His wagon did flip and he broke his neck. Rog said that the old man was nastier than most orcs and that it had been a job which needed to be done.

Without the overly ambitious father the queen did no longer pose a direct threat and she gave birth to a daughter. Suddenly she was no longer the most important one there, the other two queens became with child as well and they gave birth to sons. Abh Hay was proud and did take care of all his kids but it was very clear that he favoured his sons. It was a part of the culture and Maglor did pity the girl but he did soon realize that the young princess was a potential danger. The girl did lack all empathy and showed a remarkable intelligence which was cunning and dark. The lads on the other hand were lazy and spiteful and didn't want to learn anything, they were spoiled and didn't have to do anything and Maglor feared the outcome of this. Abh Hay did have kids with his concubines too, they weren't legal heirs but he saw that some of those were way more promising than the true heirs.

By now the realm had reached a new level of power but also debauchery, the emperor did nothing to stop the trade in slaves, nor did he uphold the old laws of his forefathers and whilst some got very rich indeed many did also lose everything. A new underclass did emerge, people who had lost their land and their wealth due to the local lords who didn't answer to anybody except the emperor and he was too busy partying to bother with it. Maglor and Rog should be working on securing the empire and making sure that the dark maia never gained any power there but now they had to do something else. Maglor had never been an assassin, but he had a knack for it and for years he and Rog would make sure that the most corrupted of the men in power didn't spread their dark miasma throughout society.

The people said that there were demons protecting the commoners and Maglor was at times tempted at committing a bit of regicide. But he didn't have to. Abh Hay did die one day, in a most embarrassing manner, on the outhouse while having a bowel movement. They said that the main artery of the body had burst as he was straining and that was the end of him. His oldest son Bhitan did take the throne but the sister, Itha was the one who did rule him. She had become a beauty for sure but she was more vicious than a viper and her ambitions were never ending. Maglor and Rog had never revealed who and what they were to the younger generations. Maglor was just a nobleman, one of an old and important family with some odd customs and Bhitan was not a person who allowed anybody to tell him what to do. He was convinced of his own superiority and he soon proved to be an even worse ruler than his father. The old blood was no longer strong, the heritage of the old and noble emperors was washed away by greed and ignorance and the court did resemble a madhouse at times. Rog said that he had seen the inside of brothels which did look way more inviting.

Nobody were safe anymore, it was a sad development. Itha did somehow realize that Maglor was no human being, he had no idea of how she discovered it but she had her own spies and perhaps she had found some of the diaries her forefather's had left behind. The emperor's sister was somebody who was willing to do anything to gain power and she tried to seduce Maglor. Her plan was to have an immortal child and perhaps she also believed that bedding him would grant her some benefits when it came to life length. Maglor wasn't interested at all, she was pretty indeed but her evil manners were well known by now and she was said to have murdered several of her handmaids when they had done something she didn't approve of.

Maglor couldn't let somebody who knew live on, he didn't like it but she had to go and they made it look like an accident, a fall down a steep flight of stairs. The emperor was half mad with grief, then he went mad for real and the counsellors did realize that the man was going to ruin everything if they didn't stop him. His brother was just as bad and there was nobody there really fit for the job. But one of the members of court was a son of a concubine and rather smart and also a decent person and before a year was over the new emperor was welcome onto the throne by a cheering population. They did expect him to redo the damage and restore peace and quiet.

Maglor and Rog did breathe a sigh of relief, the crisis was averted but it came with a price. Maglor did decide that he no longer could be a part of the court, it was just too dangerous. The brother of the dead emperor had in fact suggested that Maglor should be used to breed superior soldiers and it told him that he and Rog had to go undercover now. The new emperor was named Marsad and he was a very level headed man who did his very best and he did remove a lot of the spit lickers from the court and the wild parties and extravaganza was ended rather fast. He did clean things up rather nicely.

Rog and Maglor was travelling around by now, and Maglor did establish himself as a trader and a merchant with roots to the north. He could still pay his spies and kept a keen eye on everything which did happen in court and he did also know what Marsad did. The man was well taught and he wasn't letting his power corrupt him at all. After some years his son Gui-leng did follow him to the throne and the realm did prosper again. Years and decades became centuries and did flourish with prosperity and wealth and Rog and Maglor did their best to get rid of enemies before they even became noticed by the emperor. Generations of men did pass before their very eyes and Maglor was very good at hiding his true nature by now. They learned that the dark Maia had been defeated in the battle of the last alliance but Rog did warn Maglor, Sauron would return and Maglor did agree. This was just the still before the storm.

Maglor did not allow anybody near him except Rog and as time went by they became more than just friends. What he had had with Artemar was love, and with Aodh there had been an element of sheer desperation but now, with Rog, everything changed yet again. Rog was like a wildfire, like an avalanche. He was an unstoppable force of nature and he did never do anything half-hearted. It was always wild and fierce and just as much a fight as love making. It left them both bruised and battered and yet Maglor did love it, it did take his mind away from other things and it did awaken the more hidden savage side of him. Rog was rarely submissive and he was as unrestrained in lust as he was in battle. They had to fight several times, as a merchant Maglor did travel a lot and the outskirts of the empire were still not safe. There were highwaymen and wild tribes out there and also the natural dangers. Maglor was always shocked by the unrestrained brutality with which Rog did fight, he didn't ask any questions nor did he ever hesitate, to him it was all about destroying the enemy as fast and as efficiently as possible. It was a dance of destruction, of death and with the odd armour and the mask Rog did indeed resemble a demon, soon people would flee just from the sight and the caravans were safe if he was around, the few who did try to attack and plunder were left where they fell, heads crushed and chests caved inn by mighty hammer blows.

Maglor had moved around a lot, he had stayed in one place for perhaps a couple of decades before he found a new place to live and he made sure to keep tight connections to the court of the emperor to keep an eye on things. The realm was growing and the situation was rather stabile but one could never know. One more mad emperor and things could turn sour rather fast. The former pomp and circumstance had been replaced by a more practical minded set of rules and it was of course way better but also in some ways a bit worrisome. Maglor knew that the thing which did keep the people in check and kept them obedient and gathered as a unit was the idea that the emperor was somewhat lifted above others. He was a sort of connection between them and the gods and if he lost that divinity the chances were that those who sought power for themselves would be way less discouraged than before and seek to end his reign. A man is easier to kill than a God, it is a simple rule.

Maglor and Rog hadn't really encountered any sort of problems for several centuries when things suddenly changed. Maglor did now live on the outskirts of the capital which had grown a lot over the last millennia and it was now more than three times as large as before. He was well known as a man who did provide the court with the luxury items they did crave and he had many men who did pose as him whenever it was needed. He and Rog didn't show themselves at all except when it was people he did trust and those were few. It seemed as if the threat of Mordor was gone but Maglor knew it was just a matter of time before it returned and he did try to influence the army there to become more disciplined and he gave the generals and leaders new ideas, discretely camouflaged and elegantly delivered in such a manner that the men often believed the ideas to be their own. But one early morning Maglor was awakened by a servant who did insist on him coming downstairs. There was a person there wanting to meet him and it was an odd person indeed and the servant didn't really know what to believe. The person did say that he bore a message from the sons of the earth, that the Orocarni remembered.

Maglor did throw some robes onto his body and ran downstairs and he was right, it was a dwarf and the sight was a welcome one and yet one which did shock him. He had almost forgotten about the dwarves by now. The dwarf was a sturdy fellow who had dressed like a human, he hid his head in a deep cowl and only the rich beard and the very stocky body did reveal his nature. Maglor did almost gape and the dwarf smiled, he did bow. "I am Grindur, of Orocarni. Negus is among my forefathers. We remember what you did for us back then"

Maglor frowned. "Ah, how did you find me?!"

Grindur grinned widely. "Oh, that was easy, we just listened to the gossip. A merchant who is immensely rich and keeps moving? It could only be you master elf."

Maglor had to sit down. "I am at your service Grindur, what brings you to me?"

Grindur made a grimace. "Oh, there are trouble ya see. Deep shit actually. By Mahal's dangling…ah, it is bad"

Rog did enter the room and the dwarf stared at him, eyes narrow. "He came with them, with the golden haired one. And the istari. This is about one of them"

Rog frowned. "What do you mean?"

Grindur sighed. "Two were sent east, to help out but one of them has…fallen. He is no longer on our side my friend, Sauron got a hold on him"

Rog gaped. "Are you serious?"

Grindur looked down. "Yes, he did try to bring our leaders in under Sauron's control, by offering rings. Bha! What do you give me?! We don't fall for that sort of trick, no way. But now he is raising hell on his own and his friend cannot stop him, we fear for our safety my friend, he knows too much, way too much"

Rog took a deep breath. "Which one of them is it?"

Grindur stared straight at them, his eyes were filled with worry. "The one called Alatar, he has switched side and we cannot fight a maia, Pallando is wounded and weak and we…we have no way to ward him off. He has awakened monsters from the deep, terrible, with flames and whips."

Rog did bare his teeth, for a moment his eyes were flaming. "Valaraukar, balrogs. Are we going Maglor?"

Maglor swallowed, the Orocarni were important, a strategic spot they couldn't afford to lose. He nodded firmly. "Yes Rog, we are going!"

Sorry for the long wait, I have had so much work and I do also work on a novel, so there can be some time between my updates, sorry!.