A/N: I have made some minor changes to the early part of this story. The biggest change is that Maedhros talked Curufin into making a trap for Ungoliant and Morgoth that had slightly more effect than dropping rocks by hand. The next largest is that Maedhros reacted a bit more obviously to seeing his much younger (and alive!) brothers than he did before. I've also extended the timeline somewhat.
Maedhros was abruptly aware of the total silence surrounding them. Makalaure's mouth was open. "That was to prevent you calling Manwe, Varda, and Eru to witness us all taking an oath of Vengeance against Moringotto and anyone else who dares keep or hold the Silmarils with everlasting darkness our doom when we fail," said Maedhros. "You will destroy our family, and the Noldor. I will follow you to Middle-earth and fight Moringotto beside you, but I will never swear that oath nor stand silent while you damn yourself and my brothers." He hesitated, then looked at his father sitting sprawled on the ground, shock warring with rage in his eyes as he clutched his face. Maedhros added "Would you like a handkerchief?" Maybe he shouldn't have hit him quite that hard.
"Get away from him," snapped Curufinwe, offering a handkerchief of his own and getting in between his eldest brother and their father. "How dare you strike our father!"
"I thought you said this is a matter for words?" muttered Carnistir as he grabbed Maedhros' arm. "How come you can punch father while I can't lay a finger on uncle Nolofinwe when he's being an offensive bastard?"
"If Father has his way, the violence is never going to stop, and you will die killing other elves as they try frantically to defend their lord," said Maedhros, allowing his brother to pull him away from Feanaro. He hadn't intended to hit his father. What would happen now?
"Just lean forward so you're not swallowing it," Maedhros heard Curufinwe say. "Yes, like that."
"Maitimo, what in the name of all the Valar?" hissed Makalaure, coming over and glaring up at Maedhros. "You are going to tell me what is going on, and explain why I should trust you with that sword you're carrying."
Maedhros tensed, but didn't move to stop him. "Go ahead and take it if you want, I'll not be using it on anyone," he said. He didn't think his father would actually kill him… and if he did, it wasn't as if Mandos was likely to compete with Angband when he hadn't even killed anyone this time round. "You'll notice I didn't use it just now. I also have a dagger in my left boot. You can take that too if you want."
"This isn't the time for jokes," snapped Makalaure. He lowered his voice: "Did you really foresee Father swear an oath calling on Eru to damn us all to eternal darkness if we failed to retake the Silmarils?" His eyes pleaded for this not to be true.
"I did," said Maedhros. "Do you honestly think I would have begged him on my knees not to if I hadn't? Let alone bloodied his nose when he ignored me. Eru doesn't want us to swear it, and said he won't hold us to it if we do."
"You were right about the Trees," said Makalaure, obviously struggling to reconcile all this with his image of his father. "You saw Eru?!"
"How do you think I know all this when, as Finwe pointed out, I don't get visions?" Maedhros sighed. "I should have told you all this from the beginning, shouldn't I?"
"I'm not sure I would have believed you before I'd seen some of them come to pass before my eyes," said Makalaure. He sighed. "Keep the sword. Just don't use it, or look like you're about to."
Maedhros nodded. "Thank you."
Behind them, Feanaro had gotten to his feet, and was loudly insisting that while he had every intention of fighting Moringotto, he would never damn them to eternal darkness, not least because they wouldn't fail of their object.
"You will if you take that Oath and try to keep it," yelled Maedhros, wondering if his father would ever speak to him again after this. At least Findekano understood, and Makalaure was starting to. "It will wreck havoc on everything we try and do because getting anyone else to cooperate with us will be like pulling eyeteeth. Just go fight Moringotto, and lay off that bloody Oath."
"Get him out of here, and make sure he stays away and silent." demanded Feanaro.
Maedhros allowed Carnistir to pull him away and out of the square, figuring that everybody knew where he stood by now. It also got Carnistir's temper out of the square, which wasn't a bad thing.
The two brothers looked at each other, standing in the deserted street just outside the square of the Mindon. Neither found anything to say, and after a while they shifted to watching the stars wheel by overhead, clear and cold and far above the schemes of the Noldor below.
That brought thoughts of Earendil, Vingilot and a silmaril. Though maybe… having refused the Oath, the Gil-Estel would be a sign of hope for him too, this time around. He'd changed things, all right. But would it be enough? What was Feanaro doing, and saying, even now in the square behind him?
The babble of voices and what sounded like people trying to shout over each other reached him, but he could not be certain what they said.
They were interrupted from their stargazing by the breakup of the meeting hours later. People began to stream past them. "What is happening?" asked Maedhros. "What are we going to do?"
"We're to assemble in the square five days from now with food, weapons and all our gear," said the elf, before vanishing into the gloom.
"So we are leaving," said Maedhros softly. Just so long as his brothers hadn't sworn any oaths…
"Nobody can resist father for long when he sets his mind to something," said Carnistir.
"Even Nolofinwe?" asked Maedhros.
"Nolofinwe's a pain," said Carnistir.
Maedhros snorted softly. He'd figured out long ago that part of the reason Feanaro hated his brother so much was that Nolofinwe was too stubborn and strong-willed to be cowed or stampeded when he disagreed. Finwe might be stubborn, but his guilt made him easy for Feanaro to manipulate, and his sons he could overawe or intimidate on the rare occasion when genuine respect or covert manipulation didn't work.
The first of the House of Finwe Maedhros saw was Artanis. She stopped and looked up at him. "We really must talk about what you saw in those visions of yours," she said. "But for now, I need to go and get ready for the journey. I will see you soon." With that, she headed off down the street, followed by her two of her brothers.
Findarato stopped to talk. "Did you see Middle-earth?" he asked. "What is it like?"
"Large and varied," said Maedhros. "The region Moringotto has fled to is icy mountains. South of it is a great plain, then there are mountains, forests, lakes, and a huge river called Sirion. We won't be alone there either. Olwe's brother Elwe rules a kingdom, and there are lots of scattered small peoples outside it. Also some non-elven peoples."
Findarato paled. "And they don't have the Valar to protect them. Are they in great danger?"
"The ones outside Doriath, yes. There were battles fought even before we got there, and the elves did not come off well."
Findarato nodded, his face set. "Perhaps this wild-goose chase of Feanaro's shall be worth it after all, then," he said.
"It does have some redeeming features beyond causing trouble for Moringotto, yes," Maedhros agreed, feeling suddenly awkward. He hadn't been anything but a menace to the Sindar for how many decades before his death? For that matter… how long was it since he'd really thought or cared about anyone but the Noldor? Mandos' bloody Doom! There were Noldor at Sirion who he'd slain, probably without knowing or caring which ones were not merely elves but the very people whom he had once, however briefly, been High King of? He'd led his followers to their own deaths for fear of his family's damnation, which he had only succeeded in winding tighter around them. How long was it since he'd cared about anyone but his brothers and himself?
"Maitimo, what's the matter? You're white as a sheet," said Findarato.
Maedhros opened his mouth but no sound came out.
"Leave him alone." said Carnistir.
"The price will be very high," Maedhros finally said. "It's not his fault, Carnistir. Tell me, Findarato, did my Father or any of my brothers swear any oaths against Moringotto?"
"No," said Findarato. "Feanaro made a lot of noise, but finally settled for saying that Oath or none he would chase Moringotto to the ends of the earth until he destroyed him and recovered the Silmarils, or died trying."
"Praise Eru," whispered Maedhros. "It worked, it actually worked!" With that, he burst into tears, which completely shocked himself. How long had it been since he'd wept in front of anyone but Makalaure or Findekano?
The others, and some passers-by were looking at him as if he'd grown a second head, but he was too happy to care.