Prompts: Evils servants of Celegorm; Last line: "I think that he is singing."

Doriath aftermath

One thing was certain. We had lost more than we had gained. It had been useless to come to Doriath, now that the Silmaril had once again slipped past our grasp.

"We have to find the children," Maitimo spoke up at last. That too. That too was only because we had come to Doriath.

"The children, the children! Why care so much of some half-breed off-springs, when all they would ever do to you is to continue to hide your Silmarilli, my lord?" It was one of Tyelkormo's servants. He looked tired and annoyed. "Let them grow up and they will be just like their father."

Maitimo turned to look at them angrily. "You disgust me," he said. "We will not kill them. So far they are innocent. We have to find out whether they are still in the castle."

"My lord, do not go after them. They are no longer in the castle."

"How do you know?" I asked suspiciously. "Have you searched for them?"

"We have," my brother's servant replied. "And we found the sons."

Maitimo's eyes widened. "You did?"

"And just as their father deserved to die, so did they. They would not follow us, would not obey us, would not tell where their sister our where the Silmarilli were."

"And where are they now."

"We don't know, but we left them deep into the forest."

"How could you leave children to die?" Maedhros shouted. "How would they even know where the Silmarilli are?"

"How would they not, my lord," another soldier spat out. "They lived here."

The first one nodded. "All we did was avenging our master and his brothers. You brothers."

Maedhros breathed deeply, looking absolutely furious. "Were you mine to command, I would banish you, but you have sworn me no allegiance," he said in a venomous tone. "I hope you have the sense to leave by yourselves. Meanwhile, I will go to find the children."

The soldiers glanced at each other. Then they left. Maedhros stood fuming for a while. "Will you come with me, Macalaurë?" he asked at last.

"No," came the reply. Macalaurë was sitting by the corpses that had been lined up next to the wall. "I am sorry," he said, his head in his hands.

"Ambarussa?" Maitimo turned to us.

"I won't come either," Telufinwë said quietly.

"Maitimo, I don't even think we can rescue them any more," I said.

"I will do my duty, Pityo," he replied sternly, but I could see a desperation in his eyes.

He left us. There was nothing we could do to change his mind.

I looked around me. Telufinwë had sat down and was now tending to the bleeding gash in his temple. I asked whether he would be all right and he nodded with a small, faint smile. Up beside the wall, separate from the others were three of my kin. I walked over to them, and had to press my eyes shut to keep the tears from coming. Tyelkormo, had you known what your servants would do? Curufinwë, what will you say to our father when you meet him? Carnistir, I saw your last moments alive. I wonder how painful they were...

I turn away. I walk away from the room, I cast away my sword and hear it cling into the floor. I cry.
Somewhere, sounding like from another world, I can hear Macalaurë's lament. I think that he is singing.