"You need to eat," Maglor said, eyeing his brother.
"No I do not," Maedhros replied, pushing his food away. "You eat enough for both of us as it is."
It was their first meal since arriving at Amon Ereb. Maedhros had bathed elsewhere in the palace, and by some miracle Maglor had been able to keep both twins clean since he had bathed them. Maglor had spent the morning showing the boys around the fortress, stressing that they were not allowed to pass the gates. Then they had met Maedhros for a light lunch. Admittedly Maglor thought that was a mistake.
"You have lost weight recently." Maglor reached across Elrond to push his brother's plate back toward him before the Peredhel, who was eyeing the food, could eat any of it.
"You are growing fat." It was not exactly the truth. While Maglor was a round and well fed elf, he was by no means fat. But Maedhros argued that he was not underweight, which was not exactly the truth either.
The twins giggled as Maglor flushed. "I am not!"
"Yes you are!" Elros shrieked. He poked Malgor's fleshy side. Maglor glared.
Elrond giggled and looked at Maedhros, who he was surprised to see biting back a grin as well. He leaned to the man and whispered, "You can laugh, I won't tell."
The smile completely vanished, and Maedhros scowled at him. Elrond drew back, unsure what he had done wrong. He finished shoving the last of his meal in his mouth quickly.
On Maglor's other side Elros was picking at his own lunch, and Maglor was unable to convince him to eat any more of it. "He has had enough," Maedhros said. "He will eat when he is hungry."
Maglor was pleased to note that Maedhros had taken a few more bites, at least he could get someone to eat. They finished their meal in silence. Maedhros had already told them that after the meal they were burying the Ambarussa, so Maglor was trying to keep his mind otherwise occupied.
They went together to the service, and Maglor was alarmed to see how many of their men had shown. The bodies of the Ambarussa had been prepared shortly after leaving Sirion; washed and cleaned, then wrapped in cloth and placed into a wooden box, together. They would be side by side in death as in life.
Maglor desperately wanted to kiss his brothers one last time, but he knew that the bodies would have already begun to deteriorate. That was why they had been prepared so long before their burial. Do not think about how they must look. Do not. No! No! No!
As the dirt fell on the box he felt Elrond clinging to his leg. He had explained, briefly, who had died and what they were doing. Elros had said something that sounded like "deserving scum" (Maglor was releaved that Maedhros hadn't heard) but Elrond had nodded as if he understood. Ever since he had hung on Maglor's leg, only letting go when they had to walk.
Maglor watched the other child, who was standing further away. Elros did seem a little upset, and Maglor had decided that much of his harshness was an act he was putting on. Like Elrond he too was frightened and alone, but more stubborn. He rubbed Elrond's dark hair.
When the funeral was over Maglor released the boys to play inside, making sure they knew not to attempt to run. "The guards will catch you," he reminded them. ("Or you would starve," Maedhros had offered).
Then Maglor went to his own brother, his only brother now, and for a long time they sat together in silence on the ground by the fresh graves. Maglor laid his head in his brother's lap. When the first drop of water fell onto his face, he wondered if it had begun to rain. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Maedhors, crying silently. Maglor gripped his brother's hand and for a time they laid still and wept.
Elrond and Elros, however, were enjoying their first taste of freedom since their capture. Elrond was committing every detail of Amon Ereb to memory, while his brother silently planned another escape. After they walked for quite some time, Elrond found that his feet were beginning to hurt, so he sat on the ground and motioned for Elros to join him.
Elros shook his head. "I think it would hurt," he muttered, digging his toe into the dirt.
"You should have let Maglor treat you, it helps," Elrond said, stretching out on his back.
"I don't want him to touch me!"
Elrond looked at Elros and groaned in frustration. "He is trying to help. He does not want you to hurt, but he does not want to fight with you either."
"I want Nana."
"I do too, but she's gone. She flew." Elrond looked at his brother pleadingly.
Elros' eyes suddenly gleamed. "If she can," he asked, "why can't we?"
Elrond sat up and jumped to his feet. Maglor was nice, he could handle him, but his Nana was much, much better. "What are we going to do?"
Maglor and Maedhros finally left the graves and returned to the house. Maedhros was seriously contemplating finding a barrel of wine and finishing it himself. Maglor wished he could join him, but knew he had to stay sober to keep an eye on the twins. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"For what?"
"Everything," Maglor leaned his head on his brother's shoulder. "You have always taken care of me," he said. "You were the best big brother I could have wanted; you nearly raised me, you forgave me when you shouldn't have, you took me in after the Gap fell, and you have saved my life more times than I can count."
Maedhros put his arm around his brother. "I did not raise you," he laughed, "our mother did. I merely helped." His voice grew serious, "My capture was not your fault, you did everything you could without risking our people or family. I tire of telling you this."
"I know," Maglor said, "but it is how I feel sometimes."
"My lords!" Their talk was interrupted by a shout from behind them. Maedhros' captain was running toward them, seeming harassed.
Maedhros released his brother and they both straightened, looking every bit the part of former king and regent. "Yes captain?"
"It is the Peredhel twins," he explained. "They," he was panting nearly too hard to continue. "They tried to jump off a cliff."
"What?" Both brothers asked as one.
"They were stopped, and, pardon me if I assumed too much, I had them sent to their room to be kept under guard until I found you."
"No," Maedhros said, "that was fine. Thank you captain we can take it from here."
The captain bowed and Maedhros took off after Maglor, who was already sprinting toward their room. His longer stride allowed him to catch his brother just before reaching the twins room. Maglor shoved open the door, barely noticing that the lock had been replaced as he had asked, and rushed in.
Elrond and Elros were sitting on the newly made bed, clinging to each other and staring at the man who had been sent to watch them. Maedhros dismissed him as Maglor sat by the boys. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Even Elros was sobbing and Maedhros wondered what had caused the meltdown.
"We wanted to go with Nana! She flew, why can't we?" Elrond whimpered.
"You are not made to fly," Maglor explained. "It was a miracle, a gift from the Valar, that she survived."
Elros sniffed, "But she is our Nana, can we not go to her?"
Maedhros crossed the room, coming to stand next to the bed. "I am afraid we are all stuck with each other," he said.
Before Maglor could scold him for his harsh words Elros looked up at him and asked, "You are as not happy as us?"
"Possibly more," he said.
Elrond had leaned against Maglor and was letting him stroke his hair, but Elros hopped down from the bed and hesitantly hugged Maedhros' legs, all he could contemplate reaching. Maedhros stiffened for a moment, but then he leaned over and awkwardly patted the child's head.
"Can we stay here?" Elros asked. "Since we cannot be with Nana?"
Maedhros met his brother's eyes. Maglor was nodding desperately, his eyes pleading. "For a time," Maedhros said. Then he detached the child from his legs and pushed him toward Maglor.
Elros crawled into Maglor's lap and watched Maedhros leave. Elrond was pulling on his hair, so finally he demanded, "What?"
Elrond met his twin's eyes then nodded to Maglor. Elros looked up at Maglor who smiled down at him. "How are you child?"
Elros considered biting him, just to see what would happen. "Fine," he spat, putting as much force behind the words as he could muster. When he looked back at Elrond he could tell the other was displeased. "What?"
"I think Elros would appreciate some of the cream that you put on me after our bath," Elrond said, looking up at Maglor.
"Would you?" Maglor eyed the child in his lap, still thinking that the boy looked as if he wanted to hit or bite.
To Maglor's surprise the boy's eyes softened and lost the feral glint, a softer pleading look appeared. "Yes please."
"Alright," Maglor said. "Stand up and I will get it." He left the boys on their bed and slipped from the room, closing the door behind him.
Elros was startled to be left alone, and he quickly grabbed Elrond and rushed to the door. "Let's go!"
"But Maglor is bringing-"
"I would rather leave." Elros grabbed the door handle and twisted, but it did not budge. He tried the other direction, then wiggled both ways. He braced his feet and pulled as hard as he could. "Help me!"
Uncertainly Elrond grabbed his brother's waist and began to pull as hard as he could. Even with both boys pulling the door remained shut. Elros wailed and slammed himself against it, falling to the floor in a sobbing heap.
The door creaked open and Maglor peered in. "Are you alright?"
Elros glared at him.
"At least we know the lock works." Maglor stepped into the room and showed the boys the key he held in his grasp. He picked Elros up and carried him to the bed, rubbing his back. "Were you hurt?"
"No."
"Wonderful." Maglor took the jar of cream from his pocket and handed it to Elrond to hold as he laid Elros on his stomach. Before Elros could change his mind he slid his leggings down and rubbed the cream into the sores.
Shouting and crying, Elros attempted to escape, but Maglor held him firmly to the bed with one hand. "Elros," he soothed, "this will help, remember?"
Elrond reached out and touched his brother's shoulder and Elros relaxed, letting Maglor finish applying the cream to his bottom and legs.
As soon as Maglor was finished Elros pulled his leggings up and grabbed his brother. Thankfully Maglor had already taken the glass jar back, so nothing was broken as Elrond was pulled onto the bed to sit by his twin.
Maglor sighed, well aware that Elros would not learn to trust him as soon as his brother. Even Elrond had a ways to go. "I shall come and fetch you for dinner."
"If you forget?"
"Shout."
Author's Note – Like in Always There, my previous Silm fic, Maglor is featured as a rather chubby stress-eating elf. I am aware, thanks to a reviewer on Silm Writers Guild, that Salgant of Gondolin is the only elf said to have extra, so I suppose that this could be seen as a slight AU.