Category: Tolkien-Universe
Rating: M
Couples: Rog/Egalmoth/Maeglin
Warnings: AU, blood, character death
Chapter: 2
Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate, Plot & OC´s © by me
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Maeglin froze, slowly raising his hands. There were several elves in the group that were as dark-skinned as his mother, those Noldor who had grown up in the eternal light of the Trees. If one asked his father, running into those was only better than orcs because they'd only kill him.
"You lingered there for a time." One of them addressed him, thick black hair contained in several braids decorated with gems of every color. He was dressed far better than the rest, also being the only one in robes, though a chainmail-corslet of some kind peeked out of his neckline.
He briefly considered lying, but if these were Gondolindrim, they'd find out the moment his mother arrived here anyway. "I was waiting for my mother, we were traveling to Gondolin together." He did figure that name-dropping her might end up poorly though. Common sense, really, that one should not use high-ranked names to try to get somewhere. It would set of just about every warning-flag of the ones in between.
"So where is she?" That was someone else, someone behind him but he didn't dare turn around.
He winced at that. "She wanted to cover our trail, to keep people from following." That was not going to be a good statement to make, he was sure. But what else could he say on the matter?
One of them said something in a language he didn't know, but suspected to be Quenya. Then he noticed the first speaker's eyes narrowing at something below his neck... which was when he realized he'd been absentmindedly playing with his mother's necklace and hadn't gotten around to putting it below his clothes again. His hand twitched towards it, but he froze again when that made the weapons close in.
"Down." The speaker had been behind two layers of guards, but now slid between them to stand right before him. "This is hers?" He didn't touch the necklace, didn't even point at it.
"Yes." Maeglin whispered, hands still in the air. "Gave it to me, in case I tripped across guards or something before she got here."
"As did happen." White teeth appeared just above his eye-line - Eru, the elf was tall! - as the other gestured at the guards around them.
"My lord!" One of them objected, and was waved off.
"He is welcome here, Elemmakil." The one who seemed to be in charge, at least nominally, smiled gently. "Come, we can await her behind the gate, less noticeable." Maeglin allowed the hand at his lower back, gently steering him deeper into the cave.
"You... recognized it?" He whispered, one hand back to his horse.
"The Song in it." The other specified. "It's my husband's and I know what he Sung over it. That it cannot be taken or looted, only given." Seemingly out of nowhere, a gate of wood - the actual Gate of Wood, he suspected - appeared before them, through which he was lead. "My name is Egalmoth."
"She mentioned you!" She had, often in fact, spoken of their kin among the Noldor, though he never quite understood exactly the connection to this elf specifically.
"Good to know." Egalmoth gestured with his head to the side, where a small door was nearly obscured by the rocks. "And your name is?"
"Maeglin Aredhelion." It felt weird to introduce himself like that, but he felt that bringing in his father right now would perhaps not be the best, mostly because they might not even know him.
"Maeglin then, welcome to Gondolin. Forgive us for the greeting." He was bustled into a chair, and his horse was left outside the open door.
"Well, you'd be poor guards if you'd just let someone loiter around a secret gate?" He offered, sitting on the edge of his seat. "So it's alright."
"I feel your mother would object, if she were to find out." In this side-room there were some light-crystals and he could finally see some more details of the other's face. The older elf quirked a grin at him. "Let's skip that bit when she catches up, yes?"
Maeglin felt very inclined to indulge the other, answering with a matching grin. "Sure."
"Thank you." Egalmoth's grin softened into a small smile. "I'd rather not be thrown over my own shoulder the moment I see her again after all that time."
He couldn't keep himself from making a face at that. His mother had never made a secret of the fact that she had essentially disappeared on her friends and family, so they'd have a lot to talk about, which would be made more complicated if one of them had been thrown across the room by the other.