"Yet Earendil saw now no hope left in the lands of Middle-earth, and he turned again in despair and came not home, but sought back once more to Valinor with Elwing at his side."

Maglor

Maedhros,

Well, the peredhil and I have made it back to Losselire. So many consecutive days of riding have been hard on the boys, of course, but they've borne it bravely.

Elros swore to Maglor that he never wanted to see a horse again for the rest of his life. Elrond at this point assumed the road was simply where Maglor lived.

"Elros said we're going to your house. Did he mean horse? How can you be a great lord if you just live on a horse?"

"I don't understand why we can't just go back to Sirion." Elros turned over on Maglor's cot to blink owlishly at Maglor lying on the ground. "We have a perfectly good house there."

Maglor tried to stretch out the crick in his neck. "Perhaps if Maedhros and I ask very nicely, Gil-Galad will give it to us."

Elrond perked up. "That's a splendid idea."

Elros looked suspicious.

I fear they've caught some sort of mild plague since arriving here in these woods. Both boys' noses won't stop running, and their eyes have been wet with tears. I knelt in front of Elrond last evening to get him to confide in me the reason for these bouts of crying, and he sneezed directly in my face.

At least Elrond had the good grace to look chagrined.

Maglor dug a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his forehead.

Elrond's shoulders relaxed in relief. "Oh, thank you," and took it from Maglor's hand. He blew his nose loudly.

Maglor sighed.

How fragile these half-elven are! Every day a new ailment, it seems. Every night they sleep for so many hours. Then when I wake them up it's too hot, or too cold, or someone needs to wee, or the book is too far away for them to read it. They must bathe nearly thrice a week to prevent them from being an offense to the noses of all. Elros doesn't understand why I don't understand. I feel I am at my wit's end.

Not only that, but Elrond had started to wet the bed. It was the middle of the night. A maid had been summoned to fetch a fresh set of bed linens, and now the nurse was leading Elrond away for a quick bath. Maglor sat on the stone floor against the wall and looked at Elros sitting on the stripped bed.

"Is this normal at this age, for you peredhil? Another one of your idiosyncrasies?"

Elros' brow furrowed. "I'm not a – "

"Another one of your quirks," Maglor amended.

Elros shook his head. "He wasn't like this before. Before you came, I mean. And he won't leave my side now. He even stands outside the door when I wee. I mean," he bit his lip guiltily, "I try to take care of him, I do. I'm not going anywhere. It's just … " Elros looked miserable.

Maglor felt a sense of foreboding. "When you say 'Before you came', do you mean — "

Elros looked at the stones. "You know. The battle. You and Ma, Med … "

"Maedhros," Maglor finished. Remorse stabbed at his stomach.
Elros' arms wrapped around his knees. "It's just hard, taking care of him all the time."

Maglor wondered where Maedhros was right now. They hadn't seen each other much on the road, since Maglor had been so often lagging behind with the boys. Or at least, that was the reason Maglor told himself. Like Elros, Maglor too wanted to curl up into a ball.

"Why don't I sleep in here tonight? Tomorrow too, if you need me."

Elros looked around. "Are you sure? There's only the one bed."

Maglor's deep sigh resonated through his back that had been sleeping on the ground for the length of the entire trip back to Ossiriand. "It's all right. I'll sleep on the floor."

Tomorrow, he thought, I'll at least have them set up a cot.