Maglor

Maglor's older brother was strong. The sheaves of his armor concealed arms strong enough to take down a troll, or to twist an orc's shoulder to the point of pain without breaking his stride. None of this was much use as Maedhros attempted to restrain Elros. The child twisted in Maedhros' arms like a fish still slippery from a river, and Maglor could see his brother straining to maintain a grip without hurting the boy.

Elrond was panicking, too. Maglor may have had two hands to Maedhros' one, but even he struggled to hold on as Elwing's youngest lobbed blows upwards at his jaw with small fists.

The boy writhed in Maglor's arms. "What are you doing with my brother?"

"Maedhros!" Maglor hissed. Tamblin was still gawking at the foursome. Curse it all, why is he still here? Whatever news Tamblin had would still be there in a fraction of an hour.

Elros was kicking at Maedhros now with pure focus. Maedhros lowered his head to pant at the boy, "On my word, you and your brother are safe. Now stop wriggling."

Elros' head popped up and butted Maedhros' nose with his scalp. Maedhros swore and doubled over. Elros' hand wormed past Maedhros' forearm and wrenched down his blindfold. Elros leaped out of Maedhros' arms and ran towards Elrond in Maglor's, jumping up and grabbing Elrond's wrist before the bard could turn away.

Maglor let go of Elrond; it was that or break the little one's arm. Elros grabbed his still-blindfolded brother and turned to run back to Sirion.

He saw the figures littering the shattered gate of his town and stopped. Maglor watched the boy's arm go slack, and his gray eyes widen in shock. Elros' feet froze on the grass.

Maedhros caught up to the boys. His hand reached out and roughly swung Elros around away from that view. "Look at me," he commanded.

For a moment Elros obeyed. As if hypnotized, however, Elros' body started to turn again to look at what remained of his hometown.

"Don't," growled Maedhros. It was a voice not to be disobeyed. He grabbed Elros' chin, not unkindly.

Elros stared at Maedhros instead, paralyzed.

Maedhros' face was drawn with urgency. He knelt in front of Elwing's sons. "Your brother is trying to take off his blindfold now, too. Are you going to let him?"

Elrond was indeed struggling to push away the cloth scrunched on his face. Elros put his hands over Elrond's. Elros' eyes shut briefly. "Not yet, Elrond. Just a little farther, like they said."

Elrond stilled. Elros clutched him close. The little one barely rose above Maedhros' shoulders even when the soldier knelt.

It wasn't cold, but Elros' jaw shivered. He pressed his face against the top of Elrond's head such that Maglor could no longer see the boy's features. The words, as a result, came out muffled.

"Will you take me to my mother, now?" Elros paused. Maglor watched his back rise and fall shakily. His arms trembled, before he clasped them even tighter around Elrond. "I told her I wouldn't leave until she came for me, and now she won't know where I've gone." Elros looked up at Maedhros. The evening light reflected two tracks that trailed from his eyes to his cheeks. "Please."

The wind ruffled the turf around them. There was the bustle of people toiling industriously back in Sirion, and just outside the gates, and back in the camp, but it seemed far away now, so that the only noise Maglor could hear was the whisper of the grass rippling in concentric circles around a small, solitary world: Elros, Elrond, Maedhros, and Maglor, with Tamblin watching silently.

Maedhros stared back at the boy. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "Your mother … I followed her to the cliffs, and she and I, there was … " Maedhros exhaled softly without looking away from Elros. "She fell."

Neither of Elwing's sons moved. Slowly, Maedhros reached his hand out to rest on Elros' shoulder.

Elros jerked away. His eyes never left Maedhros' face, and there was now a certain set about the boy's jaw.

Maedhros nodded, and like some vision of an unseen world Maglor could see his brother's usual demeanor fall into place again. Maedhros sat his hand upon his own knee, as if that was what he had always intended. "Yes. Maglor will tend to you."

Maglor blinked. "I will?"

Maedhros pinched his nose gingerly as he stood up. "You're the only one I trust to take care of them."

Elros was listening. Maglor tried to silently communicate his thoughts to Maedhros via his face, but "Surely there are nurses, or tutors, or someone other than a lord of the Kinslayers who could do a better job of this than I" was a difficult sentence to convey with just eyebrows. Elwing's sons' ears notwithstanding, Maglor said it out loud instead.

Maedhros shook his head. "No delegating something like this, Maglor. Not after Celegorm's servants."

It was an argument that was difficult to beat.

Elrond, with only his ears to guide him, swung his head back and forth listening to the debate like someone watching a game of sport.

Maedhros gestured at Elros towards Maglor. "Back to my brother." He turned away to dab at a spot of blood above his lip. "Besides, you're good with boys. You've helped raise five already."

Elros stepped towards Maglor tremulously with Elrond in tow. Maglor sighed and took Elrond by the hand. "I meant it when I said we have just a bit farther until we'll let you see." He looked at Elros. "Right now your heart is full of sorrow, and there's nothing I can do to ease that. Would you like to be full of sorrow and also hot soup, indoors out of the wind?" He glanced sideways at Maedhros. "Since my brother's mind is apparently already made up for me."

Maedhros came forward and touched Maglor's arm. Maglor gazed helplessly at his older brother, who right now managed to wordlessly impart his sentiments better than Maglor could. Where else can they go?

Maglor nodded.

Maedhros looked off towards Sirion. "Perhaps later we'll come up with something better. For now," he gestured with his chin, "I believe Tamblin has been waiting for us patiently."