Road to Redemption

Road to Redemption (19-20/50)
Author: Gwaelinn
Beta: BookofNicodemus
Pairings: Lindir/Maglor
Rating: R (NC-17 overall)

Warnings: images of violence, Slash (m/m),

Time line: AU (not really connected to the actual timeline of the books)

Disclaimer: All characters and locations are the sole property of Professor Tolkien’s Estate. This is written only for pleasure and not for profit.

Author notes: The little plot bunny popped up while listening to Loreena McKennit’s The Old Ways. Somehow, the song just screamed ‘Maglor’.

**Additional Author’s note: I know that according to canon, Maedhros, Maglor, and the twins were the ones who attacked Elwing’s town. However, I need to take some liberties. In my universe, the twins were killed in the attack on Doriath. Celegorm, Curufin, Caranthir, Maedhros and Maglor survived. The plan to attack the haven at Sirion was Curufin’s. Maglor and Maedhros were reluctant followers. In my little world, Celegrom, Curufin and Caranthir perished during the last attempt to take the gems…leaving Maglor and Maedhros with the stones. I’m also going with the idea that Elrond/Elros were about 6 at the time of the sack. I’ve also made them about 16 when they were left behind the waterfall to be found.

Chapter 19

The following morning found Lindir and Maglor in good spirits, Elrond at peace, and Glorfindel brooding…

“What troubles you melon nin?” Elrond asked at breakfast.

“Nothing…just a rough night is all. So, how about you explain last night to us?” By us, the seneschal was referring to himself and Erestor who had also joined them for breakfast.

“That is not something I wish to discuss here; however, you both are welcome to come to my study after breakfast. Lindir and…well, we will get the whole story. As the two of you are my most trusted and dear friends, I would like you to know the whole thing, too.”

The two elves nodded in affirmation. Elrond was right. This was not a topic for public ears. The three ate in silence and quickly, anxious to find the underlying cause of all this.

******

Lindir and Maglor thought it best to keep a low profile until they were able to meet with Elrond. Lindir had food brought to them. They talked a bit about their upcoming meeting with Elrond and decided to give the half-elf the *whole* truth…they only hoped that he did not have them committed as being delusional. Once they had eaten breakfast, the two headed to Elrond’s office, hand in hand. Maglor was quite relieved to have encountered no one in the hall.

Lindir knocked on the oak door and waited for permission to enter. When the two elves walked into the room, Lindir stopped abruptly, causing Maglor to nearly walk over him.

“Forgive me my lord. I did not know you were busy.”

Elrond waved them in. “Come, come. I asked Glorfindel and Erestor to be present for this. I think it best they also know the story.” Looking at a hesitant Maglor, he continued. “They know how to be discreet.” With that, Maglor nodded and sat down in a chair next to Lindir. “I suppose formal introductions should be made,” the elf lord continued. “My dear friends, this is my foster father…Maglor.” If the other two elves were shocked, they did not show it. The only response, really, was Erestor raising his eyebrow. “That being said, Lindir, why do not start this tale.”

For the remainder of the morning, Elrond, Erestor and Glorfindel listened to the minstrel’s strange tale. Only Glorfindel seemed to accept the interference of the various Valar without reservation. Lindir and Maglor told everything; they left nothing out…well, except the sex; they figured that was not something pertinent to the understanding of the story.

There was a long moment of silence when the two finished. Elrond looked at his friend to gage their reaction before he spoke. “So I am to understand that, Maglor, you were given a new name to go by?” The Noldo nodded. “You wish to use this name?”

Maglor thought for a moment. “No.” There was a collective gasp. “I have made peace with those from my past and they know I am here. Let others judge me as they wish; their opinion is of little concern.” As an after thought, he turned to Lindir. “If that is alright with you, of course.” Lindir flashed a brilliant smile and nodded his agreement.

“Very well. If there are no other questions or objections…” he looked to his friends before continuing, “I say welcome to Imladris, my dear foster-father. Stay as long as you desire.” Lindir and Maglor both let out a sigh and smiled. “Once the twins return, I will have them meet you. They are very curious about you.”

The small meeting broke up as each elf went to carry out their respective duties. Glorfindel had to figure out whom he was sending to Mirkwood and Lorien for the soldier exchange that would take place in a few days. Erestor had to figure out how to make everyone happy, at least all those involved with the latest trade agreement. Elrond had letters to write, and Lindir wanted to show Maglor the sights…starting with his personal quarters, again.

*****

The twin sons of Elrond rode to meet the delegation coming from Lothlorien. The rendezvous went well. Haldir and his brother along with 10 others met up with them right on schedule. Although they had not ridden overly hard, the horses from Lorien needed a break. The twins lead the group to a small clearing where the river was shallow and ran slowly. As Elrohir walked his horse to the water's edge, an odd sort of mound caught his eye. Cautiously walking closer, just close enough for elven sight, he gasped and yelled for his brother. Not waiting for a response, the younger twin mounted in a swift movement as his horse broke into a gallop. He only had to go a few hundred yards to reach his destination. Dismounting before his horse came to a halt, the young Noldo splashed carelessly through the shallow water and dropped to his knees.

“By all that is sacred.” He whispered. Face down on the rocky bank was an elf. At first, Elrohir thought the elf was dead, however, moving slowly, he turned the body over. By this time, Elladan with Haldir and Orophin in tow arrived. The older twin dropped beside his brother.

“Ro, is he…”

“No. How he lives, I know not. Look at the damage! This has to be the work of orcs.”

“You had best get him to you Adar.” Haldir said from his mount. "Orophin and I will ride ahead and alert him. Follow swiftly; Rumil can get the rest to Imladris.” With that, the two Silvan elves took off toward the Last Homely House.

The twins carefully moved the injured elf to the dry grass. Elladan gave his brother his cloak. “Wrap him in this. Then ride like the wind. I will return with Rumil.” With a soft command, the young elf ordered his horse to her knees. He mounted and then had Elladan help him slide the unknown elf in front of him. They did not want to cause too much jostling or physical contact as the injuries were so severe. Slowly the horse rose, knowing she carried a precious cargo. Elladan mounted as well and the two raced back the way they had come. Elladan stopped once they reached the group, which was already back on the path. The elves parted as they heard the hoof beats pounding after them. Elrohir raced past like the Dark Lord himself followed. Elladan slowed and moved along side of Rumil.

“Haldir said you found an injured elf. Should we not scout to see if we can find the pack that did this?”

Elladan looked at the younger elf. He had Haldir’s strength and Orophin’s wisdom, however, he was easy to rile and too quick to jump into action. That will change with time, the older twin thought.

“No. We need to alert Glorfindel to this and organize scouting parties.” Receiving an incredulous glare from Rumil, Elladan continued. “I really do not want to tell my grandmother that her favorite warden met an untimely demise. Come…there will be plenty of opportunities to hunt orc."

******

Not bothering to wait for the stable hands, Haldir and his brother left their mounts in the courtyard and bolted up the steps. “Lord Elrond, where?” He shouted to the first elf they encountered. The startled elf pointed in the direction of their lord’s office, and then said a silent prayer that no harm had come to the valley’s young lords.

Reaching the closed door, Haldir knocked violently and burst in without waiting for a reply. Glorfindel was on his feet with his sword already half out of the sheath, ready to defend his lord. Elrond stood and as he realized who stood before him, his heart began to beat wildly.

“My…” Before the elf lord could finished, Haldir cut him off

“Not the…*pant* the twins…” Haldir’s adrenalin was in over drive. “Sons found…*pant*…”

Orophin took over. Being a message runner, this little sprint barely caused his breathing to increase. “They found a severely injured elf. Elrohir is coming ahead of the others with him.” Haldir gave his little brother an annoyed look. Orophin just continued, “They think it might have been orcs but are not sure.”

Glorfindel found his voice, “Please say that Elladan did not do something so in character, such as to go after these orcs?” There was reproach in the warriors voice; apparently, it would not have been the first time that had happened.

“No.” Haldir said, finally breathing normally. “He would not endanger others.” The small group heard the horse’s gallop first, followed by the frantic calls for Elrond. Wasting no more time, the elf lord ran to the courtyard, followed by his seneschal and the two guardians.

Coming to a stop at his father, Elrohir gingerly passed his charge to two healers that had heard his call. With one taking the legs and the other under the arms, they carefully made their way to the healing wing while Elrond shouted orders along the way. Elrohir dismounted and followed his father; he knew Elrond would need help. Haldir made to follow but was stopped by Glorfindel.

“Come with me. I want to know what happened.” The two Silvan elves walked with Glorfindel to his office. If there were orcs this close, he wanted to decimate them as quickly as possible.

******

Elrond came to a stop at the side of the bed. Healers were busy cutting the tattered clothing while Elrohir prepared a potion to apply to the badly burned skin. As Elrond studied his patient, he eyes widened. ‘It can not be,’ he thought. However, in all his long life, he only met one elf with such rich mahogany hair, hair that shone with deep burgundy highlights when it danced in the sun. ‘No, it could not be, he is long dead, and this elf has both his hands.’ Elrond did not know if he was relieved, or disappointed.

Chapter 20

Elrohir saw the confused look on his father’s face. “Ada?” he asked softly.

Elrond turned to the young elf. “Come, I will need help, the rest of you go about your duties.” Elrond was behaving a bit peculiar and Elrohir wondered about it.

“Do you know this elf, Ada?”

“I do not believe so.” Elrond responded. “Here, clean his face and work down, I will get the ointments and bandages." Elrond quickly left the room.

The young elf began to gently wash the raw skin, and did his best to clean the elf’s hair given the present situation. “I do not know who you are, but somehow you have unnerved my father; that is not an easy thing to do.” Elrohir began to hum as he continued his work. Elrond stopped at the door and watched his son. Elrohir was a fine healer and had a beautiful bedside manner. He was glad that the young elf had an interest in something other than slaying orcs.

“You do a wonderful job,” Elrond praised.

Elrohir blushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Ada. I have done what I could. I did not want to attempt to roll him over alone.”

“That was a wise decision. I will bandage what I can first, then tend to his back.”

Once ointment and bandages had been applied, the two elves rolled the stranger onto his stomach. At this the elf let out a soft moan. Elrohir smiled at his father; the moan was a good sign. The elf was not in a coma. Working quickly, Elrond finished and the returned the red-haired elf to his back and covered him with a light blanket.

The younger elf studied the stranger for a moment. “He is tall and strong, most likely a warrior. I doubt he is Silvan or even Sinda. There is no indication of which realm he hailed from, though.” Fingering a curl of hair, Elrohir continued, “I have never seen hair this color, when clean and healthy it must be absolutely brillant.”

Elrond merely nodded and motioned for this son to follow him out of the room. Once in the hall he addressed him. “I want someone to be with him at all times. Preferably, you, your brother, Glorfindel, Erestor, or myself. I will be his attending physician. Also, post a guard in the hall, just to be safe.” Elrohir nodded, and left to find Glorfindel and a trusted guard. Elrond returned to his patient. Pulling a chair close to the bed, he studied the battered face. So familiar…

******

Lindir finally agreed to leave his quarters and show Maglor around the grounds. He took him to the Guild and introduced him to the other musicians. Everyone was glad to have their favorite minstrel back. Only a few eyebrows were raised when Lindir introduced the handsome elf that seemed to cling to the young minstrel’s arm.

“I do not think they have made the connection yet.” Maglor whispered as they left the building.

Lindir smiled, “Maybe they have and it matters not. This is a sanctuary; Elrond is known for his welcoming spirit.” The two walked through a small garden. As they rounded a corner, Maglor felt his arm pulled back and Lindir hastily ushered him another way. Stopping in a shadowed alcove, the older elf questioned his companion.

“Elrohir is back. I do not want to make the introductions. That is something his father must do.”

Maglor did not disagree with that and happily kissed his lover breathless in the little alcove. When they broke apart, Lindir swatted the Noldo’s arm and began to show him the other side of the garden.

******

By the time Elrohir had finished tending the stranger, his brother had returned with the rest of the group. He waited for his brother to dismount.

“How is he, Ro? Will he recover?” The older twin asked, handing his reigns to a young stable elf.

“Ada thinks so.” They lead the group to the barracks and met up with Glorfindel. Elrohir relayed his father’s message.

“A guard? Surely he does not think the elf dangerous?” The blond inquired.

“Ada was acting a bit, well, odd.”

“Why do you not both go see your Adar. I know he missed you and there is some news he wants to share with you.”

Elledan eyed his former tutor, “What kind of news?”

“Only he can tell you.” Glorfindel motioned to the Lorien guards to follow him into the barracks. “You Guardians have been assigned beds here. Haldir, as you and your brothers are considered family to the Lady, you will be housed in the main house… as per her request,” he added when Haldir made to protest. With a sigh, the Silvan captain agreed. Once his men were settled, he and his brothers followed the seneschal back to the house. On their way, Glorfindel made a detour to Erestor’s office, asking the raven-haired councilor to go to the healing house for Elrond. His sons would be waiting in his office by now.

Erestor left his office immediately and headed to the Healing house. Glorfindel continued to the guest quarters. Once there, he came to a stop before a beautifully carved door.

“Haldir, this is your room. It has an attached sitting room, shared by the bedroom on the other side.” He pointed to the next door down. “Orophin, Rumil and yourself will share that room. Come see; you will find it plenty big.” Haldir followed the other three elves to the next door. A collective gasp escaped the brothers’ mouths.

“It is far more than necessary, my lord,” Orophin protested. Rumil walked past them and flopped down on the closest bed.

“I cannot remember when I last felt a bed *this* soft,” he said, stretching out. Haldir rolled his eyes at his littlest brother. Orophin made his way into the enormous room. He had never seen, let alone stayed in, quarters this grand.

“I take it the rooms are to your liking?” Glorfindel teased.

“Oh yes, sir.” Orophin replied absently.

“Refreshment should arrive shortly. Dinner is just before sunset; you will hear the dinner bell. There is a bathing room just off the common room through there.” He pointed to the adjoining door. “Rest up and do not be late for dinner.” With that the seneschal left the room.

The middle brother still stood in the middle of the room in a state of shock. Rumil threw a pillow and scored a direct hit. Orophin glared at the reclining elf. Patting Orophin’s shoulder, Haldir went to his rooms via the ‘common’ room.

“I get the bath first,” he called.

“Not if I can help it,” Rumil replied, quickly devesting him self of his travel clothes. “Phin, are you just going to stand there and gawk?” He teased.

“No.” The blond elf made his way to the bed. It was at lest twice as big as his bed at home. Removing his shoes, he stretched out with a content sigh. He was asleep before he could witness the less than mature fight over the bathroom.

*****

“My Lord?” Erestor asked from the doorway. “Glorfindel asked me to relieve you. Your sons are waiting for you in your study.”

Elrond sighed. He had no idea how his boys would take the news; it was better dealt with now before the rumor mill got hold of it. “Thank you, Erestor. I see you brought a book; I will send someone to take your place as soon as I can.” Elrond headed out the door.

“There is no hurry, my lord. I am happy to keep vigil.” Erestor made his way to the bed and nearly fell over the chair. Glorfindel was tall, but this elf was nearly a head taller. ‘Definitely a warrior,’ the advisor thought. With a little sigh, he sat down to read his book. The book rested open on his lap, but his attention was focused on the sleeping elf. Even in his present state, Erestor could see the beauty that this elf had. His hair was the deepest burgundy-brown he had ever seen and he began to wonder what color of eyes the elf had. Erestor found he could do nothing but stare at the mysterious elf. This had to be the most handsome elf he had ever seen.

****

“Thank you my sons.” Elrond said with relief in his voice. He had been concerned about the twins' reaction to Maglor’s arrival. However, they sat silent and let him tell the whole tale before asking their questions. The main one being ‘when do we get to meet him.’

“He will attend dinner tonight and I will introduce him to the household then. It helps to know that he has your support. It might be a bit uncomfortable for him.”

“Hey Dan?” Elrohir said with a twinkle in his eye. “I bet he has lots of *good* stories about ada and uncle Elros.”

Elledan got a wicked glint in his eyes and smirked. Elrond groaned. ‘This could prove to be embarrassing,’ he thought.

****

A/N: I did not feel the need to rehash the Maglor/Lindir story, so I skipped the conversation with the twins…they are very understanding souls.