#i have never been fully nontalking i hope I portrayed this right

[aroace-moron]

Have the one bit of a WIP i actually like. We can act like this is a oneshot, right?

Kidnap family, now with orcs! TW for offscreen violence, very brief mentions of blood and also Elrond and Elros being traumatized. Have fun.

Elros is scared, shutting his eyes tight as he clings to his brother, who is covering his ears against the clang of metal somewhere underneath them. The orcs came without warning, and Maedhros had somehow shoved both of the twins into a tree in one fluid movement before grabbing his sword and joining his brother.

Where he has touched Elrond, his skin burns.

He holds Elros as tightly as he can, wishing for someone, anyone else, to cover his ears as well.

A roar makes both of them flinch violently, but it is cut off abruptly by an impact and a horrible squelching sound. Something gasps blubbery, before fading away.

The Feanorians leave them alone for long enough that Elrond begins to wonder if perhaps they have forgotten about them. Or if they are – he dares not finish the thought.

He hugs his brother, until slow, heavy footsteps nearing make him open his eyes and stare through the leaves.

Maedhros. He seems exhausted, coming to a stop in front of their tree and staring at them with low sunken eyes.

"Get down here." His voice has momentarily lost its edge. Elrond can't help but notice how strangely old he looks, for an elf. He stares at him with wide eyes.

Maedhros raises his hand as if to offer it to them, but stops halfway through, grimacing in pain. There is something black smeared over his knuckles.

"I don't have time for this," he growls, sends them one last glare, turns and leaves. Elrond gapes after him.

He taps Elros' shoulder, and opens his mouth to say something. He closes it again. Opens it. No words come out, his voice is stuck deep in his throat.

Elros finally lifts his head to look at him with wide fearful eyes. He doesn't speak, either. Elrond wonders if he has the same issue. They hold each other tighter.

Suddenly, Maedhros appears again, supporting a stumbling Maglor with his right arm and gripping his sword with his hand. His brother does not look well. He is gripping his side. Blood spills past his fingers.

The sight of the two brothers makes Elrond simultaneously gasp in relief and in resignation. They could not have found their way out the forests without them regardless. If they want to escape, they will have to wait until they meet other elves again.

"Nelyo," Maglor groans as Maedhros carefully sets him down against the tree. "Nelyo, the children –"

"Above you." Maedhros sets down the bag they store their belongings in and grimaces. Turning to them, he says, "Will you come down now?"

Elrond doesn't say anything. Elros hides his face again.

The man stares at them for a long moment before sitting down and rummaging through the bag.

"Suppose we'll just stay here then," he grumbles. "Out in the open, more orcs around, just waiting for us to fall a–"

Maglor touches his arm and shakes his head mutely. Maedhros sighs.

"You're right," he says. "I am sorry."

Elrond watches as Maedhros slowly bandages a bad looking cut on Maglor's side. It seems difficult, with just the one hand, but Maedhros doesn't complain. Elrond can't help but wonder how he lost it. A battle, most likely, and he shudders at the mental image the thought gives him. Maedhros, soaked in blood all over, a terrifying beast who fights on even after his hand is sliced off by a nebulous monster.

He shakes his head. Looking down at Maedhros, bowed over his brother and grumbling softly whenever he gasps in pain, it is difficult to imagine him in that way. This elf does not seem like someone who would enjoy bloodshed. He seems… tired.

Night has fallen upon them when he finally gathers the courage to ask for help. He has been trying to find a safe path down the tree for at least an hour, but he can't. It's too smooth, too high up. They must be at least two meters above the ground.

He grips the acorn tightly and prays this won't anger Maedhros. He can't remember enough about the Valar to figure out which would be responsible for the case of someone throwing an acorn at their kidnapper, hoping to get their attention, so he prays to Yavanna instead. It seems fitting, he thinks. Given all the trees.

Maedhros is not asleep. He sits leaned against the tree trunk, an arm wrapped around his brother's shoulders, holding him tight. He flinches when the acorn hits his head but doesn't seem angry when he looks up.

Elrond's shoulders sag in relief. He taps the tree. Maedhros raises his brows. "Ready?" He asks, his voice softer than Elrond has heard before. Elros presses himself against his side and nods.

Maedhros lets go of his brother, who groans in his sleep, and stands up. He grimaces again, and Elrond wonders once more if he is hurt. He didn't see him bandage himself anywhere.

"Alright," he says, offering them his arms, though he doesn't lift them high, especially not the right one. Elrond hesitantly reaches for him, but the Feanorian shakes his head.

"Feet first. Hold onto the tree, I will help you down."

It takes the children a long time to get down, but Maedhros does not seem upset with them over it. In fact, he seems calmer than usual.

"There are better ways to get my attention than to throw acorns," he says, almost conversationally, and glances at them as he searches for their blanket. "You could talk, for example."

The twins stare at him mutely, and he sighs.

"Come on." He lifts his left arm. The right one is around Maglor's shoulders again, who leans against his side like he is trying to melt into him. "Time to sleep. It's been a long day."

They settle against him, hesitantly, and he covers them additionally to the thin blanket with a piece of his cloak as they huddle closer. Maedhros feels warmer than any other elf they have ever met, somehow, and he has not lit a fire.

It is quiet for a while, and Elrond has just started to nod off when Maedhros suddenly speaks again.

"You don't even have to say anything." It's little more than a whisper, like he doesn't really want them to hear. "You can shout or hum or whistle. Just give me a sign, show me that we didn't –" There is something unfamiliar in his voice. If Elrond didn't know any better, he would think the older one was scared.

But that does not make sense. Why should this strong ellon, who could push them into a tree without even having to think about it, and who Elrond knows has killed far more than the few orcs today, be scared of two silent children?

He breathes slowly, pretending to be asleep. Elros might be, he thinks. His twin has stopped shaking for the first time in hours.

"I am sorry," Maedhros whispers, and Elrond barely manages to stop himself from starting. "I am so sorry we did this to you."

He pulls them closer, and Elrond can't help but notice the tremble in his scarred hand as Maedhros runs his fingers through Elros' hair.

It seems like an old gesture, somehow. Like he has almost forgotten it, and now it feels strange and familiar all the same. A shudder goes through him as he plays with Elros' hair.

Elrond does not fall asleep for a long time.

#silm fic #my writing #fanfic #silmarillion #maedhros #maglor #elrond #elros #kidnap family #listen. listen. #i don't want them to be happy and functional #they actually deserve to be slightly terrified of each other #i have never been fully nontalking i hope I portrayed this right #usually I still am semitalking when this kind of thing happens #not really happy with everything in this fic but at this point who cares