jikan_network | Video, UN: maglor

The absolute worst. [The flat look he gives his brother is ruined a bit by how the corners of his lips are twitching upwards when he can't quite keep an amused smile off his face.]

It was foolish of him, and as much as he came to respect and love Beren afterwards I have not forgotten that he sent him off on that errand hoping he would die. [He scowls.] Who did he hope would serve as his unwitting headsman, I wonder? Morgoth or one of us? Our brothers did wrong by her but Thingol can't really say he treated her that well either when he was the one keeping her from where she wanted to go.

[In Maedhros humble opinion Thingol was a great, big, flaming hypocrite.]

I love you anyway~ [ He carols happily, pleased to have gotten a reaction ]

It was - and while I acknowledge the weight of our own actions, I will never forgive him for deciding to make of us his weapons. That, he had not the right to do! That Luthien's tale was not a tragedy is entirely her own doing and nothing of his.

[ Maglor will help punch Thingol, if ever they meet ]

How generous of you, little brother. [And he gives up on even trying to suppress that smile.]

Our wrongdoings do not erase his own. I won't forgive him either, for all that he decried the bloodshed our oath caused he seemed glad enough to fashion it into a weapon he could wield against Beren. [For he can't have been stupid enough not to know what trying to claim a silmaril for his own would cause.] Did he think that just because someone else would wield the knife that slit Beren's throath that his own hands would remain clean? The hypocrisy of that man...

[Maglor can hold him still while Maedhros does the punching, he hits way harder after all.]

[ Maglor growls lowly at the memory ]

Aye. And I won't forget either that he closed the borders against even the civilians, after the Nirnaeth - to us, I understand. But the civilians! And he dares to name himself King of Beleriand...

[He snorts derisively.]

It is as I said so long ago. He was in truth king of Doriath only, for he lacked the means and will to rule the rest of the land. He was only too proud to admit to it. And his denial of help to those people should make him as much a kinslayer as the rest of us, but perhaps he thinks it is more noble to simply stand aside and let people die than to put them to the sword himself.

You were more a king than he could ever be. [ Maglor grumbles ] Crown or no.

That is one thing I never liked about the Doriathrim - holding their 'clean' hands above us, as if they were somehow better.

[ it is, he knows, one of the reasons why their attack on Doriath did not have as quite as severe repercussions as it ought to have, that there was a great deal of resentment amongst those outside the Fence ]

I'm not so sure about that. But I wasn't the worst lord to serve under. [He can admit to that much at least.] Sometimes a crown can get in the way of what most needs doing.

It was frustrating. Their inaction left enough bodies at their doorstep they almost came close to the numbers outside our own. But I think the thing I can't truly forgive Thingol for was his dereliction of duty. He wanted the authority over all of Beleriand but none of the responsibility that went with it if it meant he'd had to leave the safety of his wife's Girdle.

[You couldn't have one without the other, at least not according to Maedhros. Thingol should have known that being the king meant you no longer belonged solely to yourself and you were beholden to the people you ruled over. All the people you claimed as your own, not only those who asked the least of you.]

You were one of the best. [ Maglor says fondly ] So many flocked to your banner! You were an inspiration to many, you know.

[ Before Doriath, at least ]

So you said, when you gave it up. I would not have supported you, Nelyo, but that I thought you had a point.

[ he hadn't liked it, but he had supported it ]

Aye. A fool indeed he was, and a fool he died.

You are kind to say so. [Even if he doesn't quite agree with it.] I know, there was always a steady stream of peple making their way to Himring to take service with me and it certainly wasn't the weather or the land that attrackted them.

It was true then and it remains true to this day. We could not really afford to have me tied down by a crown back then, even if I hadn't had any other reason to give it up that one still would have forced my hand eventualy. [He knows Maglor hadn't completely agreed with him on that decision but he had appreciated his support nonetheless.]

He was. And a shortsighted one as well. That war would have come to his doorstep sooner or later. Melian was powerful, yes, but what would have happened once Morgoth turned his full attention to dealing with Doriath? Would she have been able to keep him out indefinitely? I don't think she would have been able to if it had come to that. For a time, perhaps, but not forever.

I don't have to like it to agree. [ grumble ] And Uncle was a good king, it is true.

Better by far than Thingol. [ Fingon, too, but Maglor won't bring up his cousin ]

I doubt he thought that far ahead - tis true that the Girdle was strong, but I, too, doubt Melian could have held indefinitely.

I would never ask you to like all my decisions. [He looks almost amused when he says it.] The best king we could have asked for at the time.

Of course he was, it isn't like that's a very hard standard to meet. [Better not, it would just make him sad.]

One of his biggest faults that. Even if Melian could have held the Girdle until the end of time it still would have been prudent of him to plan for the possibility of it falling or someone circumventing it.

Oh good. [ He retorts cheerfully and hums acknowledgement ]

True. But I think you made the right choice, Nelyo. As hard as it was to bear at the time, I think it was the right one.

Mm, He wasn't very good at looking ahead in general, really....

It would be terribly naive of me to expect that. [With how stubborn and recalcitrant as his brothers could be at times he'd never expect them to be happy with all his decisions.]

It wasn't a choice I made lightly, I know some of our brothers believe I did so but it was a choice that needed to be made. The sooner that I did so the more room I had to actually make some demands for our rights as well. I didn't leave us completely powerless.

He was an arrogant fool.

You set us up remarkably well, although I doubt some of our brothers realised that.

Arrogant, short-sighted... [ He shakes his head ] I can't understand why anyone thought him a good king, especially towards the end. Perhaps in early days but...

They likely didn't realize how many people wanted nothing more than to see their heads mounted on spikes. Willingly ceding the crown gave me some room to actually negotiate for forgiveness for our family. [And looking as wretched as he did at the time had helped him buy some additional sympathy. It had probably been a bit manipulative on his part to use his torture in such a way, but there was very little he wouldn't do for the sake of his brothers wellbeing.]

Most of them had only ever known one king for their entire life. [And that king was Thingol. Those that had followed Denethor was not as fond of Thingol as those who had never left Doriath.] And most people don't want to see the less admirable sides of someone they've always held in such high regards.

[ He winces ] That... well. That's true. [ Not that they COULDN'T pay attention to what other people wanted, but... ]

Hmph. That might be true, but that they STILL uphold him is... irritating. [ to put it mildly ]

I'm glad I had something to bargain with. They didn't make it very easy to endear them to uncles people, perhaps if they had actually shown some remorse or made apologies without being prompted... [But his little brothers were proud and didn't much like to admit to being in the wrong.]

I agree with you, but... there's not much to do about it. They've already decided Thingol didn't have any hand in how things became as bad as they did and that all fault lies solely on our shoulders.

I don't think Curufin ever said sorry for anything in his life...

[ He makes a face and sighs ]

Fools, all of them.

Not to my recollection... [He pauses for a bit.] Unless he had something to gain by it.

[He shakes his head.]

There were entirely too many fools running around back then.

True enough. Or our parents made him.

[ Although even they stopped being able to gain such obedience eventually ]

Ourselves not the least. [ He sighs ] But I wish...

[ No point in wishing, he knows. But still... ]

That as well. He could be so very stubborn at times.

[Curvo had hated nothing more than being wrong, no matter how small a thing he had been wrong about.]

And me the biggest fool of all. [he let's out a brief humorless laugh.] I should have known better than to hope.

Well, that's true of all of us, but it's true Curvo was... rather moreso than most.

[ Maglor wonders now if it would have been kinder to name him something else ]

No, never, I won't hear you call yourself that. You were our leader, Nelyo. Our King without a Crown - who else needed to hold that hope for all of us?

That is so, our whole family was as stubborn as a pack of mules at the best of times.

[It would probably have been better if one of their parents didn't give him a name that didn't point out his likeness to their father.]

And yet all I ever led you to was ruin. Maybe if I had been less stubborn I could have found a better way, or been wise enough to see that it was a lost cause.

I suppose we came by it honestly, at least.

[ It probably would have helped the daddy complex... ]

You led nowhere I did not choose to follow. I understood, Nelyo, why you could not bear to stop.

I don't think anyone could claim otherwise.

[Maybe it would have given him more room to be his own person instead of trying to be their father.]

But I was the oldest, I should have known better.

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