#566 - Unholy - A Different Rescue - ladybrooke - The Silmarillion

[ladybrooke]

Title: A Different Rescue
Fandom: The Silmarillion
Prompt: 566 - Unholy
Warnings/Notes: Canon-Divergent AU
Rating: K
Summary: The eagles do not come to help Fingon rescue Maedhros. Someone else does, however.

Fingon closed his eyes and wanted to sink to the ground.

He could not slay Maedhros. But was it worse to leave him living here, with no chance of rescue? The Valar would not hear either of their cries, and there was no way for him to climb the cliff and free him.

“Why do you remain here, elf?”

He heard Maedhros yell from the cliff (and that was so like Maedhros, to try and fight even while chained) and clasped a hand on his knife as he turned.

A vampire leaned against the side of one of the openings at the bottom of the cliff, staring at him.

“Well?”

Belatedly he realized that she was still waiting for an answer.  He knew the logical thing would be to try and kill her, before she could kill him. This was likely some trick of Morgoth’s, and yet he felt compelled to answer her.

“Because I wish to rescue him,” he finally said.

“Do you really? And what if he isn’t the same as you remember him being?” She walked closer to the cave’s entrance, still staring at him. “What if Morgoth has changed him?”

Fingon glanced up at Maedhros, who was watching them and still yelling.

“I do not care. I do not expect him to be the same, because none of us are the same.”

“Why not?”

“Because death has a way of doing that, and betrayal, but I came all this way knowing that he went on the ships and at best stood aside while they were burned and I lost my brother’s wife and my brother’s trust because of that,” Fingon said. “But I still wish to rescue him, because I love him.”

“You’ll need to wait until dark, than,” she said.

“Why?” He squeezed his hands into fists at the thought of Maedhros waiting even longer, before forcing himself to relax.

“Do you have some way to get up there yourself?” she asked.

“If I did, I would have already climbed up there myself.”

“I know.” She walked back into the cave. “Come. Not all the way in, because I know your cousin will panic, but it will stop you from being seen by anyone out there. Once dark falls, I will help you make your way up there to rescue him.”

“Why should I trust you to do that?” he asked.

“Do you know where most of us came from?” she asked in return.

Fingon shook his head.

“The Dark Lord captured most of his original servants from elves, from before the Valar arrived, as we marched towards the ships that were supposed to carry us to Valinor, and once those of us that remained settled in Doriath.” She held up a necklace from a small hole in the wall. “My brother gave this to me before we were captured. He died. I didn’t, but nobody came for me, and I will not be accepted if I return. You came for him, so I will help you rescue him.”

Fingon walked into the cave.

When night fell, they made their way to Maedhros.