Letters to Maedhros

My dear brother,

I hope you are doing well. Following Atar’s death, I find myself in the position of having to watch over our younger brothers, and they aren’t behaving as well as they should. I have been silenced for so long that I have no idea when I shall be able to write again.

I am sorry that I haven’t come for you yet. Perhaps I shall manage it in a few weeks. It could be a nice little trip.

Love,

Maglor

Maedhros,

Maglor has gone insane now that you’re gone. Or perhaps he has always been like this, but you kept us from becoming aware of it. He has hidden himself away in his room, not writing music, not singing, simply staring. He regrets letting you go alone.

I miss you too, of course. But he’s hidden himself in the idea that one day you will be back, whole and safe. I have my doubts about that. Forgive me, brother. I’ve failed you. But I must stay here and keep Maglor from doing something stupid – I can’t lose Atar, you, and him.

Your brother until the end,

Celegorm

Dear Maedhros,

You have to always be stupidly noble, don’t you? It’s one of your more disagreeable habits, this insistence on keeping your honor. We’re all doomed now, we’ve been doomed since the Valar let Grandfather remarry, and set us all on this path! But you, you utter fool, you had to go to meet Morgoth’s troops, and you took troops with you, but he took more. And you would be better off dead, if he has you. But you won’t die, you’re too stubborn and noble, and you’ll think of us and refuse to die because it would hurt us! And you don’t realize that the thought of you in such torment…

Apologies. It’s not like you’ll ever read this, though, so I’m not sure why I bothered. I don’t apologize.

Caranthir

Nelyo,

We – that is, Celegorm and I – are doing our best to keep everything under control while you’re gone. It’s impossible though, what with all the people who want Maglor to rule. But he’s gone too, in a different way. It scares me, brother. He reminds of how people described Miriel being before her death. Sad and diminishing to nothing. The idea of that being Maglor’s fate…and so soon after Ata. Why must this happen?

My regrets that I haven’t done as well as you would have – though, if you ever tell anybody that I said that, I will hurt you.

Sincerily,

Curufin

Russandol,

They say that Maglor is mad now. He’s not insane, not any more than I am. You and he were close. He regrets the role that he thinks he played in your imprisonment, just as I regret my part in Amras’ death. I miss him. Maglor and I are both lost without our brothers. He’s not mad when he talks of going on vacation to meet you. It would be a vacation for him, if rescuing you made the ghosts retreat from him. Amras hasn’t left me alone since his death, did you know? He always there, lurking in a corner, waiting for me to acknowledge him. But when I turn to him, he disappears. Maglor sees the same thing now, though he sees you with Amras. So perhaps he is a bit more insane than me, but really, who is to say that you two are not really haunting us? You two are the sons of the Spirit of Fire, and surely such spirits couldn’t be forced from this land.

Sorry I can’t catch you two before you disappear.

Amrod