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Glorfindel stood on the deck of the ship. He was aware of the bustling of the busy mariners around him, but what held his attention was the silent presence in the back.
The one he tried to speak to, before they left Valinor, and again once on the ship, but who was avoiding him with absolutely unbelievable and mildly irritating skill.
He knew who the other was.
He knew grossly where to find him.
He also knew the other would slip away to another part of the ship if he so much as threatened to look his way.
It was getting ridiculous.
Glorfindel had volunteered to come.
Alright so his choice was more along the lines of: 'the Valar want you to go, will you obey their call, yes or no'.
But he could have said no when he learnt who he would be returning with. And he said yes. So the other had no reason to avoid him.
"Still no luck, hm?" The captain of the ship asked him.
Glorfindel grunted for all answer. It wasn't very polite, sure, but he was NOT in the mood.
"The kid is afraid of you."
Glorfindel sighed.
"I know. But I don't blame him for the fall of the city, and we have a lot of work in front of us."
"Oh?"
"Don't mistake me. His obsession with Idril was disturbing. And his behaviour in general was concerning. But I can acknowledge that he was left alone. No one noticed when he was taken and tortured. No one noticed when he changed afterward. And Tuor came to us with a warning that we didn't heed. If we had listened and all acted in consequences, if we hadn't isolated Maeglin for various reasons... If we had just noticed..."
Silence fell between them.
"Maeglin has his faults, that he'll have to work on because if I ever see him creep on someone else like he did on Idril, he'll meet with my wrath. But the fall of Gondolin, the fall of our city wasn't solely his responsibility. I will not attack him or blame him for it. It's just too easy to say that one should have resisted torture when you're yourself safe with the knowledge you never will be in that same spot. I won't play that game."
"Some still say that it was my fault." A small, tired voice said, behind him on the deck.
Glorfindel blinked and turned.
"Did you chose to be tortured?"
"What? No!"
"Look, you're here with me for a reason right? What is it?"
"Keeping me away from those I wronged who were reborn in Valinor and yet under the watch of someone who can kill me, I guess?"
Glorfindel snorted.
"Maeglin, I've been asked by the Valar to go back to Middle Earth in order to help the people there to fight against Sauron who escaped punishment so far. If you think I'll have time to babysit you, you are sadly mistaken. I have neither that will nor that sort of time. So what did the Valar said when they told you they wanted to send you with me?"
Maeglin looked at him quietly and sighed, his body relaxing slightly.
"They said... Sauron is a maia that belongs to Aulë. There're sending one of Aulë's maiar, but an elven smith from the First Age might not be too much to help, if only to bridge the gap between maia and elves. More so if they're sending an elf that already met Sauron once and might recognise him again even if he tries to hide. That if I was willing I might... pay my wereguild to the world this way."
Glorfindel nodded.
"I just... Turgon will not forgive me. He pretty much said it when we met in Mandos. So I thought..."
"Whether he does or not isn't your problem. Our king is pretty attached to the Laws of the Valar. So long the Valar will stand against revenge, Turgon will do nothing against you. Valinor is wide, Once this quest of ours is over, you'll find a place for yourself." Glorfindel looked amused a moment. "And perhaps even in Aulë's forges, if the Valar are willing to trust you here on the basis that you're a good smith."
Maeglin looked thoughtful at that.
"You really think so." He mused, looking at Glorfindel dead on.
Glorfindel nodded: "The Valar are many things, deeply skilled in their own domain, powerful, mildly arrogant perhaps, blind to evil... But one thing that they're not is treacherous. They are honest. I know you've never met them before, but if they said that they're sending you because a smith of the First Age might be useful? Then it's because they think that a smith of the First Age might be useful and it's all there is to it."
Maeglin looked startled, and looked away at the large expense of the sea in front of them.
"The maiar on board are creeping me out." Maeglin confided in Glorfindel who snorted.
"The maiar on board are also creeping me out but I knew at least one of them in Valinor and he was not so bad. He's just remarkably unsubtle."
Maeglin sighed.
"Well... I'm here anyway. I suppose... that it would be too much trouble to try to avoid you until our duty is over... And anyone else possibly offended by my general existence is either dead or in Valinor by now."
"That's the spirit." Glorfindel nodded.
Maeglin looked at him with piercing eyes. Glorfindel felt the weight of that gaze.
"What?"
"I don't understand you. I understand those who hate me. I understand those who are angry at me. But you? You make no sense."
Glorfindel tilted his head to the side.
"The past proved that everyone will break under torture. I won't blame you for that. I still hold that your behaviour when Idril was concerned was far more concerning than the fact you betrayed us to Morgoth."
Maeglin winced and cleared his throat.
"I... Have no excuse for my behavior against Idril. Mandos showed me... I became as bad as my father once was in the process. Mom was... Pretty angry at that. It's. It's not a behaviour that I will repeat."
"Good."
"So. Hm. What is the plan?"
"Get to Middle-Earth, meet with the king of the Noldor there, and see what's happening." Glorfindel shrugged "There's not much we can do or plan without information that we don't currently have."
Maeglin nodded and stepped closer, leaning against the railing near the other elf.
He took a deep breath.
"So a new chance to prove myself."
"Take it this way, keep my warning in mind... And hopefully we can help the people of Middle-Earth and Numenor fight against Sauron's cruelty." Glorfindel nodded.
Maeglin nodded, breathing. The work ahead would be hard. But perhaps. Perhaps just this once... Things might go well... And he could prove he was worth something. And perhaps he could even... Take his revenge on his torturer in the process...
He looked at Glorfindel quietly. Would the golden elf let him get his revenge if he got the chance? He tilted his head. Probably not. Perhaps he should keep that wish for himself for the time being.