bythewaves | IC inbox (Drift Fleet)

[With most of their more pressing problems being tended to, Sorey decides to finally face the one he's been most reluctant to address.]

...Maglor, do you have a moment to talk?

Sorey? [ Surprised ]

Aye, I do. Do you wish me to come to you?

If it's not too much trouble. I'm in engineering.

Of course, I will be right there.

[ Maglor will be there in short order! ]

Sorey?

I'm over here, just a sec, [Sorey calls from where he's buried in a half-disassembled engine. He extracts himself from the belly of the ship, stepping over a bundle of tubing and snagging a rag to wipe his hands down with.] Thanks for coming so abruptly. How're your wounds? How's Fingon?

[ Maglor runs a hand along the engine, humming softly to it, coaxingly. He isn't his father, but he can hear enough to know where it labors, where he might encourage slightly.

He shakes his head a little and smiles at Sorey ]

I am well enough, thank you, Sorey. I was not busy. Fingon heals well, with thanks!

Great, I'm glad to hear it. [There are too many healers on board for any of their crew to be injured for days, after all.

Sorey gestures to his toolbox for Maglor to sit, turning over a bucket to sit on that as well.] We didn't get a lot of time to talk when it came up, so I wanted to see if we could discuss what happened in the cargo bay.

[ Maglor smiles a little ]

We heal fast - I do wish Mikleo had not felt the need to waste his energy on us, but I am grateful, as I do not particularly enjoy being injured, either.

[ He sighs softly and settles nearby ]

I do not understand. [ He murmurs softly ] We were... I was only trying to keep you all safe.

Yeah. [Sorey huffs and wrings his hands around the rag, agitated.] That's why I left it up to all of you to decide without trying harder to force anything. None of you wanted or expected the outcome we got, right?

No. I wanted them gone, before they could do more harm. They had already threatened Sora. I had not anticipated their response - forgive me, usually, I can see further ahead than that, but the Songs of this world are not my own.

[Sorey frowns down at his toes.]

...you guys were all talking about them being evil, and showing no mercy and things like that. It felt extreme to Mikleo and I, but I'm sure you have your reasons. Can you share them with me?

[ Maglor sighs softly ]

To understand you must understand something of our history. Sorey, we have been at war against our Enemy since the very earliest days of our existance as a people. Grandfather is one of the Unbegotten, the very first elves who awoke beneath the stars, to a world new and, so they thought, beautiful. But it was also a world full of peril, for within the first years of their existence, people started to vanish. Grandfather does not speak of those days, but our histories tell us that they spoke of a Dark Shadow, of claws in the night, and those who vanished were never seen again - but, slowly, monsters began to appear. Monsters who sometimes had the faces of those taken. And so we knew that we were hunted.

Grandfather and his friends, those who would become the Kings of the Vanyar and the Teleri, they led us to Valinor, to where they thought we would be safe. Not all of our people went with them, but many did, tired of living in fear. And we were safe, for a long time. That was where I was born, behind the fence of the Valar. But even into paradise, evil came, stealing in as a supposed friend, a penitent. We lost grandfather to the Shadow, and now, he had a name. Melkor, He Who Arises in Might, the first of the Powers, and the greatest, now fallen. Father named him anew Morgoth, the Dark Foe of the World, and although much of what happened during that time was Father's madness, this much is true - that we hate him who has pursued us from our beginnings, and who is the source of all the woes of the world.

For Arda was meant to be a Paradise, Sorey - not just Aman, blessed and guarded, but all of our world. But what Morgoth could not have he destroyed, and his power is so infused in our world now that it is Arda Marred, and to destroy him is to destroy the world itself. He took our people and warped them into the orcs. He took Men and made of them slaves and armies, cowing them and promising them impossible power. He bred dragons and of those who followed him he birthed the Balrogs, demons of Fire and Shadow.

And we have been fighting him ever since, although it is a losing battle. We have all of us lost lands, lost those who followed us, lost family. Fingon lost his father in single combat with Morgoth, and was himself... will be, I suppose, from his time, killed by Balrogs, after I was betrayed my the Men in my army who broke oath to me for Morgoth. So you see, we learnt long ago that our Enemy would show us no mercy, that they would betray us at the slightest opportunity, and the kindest thing we could offer them in turn was to kill them, and swiftly. We are all of us killers, Sorey. Maedhros and I... we are the last of our family saving only Finrod's sister, who survived the bitter wars before the Valar at last threw Morgoth out of Arda, although they cannot change what has already been broken. Maedhros is... neither of us are particularly sane, any more. But Maedhros... Morgoth tortured him, Sorey. He was trying to turn him into an orc. You saw his temper - he was never like that before. But he cannot stand it, to see those he considers his to be threatened. And he is proud, still, so proud, he who was once High King, although he yieled crown and birthright to father's brother, and hence, to Fingon. But Maehdros was always a protector. He will do anything if he thinks it will keep you all safe. Even damn himself.

And so will I.

[That is...an awful lot to take in, but honestly listening to Maglor is sometimes like reading an old, complex text. Sorey pays close attention, memorizes what he hears for later, deeper perusal. That part about their kind being taken and twisted sure explains the hell out of why they'd reacted so intensely to the thought of Sora being carried off. They probably all had flashbacks.]

...thank you for telling me that. I think I understand better now.

I still can't agree with your methods, but I think if this comes up again we'll be able to talk properly, instead of just yelling at each other.

[ Maglor smiles tiredly at him ]

I am sorry we hurt you. [ He says softly ]

But we were only trying to keep you safe.

I understand. [Sorey sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair.] Don't get me wrong; we've seen those things before. Mikleo and I, we're not strangers to the kind of tactics you used, even if we haven't used them ourselves.

Back home, our purpose is to clean up after those tactics are used. Killing people, however justified, desecrating bodies, acting out of anger or revenge, [which maybe the elves have said isn't what they did but he'd seen Maedhros, he'd seen the hatred in his eyes,] those things turn people into monsters.

By defying you we were trying to keep all of you safe.

I know.

[ Maglor murmurs softly ]

But we are all so old, Sorey, and so tired of watching things we love burn. I am sorry we hurt you.

You should talk with a friend of mine, [Sorey says placidly, neatly sidestepping the opportunity to immediately forgive rather than denying it outright.] His name is Zaveid. He's much closer to your age than mine, but he's been traveling with Mikleo and I for a while so he knows us pretty well. Maybe you'll find some common ground with him.

I do not think any of your firends would talk to us. [ Maglor murmurs softly ]

Not right now, I think, perhaps never. Mikleo is very angry - I have asked if he would prefer us to leave.

Oh, you shouldn't do that, [Sorey warns mildly.] If you'd all like to leave because you're uncomfortable around us that's fine, but don't go because Mikleo's mad. That won't anybody any good.

He is the Captain of this ship. To stay when you are all angry...surely it will be too uncomfortable.

Mikleo isn't Captain because he asked- Look, just trust me on this. If you leave he's going to get really, really mad. He won't chase anybody down or anything but it'll put a huge dent into any possibility of making up with him.

He has already sent me away. [ Maglor points out doubtfully ]

If he cannot bear to even speak to me, then what good is us staying?

Well, he's angry. But he won't be angry forever. [Sorey tilts his head, smile unsure.] Are you worried about him hating you?

[ Maglor shrugs a little ]

I am used to being hated. [ He says slowly ] If... it helps him I do not mind. But ... it was my suggestion. He... I would that he forgives my kin.

Yeah, he definitely won't do that as a favor to anybody. Especially if they don't try to talk to him on their own. [Sorey sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair.] Mikleo can get really hot under the collar, but he calms down soon enough so long as something else doesn't happen to make him angry. Honestly if you just give it a little time, he'll be a lot more open to talking to you.

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