Ghîvashel

Ceramics ist Krieg, Helena Hauss

"That ring was a part of me that I now lack. I'm incomplete because of its loss." Mairon looked troubled. "I know... I know a full blown war wasn't necessary, but why did they have to take it away in the first place? It's mine, it's me."

"That ring was a part of me that I now lack. I'm incomplete because of its loss." Mairon looked troubled. "I know... I know a full blown war wasn't necessary, but why did they have to take it away in the first place? It's mine, it's me."

"That ring was a part of me that I now lack. I'm incomplete because of its loss." Mairon looked troubled. "I know... I know a full blown war wasn't necessary, but why did they have to take it away in the first place? It's mine, it's me."

"That ring was a part of me that I now lack. I'm incomplete because of its loss." Mairon looked troubled. "I know... I know a full blown war wasn't necessary, but why did they have to take it away in the first place? It's mine, it's me."

“You won’t lose me, you know that. Despite… despite what happened before, we’re together now, and we won’t be separated again.” He stood and walked to the sink, and while he was wobbly on his feet, he got there without falling.

The Maia began organizing his notes and equipment. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, so you can talk about this." Cadeyrn shut the door behind himself, leaving the lords alone.

Mairon stared at his hands on his lap, gaze unblinking. How could this have happened? He did not know how to feel, and the uncertainty led to fear and confusion. The last time this had happened it had been followed by a great tragedy. It had brought so much pain upon him and he feared something similar would happen this time. He closed and opened his hands, repeating the movement a few times before looking up at Melkor, utterly lost.

"That ring was a part of me that I now lack. I'm incomplete because of its loss." Mairon looked troubled. "I know... I know a full blown war wasn't necessary, but why did they have to take it away in the first place? It's mine, it's me."

Mairon sneered at himself, staring at the dusty ground of the tent he was kept in. The war had been lost, the Ring destroyed and, oddly, he was still alive and breathing, albeit barely, especially after the beatings he had been dealt. 

He sat chained from head to toe. Apparently, despite his lack of strength, the men and elves did not trust him, and they were wise to do so. 

He sucked in a small breath, flinching in pain when his lungs expanded and, in turn, now every bit of his body hurt with the injuries he focused on forgetting for so long. 

Faintly, Mairon heard his guards’ voices speaking to someone outside, followed by said someone entering the tent, but he barely cared, and kept his gaze down. 

“Glad you accept. I’d hate to have someone rotting in my dungeons when they can offer so much. A small act of redemption, perhaps, to help those that have suffered more from these ages of wars? But you’ll do well to remember that I’m no saint, nor naive. The moment I see you misbehave, you’re back here forever. That is the deal”

And once more, the Elvenking smiled with amusement. “I would not have you call me that, no, even if the thought is very tempting. I would not put myself above you, as a higher being by nature; I respect that, no matter who you are and what you’ve done” he said. “However, when people are around, do avoid calling me by my name. Very, very few people have that privilege and I’d hate to give people the impression I’m growing soft” he informed. “I’ll let you figure out how this will work. For now, I’ll ask a room to be prepared for you. Once ready, you’ll be escorted there, take your time to rest and clean yourself. Tomorrow, we may begin”

He nodded in understanding of Thranduil's demands. "I understand having a former enemy calling you by name in your halls might be... confusing to your people. That raises a question, however. How may I call you?"

"Sounds like a lovely plan for the evening. Dining is always pleasant, and I have been in worse situations with enemies, besides, I never hated you, nor do I see you as an enemy now." Mairon shot him a small smile.

[Send me an emoji for a starter @caladcyll reborn probably? Or with full memories?]

😇 - Our muses meet in the afterlife.

Melkor could not believe he was still alive. The Void was was exactly what people said it was: cold, black, silent. Yet, Melkor knew he was alive and out of nowhere, he was pulled back to the Halls of Mandos.

“It is a gift from Eru that you are alive again” she explained. “You would return without them, with the prospect of not following that path again. We chose to tell you, we wanted to tell you from the very beginning. But we were told not to. It could hurt you, when you were younger. You needed to mature, to grow to your full strength. This is why we tell you now. You are not a broken toy and no one wants to play around with you, my child. We’re trying to void out mistakes from the past. We’re trying to protect you”

"You cannot claim to protect me when for years you purposefully imprisoned me in ignorance. You all kept me from myself and my truth, treated like a prized pet. Years forced into a life of lies, forced to be someone I never was!" He straightened himself, posture tense and chin held high. He looked older now, the weight of ages of a forgotten life setting heavily on his shoulders. Mairon's eyes were darker, deeper, full of new damning knowledge and a burning anger.

"If these lies are the gift Eru has so graciously given me, then I do not want it."