Found Family Lost by Independence1776  

Found Family Lost

Found

children alone.

Taken into safety.

Dubious safety— but safety.

Beleriand is far from safe.

I didn’t mean to love them.

Nor did they mean to love me.

It happened. People can squabble about how much.

I don’t care. Distant cousins, foster sons, hostages: just

Words that stand for so much and so little simultaneously.

Elrond didn’t know how to respond (politely) when people asked if he was glad to be back among family. He wanted to tell them he’d never not been with family. But they wouldn’t (didn’t want to) understand. His parents were family, despite neither Elros nor he remembering them well. Maglor— and to a lesser extent Maedhros— were adoptive family. Gil-galad was some sort of cousin. Furthermore, Elros and he seemed to be related to almost everyone of importance, Elda or Man! Family was not just blood, though. It was care and love. And he’d never lacked for either with anyone.

One would think leaving had become easier over the years.

It hadn’t. I still knew what I was doing.

I forfeited any right to remain with them

when we went after the Silmarils again.

Love didn’t matter with the oath.

Exile was my only path.

It didn’t matter that

I cherished them.

More family

Lost.