Life, Like a Face Between Your Palms by gaydhros
Fanwork Notes
Written for Elanna_Elrondiel's beautiful artwork, Heavy is The Crown! This piece got me so inspired I ended up writing the longest thing I've ever written and my first proper multichapter narrative, something that some may call an insane choice given the time constraints of TRSB, but I say who cares, my hubris has been vindicated 🙂↕️ Thank you Elanna for creating such a beautiful piece, and for being such a delight to work with this summer! Huge (and I mean huge) thanks also to Elronds_Library and jauneclair for their invaluable beta feedback and for putting up with me really getting down to the wire trying to get this finished on time lmao. You are both shining stars. MWAH.
Any names for non-canon characters in this fic are taken from Chestnut_pod's invaluable Elvish Name List.
Any content warnings will be included in the chapter notes at the beginning of the relevant chapter. This fic uses footnotes in some places to add additional information or provide context on the choices being made; alas, I don't know how to make the page jump back and forth on SWG like I've set it up to do on AO3, so you can either just scroll down to the end chapter notes when you see a footnote in the text and then scroll back up, or feel free to just read the footnotes at the end of each chapter for added context :)
Disclaimer that while I try very hard to know what the fuck I'm talking about, there are times when I, alas, have no idea what the fuck I'm talking about. This fic is mostly canon compliant to the best of my knowledge, excepting some places where I've taken a few minor liberties (which I've mostly made note of). I've also done my best with the feudal system and the general structure of the worldbuilding, but this is so very far from my area of expertise, so if this is something you happen to know a lot about please excuse any minor inaccuracies or improbabilities.
Title is taken from the poem The Thing Is by Ellen Bass. I won't include the full text of it here, but I highly recommend going to read it because I do think it aligns nicely with the overall tone of the fic.
Enjoy! <3
- Fanwork Information
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Summary:
Fingon understood that hope was a choice. It was careful and deliberate, and it was hard, and the times when having hope seemed the most impossible were the times one had to choose it over and over again, every second of every day. This was the fundamental truth at the core of Fingon’s beliefs, the centre around which he understood the world and his place in it.
Very seldom did he waver in this conviction more than he did in the months following the Dagor Bragollach.
***
Fingon inherits the crown. Maedhros comes to Barad Eithel in the hour of his grief. Together, they figure out a way to move forward.
Major Characters: Fingon, Maedhros
Major Relationships: Fingon/Maedhros, Fingolfin & Fingon
Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Challenges:
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Character Death, Sexual Content (Graphic), Violence (Mild)
Chapters: 12 Word Count: 38, 665 Posted on Updated on This fanwork is complete.
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Table of Contents
The Siege is broken. In the fallout of the Dagor Bragollach, Fingon begins to fear for his father.
Content warnings for this chapter: Themes of suicide, death, animal death
Fingon endures.
Content warnings for this chapter: Brief allusions to past cannibalism on the Helcaraxë
Fingon breaks, with Maedhros there to catch him.
Content warnings for this chapter: Explicit sexual content, dubious consent
Maedhros muses on Fingolfin's fall, and on what it means to be there for someone in their grief.
Content warnings for this chapter: Themes of suicide, references to past torture
Fingon is forced to finally rest.
A conversation, and a bath.
A glorious fight, and a glorious fuck. After all this time, Maedhros-and-Fingon are still Maedhros-and-Fingon, for better and for worse.
Content warnings for this chapter: Canon-typical violence, explicit sexual content, references to past sexual assault
Maedhros and Fingon have the fight they have been avoiding. Both of them are right, and both of them are wrong. Maedhros has a discussion with Gwánthon.
Content warnings for this chapter: References to past torture
As Fingon falls back into the work of kingship, the time soon comes for Maedhros to return to Himring. On the eve of his departure, he comes to Fingon in the throne room.
Content warnings for this chapter: Moderately explicit sexual content
A year passes, and the day of Fingon's coronation draws near. Finrod arrives to the festivities fashionably early. Maedhros is very, very late.
The High King is crowned. A door is cracked open.
A conversation, centuries overdue, is had at last.
Content warnings for this chapter: Explicit sexual content
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