Auld Acquaintance - Romantic Partners Version by Susana_R  

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Chapter 1

Quotes:

Excerpt from the Lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns: 

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?

   

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

  

And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

---

Second Day afternoon found Maedhros comfortably ensconced on a window seat as he read a book on Numenorean history. The tome had been a gift from Elrond. 

The long window seat was in a back parlor. Its wide windows overlooked a creek with a little waterfall. This had become Maedhros’ favorite room in the cottage they were staying at in the Glade of the Re-embodied. 

Maedhros spent much of his free time reading. More of his time was spent with Este’s Maiar and various healers (each one vigorously vetted by Elrond). When Maedhros wasn’t with healers or reading, he was going for ‘gentle’ walks or swims in the vast Lorien Gardens.

He was never alone, not unless he wanted to be. Fingon kept him company, or Elrond, or any one of several dozen family members and old friends who had come to visit him. Maedhros (and Maglor and the Ambarussa) had been informed while they were still in the Halls of Mandos that there were many who eagerly awaited their Rebirth. But it had still been a far kinder reception from a greater number of people than Maedhros had expected. Maglor maintained that he was unsurprised, of course.

The sound of the outer door opening from the other side of the cottage interrupted Maedhros’ ruminations. It was followed by Fingon's sunny query, “Where are you, Maedhros?”

"In the back sitting room, Fingon," Maedhros called back, without looking up from his book 

"This way," Maedhros heard Fingon say to someone else, as he and his companion walked from the entry way towards the back parlor.

"I have someone I'd like you to meet, my Bright Flame," announced Fingon. 

Maedhros put his book down, startled. This would be the first 'new' person he'd been introduced to since his Rebirth last week. Well, except for one of every flavor of healer that the Lorien gardens had to offer.    

Fingon smiled upon seeing Maedhros, even though he’d only been gone an hour. 

Maedhros couldn’t help but smile back, despite the audience.

The elf who accompanied Fingon had white-blond hair. His watchful eyes were the playful blue-green of shallow tropical seas. He was nearly as tall as Maedhros and nearly as broad across the shoulders as Fingon. He moved like a skilled warrior, and he wore a sword belt and bore a pearl-handled dagger.  

Gesturing to the newcomer, Fingon announced in a pleased tone of voice, “This is Captain Fealasso, formerly a commander in Olwe's peacekeeping force, in Alqualonde.”

Fealasso favored Maedhros with a kind smile, “You probably don't remember me, Master Scholar Maedhros.”

"Just Maedhros," Maedhros corrected, as he tilted his head in thought. Fealosso’s accent said Alqualonde, specifically the harbor district. He sounded well-educated, so he was perhaps a ship officer’s son. But his accent also had a gloss of Beleriand, primarily the Isle of Balar. Along with just the very faintest hint of . . .  Angband?

After a few moments, Maedhros slowly recollected, "You were one of the youths in the well. In Angband, just after the end of the War of Wrath. You were the one keeping the other lad's head above water. Even though the orcs who had thrown you both down the well before they fled had broken one of your legs." Elrond and Elros had recognized Fealasso. They had been shaken by how badly he’d been treated. Maedhros and Elros had needed to stop Elrond from exhausting his healing magic, trying to help Fealasso.  

Fealasso himself sounded both surprised and gratified as he confirmed, "Yes. The Host of the Valar would never have found us so deep within Angband. Not before we'd drowned, at least. So, I am grateful that you led King Finarfin and his healers down into the fortress. I am thankful that you also knew where the winch was located, to send soldiers down to help us get out of the fouled water." 

"I am glad that I was able to be of assistance." 

"There were dozens of us prisoners whom you helped, that day. More, in the several days which followed, before Morgoth’s fortress became too unstable for further rescues." 

Maedhros had almost forgotten about that. Maybe it was a mercy. He'd been terrified, being back in Angband. And then what had happened afterward – his confrontation with Eonwe, leading to his decision to lead the Fourth Kinslaying – had been even more awful.

He must have gotten lost in those difficult memories, because Fingon prompted, "Maedhros?" He looked mildly concerned. 

"Be at ease, my Valiant Eagle," Maedhros reassured his lover. "Healer Thangur and Elrond both tell me that it is normal for the recently Returned to become lost in thought. They advised me to expect this to last for several more weeks, at least." 

"Ah. I'd forgotten that, from when I was Reborn back in the early Second Age." 

"Understandable," Maedhros told him. Turning his attention to Fealasso, he apologized, "I beg your pardon for my poor attention, Captain Fealasso. It is an honor to meet someone who showed so much bravery and kindness, even in the midst of his own torment."

"It is an honor to meet you too, Sir." 

"Just Maedhros." 

"Maedhros, then," accepted Fealasso, with a charmingly crooked smile. 

Fingon clapped Fealasso on the shoulder as he cheerfully informed Maedhros, "Fealasso here is the captain of your bodyguards. They will keep you safe during the community service you’ve volunteered to do in Alqualonde and Tol Eressea."

Maedhros closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled for patience. 

"I know, I know," teased Fingon, "if an angry elf wants to hurt you or even kill you, you were just planning to let them." 

"Fingon." 

"So I made other plans for you." 

"Fingon." 

"You wouldn't want some poor, angry elf to become a Kinslayer on your behalf, now would you?" 

"Fingon, be reasonable." 

"Olwe thinks that bodyguards for you are an excellent idea. He helped me pick Fealasso. Elrond helped, too." 

"I appreciate the kind thought for my welfare which all three of you have expended, but . . ." 

"You may not know this," Fingon confided chattily, "But Fealasso is Elrond's foster-brother Ereinion's brother-by-law." 

"That's very interesting, thank you for sharing. But Fingon, while King Olwe might think a bodyguard detachment for me is a good idea, I doubt that it will be popular with his people." 

Fingon’s expression grew unaccustomedly stern, "Fealasso and the five bodyguards under his command are not optional for you, my Bright Flame. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Maedhros accused him with a wry smile. 

"No, I'm not," Fingon jovially confessed. He now seemed smugly confident of his eventual victory.  

This gave Maedhros pause. Fingon was usually right to be confident, when he wore that expression on his face.

Maedhros sighed, "Fingon, I understand that you are foolishly fond of me. I gather that you are deriving some joy from mousetrapping me. But what you may not have considered is that you are doing an unkindness to poor Fealasso. The task you have assigned him will make him unpopular amongst his own people.”  

Fealasso cleared his throat and interrupted for the first time, “I volunteered, actually.”  

Maedhros stared at him in disbelief, "In Eru's name, why? You owe me nothing. Anyone would have done what I did."

With a shake of his head and an incredulous smile, Fealasso challenged, “There were how many former thralls in the Allied Armies?”  

“I am not entirely sure.”  

“Uh-huh. And how many of them went back into Angband?”  

“At least five, from my own army companies," Maedhros countered. Although two of them had needed to turn around and leave Angband promptly after entering, because they had started panicking. Something for which Maedhros had not blamed them in the slightest.  

“I will take your word for that, Maedhros," replied Fealasso. "You were the only one I ever heard about, though. King Finarfin told me that you put a tack inside your right bracer, with the sharp side right up against your skin. Healer Thangur said that you did that to help you control your panic and stay in the present. Neither of them realized that you had done so. Not until your party left the fortress that last day, and Finarfin saw the blood dripping off your wrist.”

“The way that this tale was passed on to you makes it sound far more dramatic than it really was,” Maedhros cautioned.  

Fealasso smiled again, “Your uncle and Healer Thangur both told me that you would say that.”  

Maedhros tried something else, “If you think that you owe me anything, then please reconsider this whole rash idea.”

At this, Fingon walked over to carefully and slowly lay his hand on Maedhros’ shoulder, “If it makes this any easier for you, Maedhros, then you may consider accepting the company of Fealasso and his fellows to be part of the weregild you owe me.”

“Fingon . . .” 

“Ah-ah-ah! We are agreed that you owe me weregild for depriving me of your company during the extra thousands of years you spent lingering between the Halls of Mandos and the Void while you dragged your feet on whether to accept being Reborn.”

“Fingon. You know that I was concerned for the peace of mind of my many victims.”  

“Your reason was noble. But the choice of whether you had repented and atoned sufficiently wasn’t really yours to make, now was it?”

“Well . . .” Maedhros began.

Fingon didn’t wait for him to finish before scolding, “No, it wasn’t. The choice was Namo’s, and he – and the other Valar - decided in your favor. Then you still made me – made all of us – wait for you. For over two thousand years, Maedhros." 

Maedhros sighed, and accepted his fate. "Very well, Fingon. You win."

Fingon rolled his eyes tolerantly, “Yes, I am such a tyrant, aren’t I? Wanting someone I love so well to be safe.”  

Maedhros gave his lover an exasperated look before turning his attention back to the patiently waiting Fealasso, “I do apologize for my lack of graciousness, Captain Fealasso." 

"Just Fealasso,” he corrected, with a grin.  

"Fealasso. I do not mean to seem ungrateful." 

"Not at all. Actually, you won me a bet." 

"I don't want to know," Maedhros assured him. This was Maedhros’ traditional line, whenever one of Fingon’s ridiculous bets came up.

Naturally, the chuckling Fingon promptly explained, "Maglor thought that you would outright reject the bodyguards, and refuse to budge. The Ambarussa wagered that there would be shouting. Elrond and my father expected that you would resort to flagrant sarcasm. Only your grandfather and I knew that you would listen to reason. Fealasso wisely put his bet where the smart money was.”

Maedhros replied with his traditional next line, which was, “Didn't you hear me say that I didn't want to know?" 

Fealasso laughed. "I hope that you'll spar with me, Maedhros,” he invited. “Once we’re in Alqualonde, when you have the time in the mornings or evenings.”

"It would be my honor, Fealasso." 

"I'll look forward to it, then. I'll leave you to your resting." 

"Thank you, Fealasso," said Fingon. 

"It was nice to properly meet you," Maedhros offered in farewell. Dryly, he added, “Even under the circumstances." 

This made Fealasso chuckle as he waved goodbye.

Fingon went to walk the captain out. Maedhros overheard him say, “If, Eru forbid, the time ever does come when you must defend Maedhros from a serious threat, he’ll be getting in your way, trying to protect you. Instead of cooperating and letting you protect him. He won't be able to help himself. It’s just who he is. You will have to be on the look out for that.”  

“Don’t worry,” Fealasso assured Fingon. “Prince Verco is like that. My brother Ereinion, too, for that matter. I’m accustomed.”

Maedhros shook his head and turned his attention back to his book. Dealing with this newly overprotective version of his lover could be exhausting. 

---

Chapter End Notes

End Note 1: Re: liberties taken with canon, while this story takes place in the Fourth Age, the specific liberties I’ve taken with canon are in respect of events referred to by the characters which took place at the end of the First Age. The Silmarillion states that after the War of Wrath, “out of the deep prisons [of Angband] a multitude of slaves came forth beyond all hope into the light of day . . .” 

In this story, I posit: 1) that the elves sent rescue parties into Angband to expedite the process of liberating these prisoners; 2) that Elrond (with Ereinion Gil-galad’s reluctant blessing) asked Maedhros to guide some of these rescue parties into Angband; and 3) that Maedhros obliged Elrond and agreed to do this because he felt that retrieving prisoners from Angband was highly time-sensitive whereas regaining the recovered Silmarils was less so. I am aware that there are multiple possible canonical problems with these three canon deviations. But I still feel that they collectively constitute only minor departures from the most likely location and activities of Maedhros during this point in time based on the text of the Silmarillion. 

 

End Note 2: Regarding Fingon’s and Maedhros’ terms of endearment for one another: As stated above in the author’s notes, “My Bright Flame” and “my Valiant Eagle” have been their nicknames for one another since they were young elves in Valinor. Maedhros started calling Fingon ‘my Little Eagle’ when Fingon was a small child, because Fingon loved all birds, especially Manwe’s noble eagles. Maedhros began to sometimes append ‘Valiant’ to ‘Eagle’ when Fingon was about the equivalent in age of a seven year old human child. That nickname came about after the young adult Maedhros politely declined an offer to play with Fingon because he had too much work to do for their grandfather. Fingon then marched straight to Finwe to scold him for overworking Maedhros (much to Finwe’s bemusement and Fingolfin’s horror). Fingon started calling Maedhros ‘my Bright Flame’ on camping trips when they were young adults, because he thought that Maedhros always knew the answers to everything, and because Maedhros was always warm, and happy to share his body heat with Fingon. Fingon has always gotten chilled easily, even before the Grinding Ice. Maedhros’ spirit has always burned brightly, even before his torment in Angband.

When their ancient friendship evolved into a romance soon after the Glorious Battle during the First Age, Fingon began to call Maedhros ‘my Love.’ Maedhros calls Fingon ‘Dearest’ when he is being tender and ‘Dear’ when he is being sarcastic or snide (as in, ‘Yes, Dear.’).

End Note 3: If you want to learn more about what Maedhros was up to in the Halls of Mandos and the Void, and more on why he dragged his feet on accepting re-embodiment, you may check out the chapter in my “Fanon Background for the Desperate Hours AU” story entitled “the Fate of Feanor and his Sons after their Deaths.” It is available here:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/47725663/chapters/196261381

  

End Note 4:  If you liked Maedhros and Fingon in this story, then you will probably also like them in “Simply a Matter of Making Sensible Staffing Decisions” and “Somebody Else’s Rescue.” 

The first chapter of “Sensible Staffing” features Maedhros and Elrond, later chapters feature Maedhros with one or more of Fingon, Fingolfin, Earendil and Elwing.  The story takes place not long after “Auld Acquaintance.” “Sensible Staffing” is available here, if you want to check it out: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75305676/chapters/196841921