"Spring came late that year" by Himring

[hhimring]

B2MeM Challenge: Day One (Themes): Friendship
Format: vignette
Genre: angst (stream-of-consciousness)
Rating: Teens
Warnings: none
Characters: Maedhros, Elrond
Pairings: Maedhros/Fingon (implied)
Summary: He really tries, he does.




"Long before, in the bliss of Valinor, before Melkor was unchained, or lies came between them, Fingon had been close in friendship with Maedhros; and though he knew not yet that Maedhros had not forgotten him at the burning of the ships, the thought of their ancient friendship stung his heart. Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes."

Note: I'll just pretend this has anything to do with the prompt, okay?


If you were here. If only you were here. And he means—so many whose light has gone out of his darkening world—which used to be full of fire!—is chill and faded now—but especially the subtle scent of trust, the warmth of the encircling arms that defended him from himself—could not deserve, could not keep, has lost—is lost.
He claws his way back to some semblance of... Earth beneath his feet, sap rising in the boughs and the patient, too patient face of: Boy, they say you resemble Luthien, but I see—I see Turgon and Elenwe and Finwe and… This gesture of the hand, that turn of the head and.... But no, no memories now!
Boy, Elrond. Has he got what he needs? Silly question! Second-rate, third-rate, fourth-rate: stopgap. But: here, now.
‘I’m sorry, Elrond,’ Maedhros says, ‘I lost track of what you were saying. Would you mind repeating the question?’

Comments

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I think we're actually describing the same thing, just from different hemispheres :-) Acute depression is a form of madness, at least it was considered so when I was experiencing it during my teenaged years. It just wasn't quite to the "lock them up and throw away the key" level :-)

That said and nonetheless, I again find myself floored by how delicately you manage to portray the relationships between the two of them. It is your fine detail work that enriches your canvas. No sledgehammers for you, just a gentle dance to an irrepressible rhythm, even if it is only within memory.

- Erulisse (one L)

[hhimring]

Thank you very much, Erulisse!
Yes, I know. It is just that when Maedhros is described as "mad", people sometimes seem to mean something rather different by madness--as if he were liable to suddenly running amok without warning, etc. It doesn't seem likely to me, and it's certainly not the case in my verse.