I was thinking about how the time around the second kinslaying would go down in an AU where Elerrome is still alive and with Maedhros when the brothers reconvene at that time...
"You have to make more of an effort to resolve things peacefully before you jump right to the slaughter of innocents again!"
"*Innocents?*" Celegorm sneers in response. "They deliberately keep what is ours away from us, after we've already made a peaceful request. They bring this upon themselves."
Elerrome's eyes widen in anger; Maedhros stifles a sigh and narrowly resists the urge to bury his face in his hand.
"Bring it upon themselves?! And did Luthien bring it upon herself when you captured and imprisoned her in Nargothrond? Did Findarato bring it upon himself when you usurped his kingdom, when you sent him to his death?"
"Thingol and his bride price sent Findarato to his death! It is he who began this; if he had cared about protecting his people he would have returned the Silmaril when he had the chance. It never should have passed to Luthien and Beren; if their upstart brat doesn't have enough sense as "king" to value the lives of his people over stolen treasure then their fate is on his head."
"The Doriathrim have lost both of their rulers, the boy just lost his entire family, and yet you would jump to attack after only a few months without response!"
True fury enters Celegorm's face now. "And why should their grief take precedence over our own? Have we not suffered greater loss? Why should his grief lend the right to hold onto that which was never his, yet ours not give us the right to take back the very thing with which our loss is entangled?!"
"*Enough.*"
Maedhros' voice is low and steady, but his tone allows for no protest. "This argument will be no more productive than all its predecessors. We will take back what is ours; but we can make one last attempt at a peaceful resolution first. Elerrome, you and your kin were always more in favor with Doriath than we. Mayhap your words could convince them where ours could not."
Caranthir scoffs. "And now this girl is allowed to speak for us, just as her precious cousins did with Thingol."
Maedhros shoots him a look; he speaks no more, but Ellerome can feel more than one heated gaze upon her as she nods.
"I will speak with him."
