More than the Stars Above: (G - no archive warnings apply)
Author: Drag0nst0rm
Summary :
Elrond had lived without his parents for this long. He could certainly continue to do so if they proved to be indifferent. That didn't stop his hand from shaking when he reached out to knock on the door.
Relationships: Earendil & Elrond
Characters: Elrond, Earendil
Word count: 5672
See the full artwork piece by @arlenianchronicles here! Or read her collection of fic here!
some Fëanor & Fingolfin fluff to brighten your day!
inspired by @sweetteaanddragons’ fic
[also available on AO3!]
~
Ñolofinwë stared. “You—what?” he asked, unable to believe his ears.
The look Fëanáro gave him was so disgusted and condescending that Ñolofinwë was immediately assured that he had heard wrong. But then Fëanáro snapped, “You heard me. Do not make me say it again.”
“I'm—not sure I did hear you,” Ñolofinwë said. “Because I believe I heard you tell me that you loved me, which certainly cannot be correct.”
Fëanáro made a noise in the back of his throat that in someone less dignified than the Crown Prince of the Ñoldor would be considered a scoff. “I am not prone to repeating myself, half-brother, especially not in this circumstance where such a statement is difficult enough to wring from my lips.”
“Forgive me if I am uncertain of your affection, brother,” Ñolofinwë said, biting back as much sarcasm as he could, “but your attitude does not match your words. You must understand my confusion.”
“Yes, I said it!” Fëanáro gritted his teeth, a bit of that mad fire flashing in his eyes. “But only to appease our beloved father.”
“You should not say things you do not mean,” Ñolofinwë said, forcing lightness into his voice. He had not expected an admission of affection from Fëanáro to impact him as much as it did; he had not expected an admission of affection at all. He loved Fëanáro, of course, and hated him perhaps as much, but he had long since accepted that Fëanáro resented him wholly and without reservation.
To hear that was not the case—
“I speak no lies,” Fëanáro insisted, his back straight and proud. “I never have.”
Ñolofinwë was at a loss for words. He still did not quite believe Fëanáro.
“Do not look so shocked,” Fëanáro rumbled. “I would not have tutored you, tolerated you, treated you with an ounce of respect if I did not—” He grimaced. “If I did not love you,” he finished. “You know of my hatred for Melkor, and for the Queen. I give them no such leniency.”
On another day, Ñolofinwë would have taken umbrage with comparing his mother to the Dark Vala, but he knew better than to press the point in this moment. He felt like a child again, hanging onto Fëanáro’s every word, yearning for the slightest hint of affection or approval from his elder brother. And there had been such moments, though they were few: when Fëanáro graced him with a rare smile when he caught his first prey on a hunt, or a brief nod when Ñolofinwë offered a sufficient rebuttal as they debated, or a possessive protectiveness when Ingwion made veiled comments about the younger prince’s inferior abilities compared to Fëanáro’s with the undercurrent of This is my half-brother, and I alone am allowed to mock him.
But never, not once, had Fëanáro spelled out any positive feeling for him, and certainly not in so direct a fashion.
Fëanáro furrowed his brows. “Speak, Nolofinwë; your silence is more unsettling than any patronizing falsehood of reciprocation would be.”
“You fool!” Ñolofinwë cried, unable to repress the impulse to smack Fëanáro on the shoulder. Fëanáro drew back, insulted, only for Ñolofinwë to pull him into a firm, swift embrace, burying his face in Fëanáro’s shoulder. He held on only for a moment, tears budding in his eyes, and shoved his brother away just as quickly, scowling as fierce as Fëanáro had moments earlier.
Now it was Fëanáro’s turn to stand bewildered, uncertain of how to react. Ñolofinwë wiped his eyes and glared, exclaiming, “I have never once lied about my love for you, Fëanáro. I adore you; how could I not? You are my elder brother—all I have ever wished for was your love!”
“A political farce,” Fëanáro said weakly. “An attempt to wrest power from the rightful heir.”
Ñolofinwë laughed. “Politics is a complicated game,” he said, “and I admit to playing my best cards, but affirming our brotherhood is not simply a courtroom strategy! And I would be a politician unparalleled in my skill, to have been cozening up to you since birth.”
“I have not the talent for such long games,” Fëanáro muttered, and Ñolofinwë only snorted.
“You have a talent for everything, Curufinwë,” he dismissed. “Tell me, brother: you admit our father set you up to this confession, but I am certain this is not the first time he has made such a plea. Why now, when it so clearly hurts your pride?”
Fëanáro gave him a look like he was an idiot; this, at least, was far from new. “Your son is about to be born,” he said. “Atya does not want him to enter a divided house. And my quarrel is with the Queen, and to some extent her children—not with a newborn, especially when his mother is so esteemed a graduate from Rúmil’s tutelage. I would hope, at least, that Anairë’s child could come to love his uncle, no matter the fault of their relation.”
If Ñolofinwë had been holding back his emotions before, he let them flow freely now. He smiled, touched beyond measure that Fëanáro was willing to put aside their differences for the sake of the babe. Fëanáro and Anairë had been close, once, before she wed Ñolofinwë; he knew them both too well to be ignorant that they missed that friendship.
“Thank you,” he said, no longer surprised by the depth of his sincerity. “I treasure my nephews, and I would not dream of depriving you from such a relationship with my own son—nor he from all you can teach him. I can only hope that he can keep up with such clever boys as Maitimo and Makalaurë.”
Fëanáro’s one weakness was his sons, and he beamed. “They shall be the best of friends,” he assured Ñolofinwë. “No matter what.”
“And us, brother?” Ñolofinwë asked after a pause. “Are we to put our differences behind us, for the sake of our children?”
The grin slipped from Fëanáro’s face. “Do not think that because I love you, that requires I like you, Nolofinwë,” he warned. “It will take more than shallow words to garner you my full respect.”
Ñolofinwë bit back a sigh. Of course it would be this way; Fëanáro was too stubborn for his own good, and even if he would put aside their rivalry for the sake of their children, it did not absolve Ñolofinwë from the crime of being Indis’ son.
“I must admit that my hatred for you is as strong as my love,” Ñolofinwë replied, raising an eyebrow. “But I do wish you to know that such feelings are constantly at war within me, and were it not for my impeccable composure, I would—”
He did not get to finish the sentence as Fëanáro groaned and pulled him into an embrace. “I hate you, too,” he hissed into Ñolofinwë’s ear, “much more than I love you, but love you I do, despite my better judgement.”
Ñolofinwë clung to his brother, soaking in this uncharacteristic affection as if it would make up for decades of animosity.
“I love you, too, Fëanáro,” he whispered, and in that moment, he looked to their future together with a hope he had never held before.
~
[if you liked this fic, please reblog & leave me a comment on AO3!! thank you!!]
Welcome back to the TRSB2020 Summer Showcase! Today we bring you a wonderful TRSB writer...
Drag0nst0rm
I've loved Tolkien's work for years, but I only became an active fan when I got sucked into the Silmarillion corner of the fandom about two years ago. I love exploring alternate universes where things are at least a little better for the characters . . . and occasionally an AU or two where things manage to get even worse. This year I am writing and have also signed up to work as a pinch hitter, if necessary!
Everything is fine, and nothing is even slightly on fire. Or at least that's what Fingon is going to try to tell his father. (In which Fingon somehow manages to accidentally acquire both a baby and a dragon.)
Top creative tips/words of wisdom for fellow participants: If you get stuck in your writing, try talking the problem through out loud. Having someone to listen is optional - just articulating the problem outside my own head helps me figure out where my problem really is and work around it. It might work for you too!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
This is a series of oneshots, it is complete too! So that’s nice. It has some wonderful Outsider POV of Merlin and all his shenanigans, the ones with George are probably my favorite.
Works: 13/13
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences, General Audiences
Warnings: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Balinor/Hunith (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & George (Merlin)
Characters: Hunith (Merlin), Balinor, Merlin (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin),Will (Merlin), Kilgharrah (Merlin), Elena (Merlin), George (Merlin), Servants of Camelot, Geoffrey of Monmouth (Merlin), Mithian (Merlin), Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), GaherisKay (Arthurian), Gareth (Arthurian), Bors, Ector (Arthurian), Ywain, Galahad (Arthurian), Beaufils, Halig (Merlin), Tristan (Merlin), Isolde (Merlin), Lynet, Gwen (Merlin)
Additional Tags: #Hunith's POV, #The Purge, #POV Outsider, #Camelot's Guards are Smarter Than You Think, #After Arthur's Death, #Canon Compliant, #George has Hidden Depths, #Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, #No Romance, #Pre-Canon, #knights of the round table - Freeform, #Character Death, #Uther ruins everything, #Physical Abuse, #Suspected abuse, #Misunderstandings, #partial reveal, #George is not quite as boring as he appears, #Murder, #Dark, #Magic Revealed, #Alternate Character Interpretation
Summary:
The guards aren't as stupid as you might think.
The servants have learned tricks to survive in a castle where one wrong step can get you killed.
And Hunith learned long ago the cost of loving those with magic.
A series of stories set in different continuities, tied by one common thread: All are from the perspective of some of Camelot's less well known denizens.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harry Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Harry Potter & James Potter, Harry Potter & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
Characters: Harry Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Mentioned Sirius Black
Series: Part 2 of Sands of Time
Summary:
Before they died, Lily and James wrote letters for Harry, just in case. When his letter to Hogwarts arrives, Aunt Petunia finally lets him read them. (A sequel to "This is Your Hourglass (It's Running Out of Sand)" but can stand alone.)
------
This story checks off another box on my Marked For Later Bingo card. I think I must have found it as a recommendation from SWG, based on context? Anyhow, I love the idea that Lily and James wrote letters to Harry before they died. The plot and letters are so well thought-out, especially Harry’s reactions, such as him hiding from Dudley to read the letters in case Dudley destroyed them, and this line:
“Who exactly were all those other people his parents had mentioned? And why did they think he would be with them instead of with the Dursleys?“
I recommend this to anyone who likes Harry Potter. I also recommend having a tissue handy.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Peter Quill & Yondu Udonta
Characters: Yondu Udonta, Kraglin Obfonteri, Peter Quill, Ego - Character
Additional Tags: Father-Son Relationship, Yondu's not quite a good guy, but he tries, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 spoilers, Canon Compliant
Summary:
Yondu doesn't set out to break the code. It just sort of happens.
(He doesn't set out to be Peter's dad either. That just sort of happens too.)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Fëanor | Curufinwë
