Coup in Doriath (an Elmo HC)
*the following is nothing more than an AU theory based on subjective impressions and personal opinions that is meant purely to entertain (and definitely not to offend anyone), but as it may be viewed as a bit controversial, perhaps a little warning would be appropriate;) So, if you are a passionate Thingol lover, you might prefer to stop reading this post right now;)
What I never understood (and this is just my opinion, don’t come for me;)) is why Noldor got so terribly hated by Thingol for what happened in Alqualonde. I’m not suggesting that kinslaying was a right thing to do or that it wasn’t terribly tragic, not at all. But if Noldor had done as they were told by Teleri and hadn’t arrived to besiege Angband, very soon there wouldn’t be any Doriath as Morgoth would have been able to concentrate all his power on this one target. We can’t be absolutely sure, but given his extreme hatred of elves, I believe it’s safe to assume he wouldn’t wait too long to come for them. So theoretically, Teleri, who refused to give the ships to Noldor and told them to go back, would have been indirectly co-responsible for the death of their brethren in Middle-earth... I might be wrong, but I always got the impression, that the arrival of Noldor actually saved Doriath from it’s imminent fall...
In general, I feel like Thingol made one tragic mistake after another (again, it’s just my opinion so don’t come for me:)). I often wonder if it would have changed anything for the better if his brother Elmo would have just seized power one day - mostly because he would become too ashamed of sitting on his ass and letting others die on Doriath’s behalf. And also, he would understand that once Morgoth was done with Noldor he would come for Doriath and would kill everyone he ever loved (and I believe he wouldn’t be the only one in Doriath who felt that way). I wonder, what would have happened if (after a hundredth heartfelt but completely futile attempt to reason with his brother) he would just say enough (and let’s suppose Melian, being aware of what I said above, would quietly support it), overthrew (not kill!!!) him, returned the Silmaril to the Feanorians (it was of no use to him anyway and he had no knowledge of the role it could play one day) and joined the host of Noldor.... And yes, I’m sure he would have reservations about their past actions as well, but he would be much more pragmatic about it than his brother. As they say, the enemy of my enemy...;)
I somehow always saw Elmo as a healer, so it would be interesting to see this character (who barely ever held a sword in his hands, always stood quietly in the background and concentrated solely on his family life and helping others) being confronted by this heartbreaking dilemma. He loves his brother unconditionally and has always stood loyally by his side and supported him. But at the same time, he feels the burden of the duty to his people and his country and is willing to do anything to save them...
