Punishment Enough
A Silm fanfic for Halloween, featuring Orodreth, Finrod, Finarfin, and the woman who secretly loves Orodreth. Also, who killed Olwë? No real warnings, other than the fact that the name of the woman has to be guessed/inferred (however, there's not too many people it could be from the description.)
“Do you regret it?”
“Regret what, brother?”
“Killing Grandfather!”
“No,” Orodreth paused. “I have no cause to regret that.”
“You killed him! I found you with his body, you won’t deny anything, you…you must have killed him.” Finrod said.
“That is the common belief, I am told. I suppose it does look bad for me, to be found in bloody clothes, over my own grandfather’s body,” for a moment, an amused smile graced Orodreth’s face, so fast that Finrod wondered if he had imagined it.
“Why?”
“I cannot answer that,” Orodreth closed his eyes. “Do me one last favor, Finrod? I know you think I deserve what I get, and that Amil won’t be there to watch my trial due to the fact that it was her father and all. Keep our siblings and my children from it, though. They don’t need to see it.”
“The Valar might-”
For the first time since it had all began, Orodreth’s face showed an emotion other than disinterest or amusement. “Please, Finrod, keep them away. If not for who I am now, than for the brother who supported you those many years ago in Nargothrond.”
In the face of this no emotion, Finrod stopped. “Very…very well. I will keep them away.”
He turned and began to walk away, faltering but not replying when he heard his brother behind him. “I never stopped loving and caring for all of you, no matter what you may think.”
~
“I went to see Orodreth today,” Finrod spoke carefully.
Finarfin clutched his hand around his glass, before speaking softly. “How kind of you to do that.”
“Atar, I know that you don’t want to admit to the facts, but-”
“But nothing!” Finarfin spun around, his face a desperate mixture of anger and fear. “Your brother faces the Valar, on nothing more than your word that he had to be the guilty one and some bloody clothes. For all we know, he found Olwë and tried to stop him from bleeding out.”
“He could have, but we both know that he was acting strange prior to that - those letters that he burnt in the fire, the way he begged us all to stay inside that night, what other explanation do you have for any of that?” Finrod hated the way his father seemed ready to collapse. “Amil’s father is the one dead, our grandfather. Do you think I want my brother to be the one guilty for it? But the facts say that he has to be.”
“What are facts but what we make of them?” Finarfin said tiredly. “I grew up with facts that I would never face the deaths of my loved ones. I grew up with facts that said the Dark Lord would never reach Valinor. Facts mean nothing to me.”
“Do you have another explanation than?”
“No, but I fear what is really behind all of this.” Finarfin gestured towards the door. “If you plan on attending your brother’s trial, you should go to bed now.”
“Yes, Atar,” Finrod looked behind him when he reached the door to see his father once more going through Orodreth’s belongings, hoping for something that would clear him. Once more, he cursed his brother under his breath for the pain he had brought to their parents.
~
Orodreth stared forward, avoiding looking directly at any of his family as he waited for Eonwë to begin speaking and pronounce judgment.
“Artaresto Finarfinion, it is the judgment of the Valar that you are guilty for the death of Olwë, King of the Teleri. For this, you are sentenced to dwell in the Halls.”
From the corner of his eye, Orodreth saw his father rise from his seat, screaming what he supposed was some variation of no. Finrod was next to him, half in shock it seemed, though what had his brother been expecting, he didn’t know.
Orodreth tried to speak, wanting to tell them that it would all be alright, but he couldn’t make his mouth move. Then he felt a detachment overtake him as he fell to the ground.
~
“Do you regret sending your brother to the Halls, son of Finarfin?”
Finrod looked around, finally seeing a woman clothed in black standing in shadows near the edge of the forest. “I was not the one who sent him there, and it is not my place to question the wisdom of the Valar.”
The woman gave a close mouthed smile that sent shivers up his spine. “An evasive answer, though no less than I would expect from Finrod the Beloved.” His name sounded like a curse coming from her lips. “And if you knew he was innocent?
“He was the only one around,” Finrod said, dread setting in.
“That you saw,” the woman moved closer, with that same smile still gracing her lips. “Of course, that means little, in the grand scheme of things.”
Finrod resisted the urge to back away, instead saying, “Are you saying that someone else killed my grandfather? If so, why did my brother not speak in his defense?”
“Yes, I am,” the woman’s smile vanished now. “As for why…love, foolishness, trust. He thought that his family at least wouldn’t believe he had done something like that. I thought the same.”
The dread and guilt was crushing down upon Finrod. “Are you saying that you were the one who killed Olwë?”
“Yes, I suppose you could put it that way,” the woman said. “I didn’t mean to, of course. I was just so hungry, and I should have left, but it took me so long to make it here to see your brother again. And Olwë was there, and he cut his finger, and…”
Finrod was staring horrified at the woman, as he finally saw what had escaped him the first few times the woman spoke. Her teeth were more pointed than they should be, the canines longer than a normal elf’s. The woman saw what he was staring at and smiled, “And finally, you realize what you should have realized long ago. I could kill you now, of course. But I find that I don’t want to. The guilt that your brother is now trapped in the Halls, and the fact that you were the one to tell the Valar that it had to be him…I think that will be punishment enough for you.”
Finrod closed his eyes and sank to the ground as the woman blended back into the shadows, wings appearing to wrap around her.
“Do you regret it?”
“Regret what, brother?”
“Killing Grandfather!”
“No,” Orodreth paused. “I have no cause to regret that.”
“You killed him! I found you with his body, you won’t deny anything, you…you must have killed him.” Finrod said.
“That is the common belief, I am told. I suppose it does look bad for me, to be found in bloody clothes, over my own grandfather’s body,” for a moment, an amused smile graced Orodreth’s face, so fast that Finrod wondered if he had imagined it.
“Why?”
“I cannot answer that,” Orodreth closed his eyes. “Do me one last favor, Finrod? I know you think I deserve what I get, and that Amil won’t be there to watch my trial due to the fact that it was her father and all. Keep our siblings and my children from it, though. They don’t need to see it.”
“The Valar might-”
For the first time since it had all began, Orodreth’s face showed an emotion other than disinterest or amusement. “Please, Finrod, keep them away. If not for who I am now, than for the brother who supported you those many years ago in Nargothrond.”
In the face of this no emotion, Finrod stopped. “Very…very well. I will keep them away.”
He turned and began to walk away, faltering but not replying when he heard his brother behind him. “I never stopped loving and caring for all of you, no matter what you may think.”
~
“I went to see Orodreth today,” Finrod spoke carefully.
Finarfin clutched his hand around his glass, before speaking softly. “How kind of you to do that.”
“Atar, I know that you don’t want to admit to the facts, but-”
“But nothing!” Finarfin spun around, his face a desperate mixture of anger and fear. “Your brother faces the Valar, on nothing more than your word that he had to be the guilty one and some bloody clothes. For all we know, he found Olwë and tried to stop him from bleeding out.”
“He could have, but we both know that he was acting strange prior to that - those letters that he burnt in the fire, the way he begged us all to stay inside that night, what other explanation do you have for any of that?” Finrod hated the way his father seemed ready to collapse. “Amil’s father is the one dead, our grandfather. Do you think I want my brother to be the one guilty for it? But the facts say that he has to be.”
“What are facts but what we make of them?” Finarfin said tiredly. “I grew up with facts that I would never face the deaths of my loved ones. I grew up with facts that said the Dark Lord would never reach Valinor. Facts mean nothing to me.”
“Do you have another explanation than?”
“No, but I fear what is really behind all of this.” Finarfin gestured towards the door. “If you plan on attending your brother’s trial, you should go to bed now.”
“Yes, Atar,” Finrod looked behind him when he reached the door to see his father once more going through Orodreth’s belongings, hoping for something that would clear him. Once more, he cursed his brother under his breath for the pain he had brought to their parents.
~
Orodreth stared forward, avoiding looking directly at any of his family as he waited for Eonwë to begin speaking and pronounce judgment.
“Artaresto Finarfinion, it is the judgment of the Valar that you are guilty for the death of Olwë, King of the Teleri. For this, you are sentenced to dwell in the Halls.”
From the corner of his eye, Orodreth saw his father rise from his seat, screaming what he supposed was some variation of no. Finrod was next to him, half in shock it seemed, though what had his brother been expecting, he didn’t know.
Orodreth tried to speak, wanting to tell them that it would all be alright, but he couldn’t make his mouth move. Then he felt a detachment overtake him as he fell to the ground.
~
“Do you regret sending your brother to the Halls, son of Finarfin?”
Finrod looked around, finally seeing a woman clothed in black standing in shadows near the edge of the forest. “I was not the one who sent him there, and it is not my place to question the wisdom of the Valar.”
The woman gave a close mouthed smile that sent shivers up his spine. “An evasive answer, though no less than I would expect from Finrod the Beloved.” His name sounded like a curse coming from her lips. “And if you knew he was innocent?
“He was the only one around,” Finrod said, dread setting in.
“That you saw,” the woman moved closer, with that same smile still gracing her lips. “Of course, that means little, in the grand scheme of things.”
Finrod resisted the urge to back away, instead saying, “Are you saying that someone else killed my grandfather? If so, why did my brother not speak in his defense?”
“Yes, I am,” the woman’s smile vanished now. “As for why…love, foolishness, trust. He thought that his family at least wouldn’t believe he had done something like that. I thought the same.”
The dread and guilt was crushing down upon Finrod. “Are you saying that you were the one who killed Olwë?”
“Yes, I suppose you could put it that way,” the woman said. “I didn’t mean to, of course. I was just so hungry, and I should have left, but it took me so long to make it here to see your brother again. And Olwë was there, and he cut his finger, and…”
Finrod was staring horrified at the woman, as he finally saw what had escaped him the first few times the woman spoke. Her teeth were more pointed than they should be, the canines longer than a normal elf’s. The woman saw what he was staring at and smiled, “And finally, you realize what you should have realized long ago. I could kill you now, of course. But I find that I don’t want to. The guilt that your brother is now trapped in the Halls, and the fact that you were the one to tell the Valar that it had to be him…I think that will be punishment enough for you.”
Finrod closed his eyes and sank to the ground as the woman blended back into the shadows, wings appearing to wrap around her.