Oh, God, this ripped my heart out. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and I thank you for sharing it with us. Lines like "He kept fingering the experience in his mind's eye, much as one touches on a wound or the gap of a missing tooth" make my heart burst.

Again, thank you so much for sharing,

Whispy

Well done!

Excellent and well written.

Hiya Ky,

Thought I'd post my MEFA review here.

A story about Maglor's fate, set in the modern day. He is a beach bum who survives by playing songs for tips from tourists. He keeps to himself and likes it that way. Then one day a child expresses an interest in his harp. Over the days that follow Maglor finds himself increasingly drawn to the child and begins worrying about his well-being. He takes him to a store to get something to eat and discovers that he is famished. (I love the symbolism of Maglor giving him nourishment.) I found myself surprised at who the child turns out to be and really liked the ending of this well-written, sweet story about overcoming regret and anguish. I especially appreciated the specific knowledge of music. The emotional rhythm achieved in the story works very well. At first Maglor's emotions seem dulled as he strives to forget but as his relationship with the child deepens, so does his ability to feel. The outpouring when confronted with an alternative destiny achieves a catharsis. Well done.

~elfscribe

Hopefully he will start his return voyage soon-it appears he is needed in Valinor.

(My apologies if a half-formed review appears in addition to this one... I clicked on something and strange things happened...)

This is an absolutely stunning story, beautiful in its lyrical quality and in the idea of the story itself, of Maglor finally receiving mercy from the Valar. I love that a child was the messenger of such mercy, a child that brought memories of Elros and Elrond and the love Maglor felt for them. Little wonder such a child was able to crack through all the barriers that Maglor had erected to protect himself from the pain.

Beautiful!

This left me breathless. Beautifully written, beautiful idea. And the next brief chapter had me in tears I have to say.

What a beautiful story! You show such a deep understanding of and empathy for Maglor. I love the little glimpses into the depths of his wounded heart... "ever fighting to strike that fine balance between singing enough to forget and forgetting himself enough to be able to sing"; and the fact that he does not ache as much as he ought to after a night on the pier. The account of his "bad days" is absolutely heartbreaking. "They proclaimed that he had lived to see another day, but also confronted him with another day to live." That is such a lovely expression of the dogged, wordless suffering of the endless centuries, left alone with his relentless remorse.

I adore unspeakably that the sight of the boy immediately raises a memory of the Peredhil twins - a memory that Maglor drives back instantly. He's such a sweet little child, and his gentle curiosity is simply adorable! Maglor's wary suspicion and reluctant acceptance of personal contact after so long segretgated from others is painful and beautiful. Such a nice touch, to have him groping through several languages before he finds the words he wants. This is both a testiment to the long wanderings that he has endured, and the degree to which he has grown unaccustomed to speaking.

The music lesson is very endearing, but I love even more the realization that the boy is neglected, and Maglor's assertion that despite his desire to protect himself from the anguish of fellowship "it would not sit well by him to let the child go hungry". Here we see so clearly the gentle heart that sheltered and nourished the sons of an enemy.

And the revelation of who the child is... unspeakably gorgeous. I love the offer of forgiveness, the invitation to return home. What I love most of all, though, is the peace that comes with the knowledge that Maglor is forgiven, that he can come home at last. I want so much for him to return to the Blessed Realm, to recieve mercy as he gave it, to be reuinted with his wife, to embrace his foster-son again... and to build for himself a life, after thousands upon thousands of years existing merely for regret. He never really had a life of his own; it is about time.

It's an exquisite story: heartrending, beautiful, and so fulfilling. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. It's simply perfect!

Without a doubt one of the best modern-Maglor stories I've read.

But I do wonder what happened next.

Oh, Maglor! Since I began to think about Eäerendil and Elrond, I wondered often what happened to Maglor, and if he sailed at the end, or still roams the Hither shores, forgotten but remembering... First the boy reminded me on Elrond and Elros, as if the history would repeat itself. And in a way, it does, but it is not a circle coming to the same place, it is a spiral, groving on its way. When it became obvious that the boy has no parents, I thought that Maglor could become his foster-father, like he did before. But then, with the words about the boy's grandfather, the pieces began to fit together, although I didn't know how it could possibly be... The Valar! They are calling him home! “Tell me Ada, what do you love more, me or these scars?” Do you want to dwell in the past or embrace the future? Come home...

A very touching story, KyMahalei! I loved it. The first paragraph is so poetic that it sets the scene and atmosphere immediately. (I mean your first paragraph, although I like Aearwen's words too, the burn-scarred hands are a very nice detail) And the last words give hope for peace to one scarred soul...

This was a beautiful story. I loved the twist at the end; it brought tears to my eyes.

I’ve always hoped that Maglor would go home.

Thanks for writing! :)

~Cal