Crafted Love

Crafted Love

Angst? Heart break? Yes. Just yes. Enjoy 😙 (also I wrote this on a plane so don’t mind the errors)

Tag(s): @morganas-pendragons

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧

“If he had to choose between his craft and you, what do you think his decision would be?”

It was a harsh question to ask. You had never once doubted the love of your husband, but he had been acting quite unlike himself lately. He had always wanted to create something that could make even the greatest of evils shed a tear, you knew this better than anyone, but these rings he was creating…they were different.

Since the sudden appearance of Annatar, and his request to Celebrimbor to create rings of incredible power, you found yourself having a hard time speaking to your husband without it ending in a fight. He was throwing his entire being into those rings, and losing himself in the process. You were afraid of losing the man you loved.

“I do not think he would choose his craft.” You responded, keeping your voice as leveled as possible. Though you could probably fool anyone else, you couldn’t keep your true thoughts hidden from your dear friend.

“You do not truly mean that. I can tell. Tell me, Y/N, what will you do when he becomes a completely different person?” Elrond had come to keep you company for a bit, as your husband was far too busy. This had become a common occurance over the last few months.

You didn’t respond this time. The thought of him becoming someone completely unrecognizable to you was terrifying. He had been caught up in his work before, but this was on a different level. He was irritated constantly, snapping at the people closest to him, and he seemed to practically forget about your presence altogether.

“What would you do, if you were in my place?”

Elrond contemplated this for a moment. He didn’t want to be too harsh but at the same time, he felt as though he owed it to you to be as truthful as possible. You were his closest friend, afterall.

“I would prepare myself for the worst. It would be best to be well-equipped for whatever may happen.”

You sighed deeply and stared up at the sky. The sun had started to set, painting the sky in the most beautiful shades of pink and orange. It was absolutely gorgeous. You closed your eyes, smiling softly as you remembered the times when you would drag Celebrimbor out of his forge to watch the sun set. Usually, he would stay out a bit longer with you, watching the stars appear and dance throughout the sky.

“These stars will be the witnesses to our love. They will be our proof that I, Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion, choose to love you for all of our years together. Whenever you are feeling down, you need only look up at the sky and you will be reminded of my love.”

How you longed to hear those words again. You wanted your lover back and it hurt you to know that he may be lost forever. But it pained you even more to know that there was barely anything you could do to help him.

“Elrond, I have to set him free from this…this prison he is in.”

“How do you intend to do that, when the prison is his own mind?”

Again, a question you had not prepared yourself for.

“I will try to reason with him one more time. If he does not come to his senses, then I will consider this a lost cause. I mean it this time.” The strength in your voice reflected your resolution but your eyes betrayed you, as they quickly filled with tears.

There was nothing left to be said between friends, as Elrond could already forsee the outcome of your conversation and you were choosing to stay blind to it. He could not longer help you, nor could he watch you suffer anymore. He gave you a small nod and turned to leave.

“It will work this time, Elrond. Something feels different this time.” You called out to him, a final message before he left.

“I truly hope it does, for your sake more than his.”

You watched as your friend departed, leaving you alone with your thoughts once more. You couldn’t give up on the man who loved you, who looked at you as though you were the brightest star in the night sky. You had promised yourself long ago that you would love him until your dying breath.

Your fondest memories with him flooded your mind as you made your way to his forge. They made you feel a sense of loss, but they also helped to solidify your resolve. You could no longer sit back and watch, as your husband’s usually colourful soul now resembled a cold and empty shade of grey.

“We need to talk.” You shouted as you burst through the doors of his forge.

He was standing at his work bench, examining something through that little magnifying glass that you had gifted him years ago. The sight brought a wave of nostalgia that hit you hard, leaving you slightly gasping for air.

“What is it? I am quite busy, you know.” He didn’t even look up, you weren’t worth his full attention right now.

“As I said, we need to talk. Now.” You walked over to him and stood beside him, applying some kind of pressure for him to focus on you.

“Fine, make it quick though.” He put his glass down and turned to look at you.

Shock wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how you felt as soon as you saw him. He was a completely different man. His hair was a mess, coal and ash were smeared across his face, and his eyes. Oh his beautiful eyes. They were dull, lacking emotion of any sort.

You had interrupted him from his work before, but those were different days. Better days. Days were his eyes were full of excitement, every new project sparked joy in him and you could always see it. But now? There wasn’t an ounce of joy behind his eyes. There was nothing.

“You have changed, my love. And as much as I would love to let you continue on this project, I am begging you to stop. You are losing yourself.” You held his hand gently, doing your best to ignore the cuts and scrapes on it as there were larger issues at hand.

He stood quietly for a moment, gazing into your eyes as if he was trying to determine whether or not you were serious about your request. When he spoke, his voice was soft and quiet, almost a whisper. “Perhaps you are right.”

Your eyes lit up. This was a huge improvement from the last time when you had spoken to him. He was genuinely taking your words in and listening to you.

“I truly am so glad that you see it too-”

“I have changed. For the better. I see you now, in your truest form.” His voice changed, what was once soft was now sharp and cold, as though he was speaking to his enemy. He pulled his hand out of yours and crossed his arms, with a look on his face that you had never seen before. It was as though he despised you.

“You never wished for me to achieve my only goal, my dearest dream. You wanted me to forever live in Feanor’s shadow. A fool who could never achieve what his ancestors did. That is truly why you wish for me to stop my work on the rings.”

You stared blankly at him. His words made no sense to you. Since the beginning, you knew of his ambitions and you never once stopped supporting him. You sacrificed so much for him, and yet he had the nerve to say that. Your mind went quiet, any sense or reasoning was now long gone.

“You are indeed a fool, Celebrimbor. I gave up my position as commander, just to be here and support you while you worked day and night, attempting to create something that seemed near impossible. Yet here you are, accusing me of having alterior motives. I, who moved my entire life from Lindon to Eregion, to help you. A fool does not even begin to describe what you are in this very moment.”

Your words cut deep, causing a look of guilt and sadness to flash across his face for a moment. But he quickly regained his cold composure and looked down at you.

“What am I then?”

“I will tell you instead what you are not. You are not the man I love. You are far from the man I married and swore to love for both of our lifetimes. The man who would stay up late with me, counting the stars in the sky and promising to love me more than the amount he counted, the man who would drop everything the second I expressed any need of him, he is truly gone. I thought perhaps, the real you was somewhere in there, deep down inside. I see now that I was wrong.”

He didn’t even flinch as you told him everything you had felt for months on end. It was in that moment that you realized he was a different man now, and you couldn’t do anything about it. Not waiting for any response from him, you turned around and walked towards the door, hesitating slightly as you contemplated saying one last thing. A farewell.

“I hope those rings bring you the comfort you need, as I no longer will. Goodbye, Lord Celebrimbor.”

He said nothing as he watched you leave. Your words slowly began to sink in, but he forced himself to think nothing of them and return to his work. As he turned back to his table, he saw your wedding band, placed beside his tools. When you had taken your ring off was unknown to him, but it broke his heart, though he wouldn’t feel it until it was too late.

Years had passed since your last encounter with him. You were now standing in the ruins of Eregion, listening to your dearest friend as he told you everything that had happened. His final sentence informing you of what you had already realized: Celebrimbor had died. Or rather, he was killed. You allowed Elrond to finish his recount of the events, and then you made your way to the forge. You could not truly believe it until could confirm it with your own two eyes.

A sudden wave of nausea hit you as you walked into the forge. The smell of blood and ashes was so strong it choked you. And it was then when you looked up and saw him. Impaled to the pillar, a declaration of war. You stayed for a moment longer, before taking a deep breath and leaving. It was far more gruesome than you could have imagined.

As you walked through the rest of the city, you found yourself reminiscing about the past. Every corner of the city held a beautiful memory for you. The garden that he planted just for you, with your favourite flowers, was now completely destroyed. A single petal lay on the ground, untouched by the evil that had overtaken the city you once called home.

The next few days consisted of your friends constantly checking in on you. They knew how strong, how unwavering, your love was for the Lord of Eregion. And though your heart hurt, no tears ever fell. For you had mourned him, long before he truly left.