#Fingon would have given Maedhros a little more initiative and no way to retarget his obsessive obedience/devotion

[fuckingfinwions]

[Cleaning up some stuff that I posted on Discord a while back. In the timeline where Fingon outright buys Maedhros from Morgoth.]

Fingon presents this to his family as having rescued Maedhros, who is in a delicate emotional/physical state and doesn't want a lot of visitors.

Fingolfin's Noldor and the Feanorian Noldor don’t have much diplomatic contact, so no one's in a hurry to send him to his brothers, or even tell them he’s back. The Feanorians are, after all, those bastards who stranded us on the ice, and then abandoned their own brother for dead. No one is going to advocate on their behalf.

Maedhros is of the opinion that being Fingon’s property is the best treatment he's had in years, he doesn't want to be given away to someone else. He’ll do whatever it takes to stay with Fingon, including following the scripts that Fingon gives him. So Maedhros is able to come across as slightly unwell but mostly capable of making his own decisions to Nolofinwe or anyone else who checks on him - at least, assuming Fingon has advance notice, and the conversations only last ten minutes or so. But Maedhros is obviously recovering from both physical and mental trauma, so Fingon usually can give excuses about Maedhros’s “poor health” to explain why the conversation can’t happen now or has to be cut short.

But usually isn’t always. And Nolo is going to be paying close attention to the potential competitor for the throne who is also his son’s boyfriend. It’s not any single thing Maedhros says, but eventually Nolo realizes the situation - Maedhros believes he’s still a slave, and Fingon is encouraging him to think so.

Nolo calls Fingon into a meeting, to decide what to do about Maedhros. Nolo refuses Fingon’s idea of letting things go on as they have. They haven’t announced Maedhros’s rescue, but people are going to figure it out pretty soon (especially if Fingon hand-feeds fruit to Maedhros in the garden while Maedhros kneels at his feet again).

But they also can’t let anyone find out now, as Maedhros is completely unfit for company. He can keep quiet about everything that’s happened since he was captured if ordered to, but telling him “you can mention everything but the sex” doesn’t work because nudity isn’t sex really, or being tied to the bed with his his clothes on! If asked to act like all the sex he had since Fingon rescued him was consensual, Maedhros would be very confused. He is obedient, and even eager a lot of the time - Fingon makes it so much nicer than anyone else, and sometimes even focuses on Maedhros’s pleasure!

Diplomatic relations between the Nolfinwean Noldor and the Feanorian Noldor are strained, but they’re not at open war. Keeping their brother captive where they can’t speak to him might spark one. Actually letting them talk to Maedhros as he is definitely will.

So the options are a) keep Maedhros locked away forever where no one he knew can find him or b) gaslight Maedhros until he believes Fingon treated him appropriately.

Regardless of the final decision, Fingon punishes Maedhros for “letting” Nolo find out. Fingon justifies it to himself a little that it was one of the few rules he gave Maedhros, and Maedhros won’t listen to him again if Fingon doesn’t follow through on his threats.

But really, Fingon is worried and angry and Maedhros is a convenient outlet. Fingon doesn’t want Maedhros to be taken away from him. And I think there’s a few hours between when Nolo tells Fingon “this is unacceptable long term” and when Fingon and Nolo figure out a plan.

“You let my father find out what I do to you, Maedhros, even though I told you not to, and now he’s upset. Bad boys get punished, so strip and face the wall.”

Maedhros does so. This is the first time he’s seen Fingon really angry with him, and he’s terrified. And the king disapproving of Fingon’s treatment - what does that mean? Is Fingon being too gentle? Maedhros will put up with much worse if it lets him stay with a Master who gives such clear orders. Or is Fingon too possessive, and the king has heard from his captains that they’re not being rewarded for victories? Maedhros hopes that if that’s the case, he can still spend most night with his Master, rather than congratulating strangers, but of course if Fingon orders him to the middle of the barracks he’ll go. He’s not as practiced at pleasing more than one person at once, but Fingon bought him rather than one of the camp whores and Maedhros is very glad of that.

Maedhros doesn’t ask any of these questions though. His master will tell him what he needs to know when he needs to know it. If Maedhros is going to be sent back to Angband, there’s no reason for anyone to tell him before they reach the gates. He takes off his tunic (he was wearing nothing else), and stands against the wall.

Maedhros has no idea what Fingon will do to him. Acid is the hardest to stand during, but he will try all the same. Or maybe the whole standing and facing the corner is the punishment; Fingon does have some odd ideas at times.

Th first strike is unexpected - Maedhros hadn’t even heard Fingon get an implement. Over the next ten Maedhros realizes why. He’s being hit with a riding crop, likely the same one that Fingon fucked hm with the handle of a few nights ago.

Crops don’t tend to break bones or injure internal organs no matter how they’re used. And even if his skin splits, it’s unlikely to scar. Maybe his Master still intends to keep him, even tough he disobeyed. Maedhros resolves to do his best to stand up to this punishment. He moans or even whimpers in pain but he doesn’t scream, because his Master had said before not to yell, and Maedhros is already in enough trouble for breaking one rule.

Maedhros does eventually run out of stamina; especially as he’s been treated so gently and not building muscle. He stumbles, and catches himself on the wall. He flinches back when he realizes, and tries to straighten his legs before he can be accused of cheating and letting the wall hold him up.

Fingon notices though, and, since he is such a kind master and does not wish to destroy Maedhros, stops.

“Turn around.”

Fingon pushes Maedhros flat on his back on a desk to fuck him. Maedhros bites his tongue until it bleeds trying to keep quiet. Fingon thinks that’s hot, and leaves bite marks on Maedhros’s shoulders and neck while fucking him, breaking the skin several times. (There’s no prep, but it’s not like Fingon leaves Maedhros alone for long enough for him to ever tighten up completely. Fingon’s cock fits without tearing Maedhros’s hole, and that’s the important thing.)

Once Fingon comes he keeps Maehdros’s injured back against the hard wood of the desk and covers the rest of him body in bites, pecs and nipples and ears until he looks like he was attacked by an animal.

Fingon pauses a moment to get a gag, and Maedhros sucks on the dildo compliantly. Then he continues, trailing bites ever lower.

Fingon is a little gentler on Mae’s cock and balls, and doesn’t break the skin at all. With the gag, Maedhros is able to keep from screaming as he grips the side of the table. He knows better than to reach his hands forward where they might block Fingon’s access.

By the time Fingon is done with Maedhros’s cock, Fingon is turned on again. That was the point after all, to have one last time of getting his mouth on his lover and watching Maedhros writhe in pain for him.

Fingon demands Maedhros ride him, and spending an hour on his back means Maedhros’s legs have regained some of their strength.

When Fingon’s done, he orders Maedhros to put in a plug and get dressed. Then Fingon ties him to a chair and leaves.

__

a) is straight forward enough. Maedhros will stay in Fingon’s room rather than going out to the gardens sometimes. The servants will know Fingon has a lover, but not who, or how Fingon got them. Maedhros is well trained enough that they don’t even have to bolt the door so he doesn’t run away; if his Master tells him to stay, he will.

Still, Maedhros might get bored if left alone and peer out the window, or sing a song to entertain himself, or do something else that reveals his identity. So when Fingon is going to be out of the room for long periods of time Maedhros will be drugged. He doesn’t have to be unconscious if Fingon would prefer not to have to wake him up, but something to make his thoughts fuzzy and his limbs heavy and his body slow.

Fingon doesn’t bother trying to hide the drug from Maedhros. A strong routine and clear rules have worked so far, and Maedhros thanks Fingon very nicely every time Fingon keeps a promise even if it’s just that Maedhros will be allowed breakfast. “I’m going to give you this drug most mornings. It will make you less energetic, so that you don’t get into trouble looking for ways to burn off the energy. Let me know if it’s painful, though it shouldn’t be.”

Maedhros makes sure to drink every drop of the drug. His old masters would punish him for spilling and wasting something they wanted him to drink. And it sounds like a very gentle drug, and just another example of how Fingon is the most wonderful master ever. Fingon gave Maedhros an order that isn’t even very difficult, but he still wants Maedhros to succeed, and is making it easier for Maedhros to do so. In Angband, Maedhros had been ordered before to stay in one place and then given a drug that made it feel like thousands of ants were crawling across him and he wanted to claw off his skin. A balrog once fed him something that made him nearly pass out and then ordered Maedhros to ride its cock for an hour.

Fingon wants Maedhros to stay in the room and is giving him a drug that makes moving harder; this isn’t an order Maedhros is even tempted to disobey. And the drug making it harder to think doesn’t matter either, as the only thing Maedhros needs to think about is Fingon, and Fingon will order him if Maedhros forgets what he was doing.

Fingon skips doses whenever he has a full day free. Maedhros thoughtlessly compliant is pleasant enough, but sometimes Fingon wants Maedhros’s full mind and creativity devoted to Fingon’s pleasure.

--

b) is a bit more complicated. Basically, it relies on lying to Maedhros about everything that’s happened since Fingon bought him. Once Maedhros "has a firm grasp on reality" and "stops getting caught in delusions", Nolo can let Maedhros contact the rest of the Noldor again, without any fear of diplomatic problems. They expect a recovered Maedhros to help keep things secret because he won’t want to admit he's so used to being only thought of as good for sex that he apparently hallucinated sexual slavery to the only people who’ve actually been kind to him.

In terms of actions steps, this plan starts with drugging Maedhros as well - but only long enough to take out the plug and move him to a guest room. When he comes to, he’s lying on his belly in an unfamiliar place while a healer bandages his back. Maedhros is terrified, because if he’s not in Fingon’s room does that mean Fingon got bored of him after all, and he’s being given away or being sent back?

“Good morning there. Are you feeling better now? Do you remember why you hurt yourself?”

Maedhros thinks for a long moment, but has no idea what’s going on. And Fingon told him that refusing to talk to anyone but Fingon would also get Maedhros taken away, when Maedhros had suggested it as a way to not reveal Fingon’s secrets. But lots of people are confused when they first wake up, so Maedhros can just refuse to answer questions.

"I'm not even sure how I hurt myself, much less why.”

“Your back is a complete mess, and your front isn’t much better. You apparently didn’t even wait for a knife, most of these wounds are so ragged and small I don’t know what made them.”

Oh, the healer doesn’t know that Fingon punished Maedhros for disobeying. Maybe he should correct that, so they don’t make him hurt less than his master wanted him too? No, if Maedhros is here its because Fingon wanted him healed, or else Fingon is no longer his master and Maedhros is being given to someone who wants him healed. He shouldn’t try to change what’s being done to him.

“That you for bandaging me.” He doesn’t know what response is appropriate, but he thanks the servant who brings his lunches and dinners on a tray and that’s never been wrong yet.

“I’d say any time, but I hope not to need to again!”

Maedhros can’t control whether he’s injured to the point of needing healing again, and the healer obviously knows that.

“How long will the bandages stay on?” He’s much less pretty with bandages on. He can’t be used as roughly if burns from too much cold or heat aren’t immediately visible, and they cover up his lovely smooth skin. It’s worse than robes, which keep him warm and comfortable when not being used but can be removed whenever his master comes back. How can Fingon enjoy Maedhros’s body if half of it is covered up? It’s very unfair to  Fingon that he can’t mark Maedhros, and that Maedhros’s inability to touch his own cock is due to anything besides his Master’s orders.

“At least a week. It would be a terrible idea to take them off now, and you shouldn’t be in such a hurry about it.”

Maedhros nods, suitably chastised. The healer didn’t say exactly what happens if he takes the bandages off, but he knows not to press further once he hears a threat. Sauron liked to immobilize Maedhros while he healed, but some of the others would rely on orders, and break his arms if he tried to get in the way. The months afterwards of being unable to use his arms were exhausting, and he knew it had been cut short by Sauron using his power to get Maedhros fixed enough to ruin again.

“Do you know where Fingon is?”

“I think he’s in the solarium, but I’m not sure. I can send one of the pages to get him once I’m done bandaging you.”

“No!” Maedhros can’t demand that his master come to him, that’s not how anything works. Fingon will visit Maedhros if he wants to and not if he doesn’t, and Maedhros’s desire to see him doesn’t enter into it all. But now the healer is looking at him, and Maedhros realizes he must have said something odd. Sticking to questions might work better. “I was just wondering what he said was going to happen to me?”

“Why would he decide what’s going to happen to you? You’re not under arrest, and even if you were, King Fingolfin conduct the trial, not the prince.”

Maedhros panics. Did Fingon give him to someone else? Did Fingon throw him away entirely? No, if Maedhros was being thrown away there would be no reason to fix the wounds. Unless they haven’t decided yet, and want to keep their options open? Maedhros has interacted with healers in Angband, when he got too injured to be good at sex, but always being fixed up for someone. If his Master isn't deciding what to fix and what to let leave an interesting scar, than who is?

“Who makes decisions about my medical care?”

“I’m the chief healer, and I’ll be taking care of you personally since you’ve been through so much. But if there’s anything I do that you don’t like, you can always refuse treatment. I didn’t ask before because you were asleep, but most of the remaining welts would heal on their own eventually.”

Maybe Fingon hasn't given him to a new master? Maybe Fingon is doing some sort of test, where Maedhros has to figure out how to recover fast enough before Fingon replaces him? It seems crueler than Fingon has been so far, but Maedhros did mess up by trying to make decisions about what to say to Fingolfin. If he lacks a skill, threats and torture are the fastest way to teach him; he learned to deepthroat with the back of his skull against a stone wall.

“I want to be healed, the faster the better.” And once he’s fixed, his Master will take him back, and everything will make sense again.

Fingon stops by a few hours later. The healer leaves them alone for a private conversation only after Fingon says it’s okay. (They have to be sure that Maedhros, who was just delusional and self harming, won't attack Fingon!)

Maedhros asks Fingon which of the injuries Fingon gave him should stay. Maedhros thinks the scrapes on his cock and balls, though less severe than the ones on the rest of his body, will heal worst because it’s such a sensitive area. And Fingon likes playing with those, so that’s where Maedhros told the healer to give the most attention. But Maedhros of course will change that if Fingon says so, and it’s not like Maedhros really needs full sensation on any body part. He can still be fucked and suck cock quite well, if Fingon wants to test it?

Fingon acts like Maedhros is saying complete nonsense and talks as if Maedhros has been occasionally hallucinating . Of course he would never make sexual demands from Maedhros! That's an evil thing that Morgoth does, and only very disturbed people would even think of it!

Maedhros thinks that Fingon is acting for some reason and apologizes for being too stupid to follow along. He asks Fingon what Maedhros should do, what role he should play

"I can act the loyal servant, or the devoted pet, or even the stubborn guard if you want. I promise, whatever you want to do to me, no one will be able to tell."

Fingon acts horrified! He "discovers that Maedhros has been hallucinating more than we thought"! Fingon had thought Maedhros had been initiating (extremely vanilla) sex out of love, so he didn’t push back even though he was worried Maedhros might be traumatized.

But obviously Fingon is going to stop fucking Maedhros now, since Fingon realizes Maedhros meant it as payment and no longer loves him.

Maedhros is terrified and confused. He might as well stay with the healers, since no one has told him to go anywhere else? Eventually Fingon will explain enough of what’s going on for Maedhros to ollow along. Or else Fingon will just punish Maedhros whenever Maedhros fails, and Maedhros will learn the rules that way. He would prefer the first, but obviously his opinions have no effect on what Fingon does. 

After few days, Maedhros is used to the routine in the healer’s wing. He’s not comfortable, but he can mostly predict what’s about to happen to him even when he doesn’t understand why. His bandages are changed before lunch, and he’s in bed the rest of the time to not put too much pressure on anywhere. The healer will ask gentle questions about why he cut himself that Maedhros won’t answer in the late afternoon, and then it’s time for dinner. Fingolfin stops in briefly in the evening to reprimand Maedhros for upsetting Fingon. The injuries aren’t healing fast, but then Maedhros has no idea what elven bodies actually heal like when you don’t have poisons weakening them or dark power fueling them. He takes each day as it comes, and tries to understand.

The nest morning, Maedhros eats his breakfast as normal. But things seem odd after that. The air is hard to breathe. He opens a window and sees Sauron’s smiling face behind it. He turns back to his bed and the blankets feel like sand, rough but somehow sliding through his fingers so he can’t grasp them. The walls are changing from reassuring brick to dripping stalactites. The door opens, and Maedhros sees his father come in holding a sword. Feanor says that Maedhros is ruined, and will not be brought back to Angband or Tirion. Instead he’ll be bound and thrown to the bottom of the sea, where no one will have to look at him again. Maedhros argues that he’s trying so hard to be good, and when he next looks up he’s in Araman, staring at the frozen wasteland.

(There was a hallucinogen in his breakfast, not that Maedhros ever learns that. What better way to convince someone not to trust their memory?)

The healers manage to restrain Maedhros eventually, but not before he’s pulled most of the bandages off. They tie him to the bed, and post a guard on the door.

After a few times, Maedhros learns to ask the healers what’s happened to him, since he obviously can’t tell what’s real. They don’t always know the details, but Fingon is sweet and patient and loving and endlessly willing to sit by Maedhros’s bedside and help him reconstruct his memory. Fingon always looks hurt when Maedhros asks if he really was constantly locked naked in Fingon’s room, if it’s true that Fingon cut off his brands personally with no anesthetic. (Maedhros had wanted that be true, that Fingon had repaired him so personally.) But Fingon always answers, and in time Maedhros puts together the basic of what happened to him.

(The hallucinations get worse whenever Maedhros fixates on a horrible thing Fingon did to him. It makes sense he supposes, that trying to make his grasp of the past fit such obviously impossible ideas weakens his grasp on the present as well. Fingon for his part listens carefully every afternoon and evening, and decides whether Maedhros will be drugged the next day or not.)

Maedhros led Fingon into bloodshed at Alqualonde and then abandoned him. Maedhros was captive in Angband for decades, while his brothers did nothing. Fingon got him out, and has stayed at his side ever since, building Maedhros back into the prince and warrior he was before.

Maedhros writes a letter to his brothers saying he’s alive. He’ll visit if they wish, but he wants to stay with the one who’s showed him true loyalty.