#or the role he'd played in Elrond's life

[thesummerestsolstice]

By the time Elrond leaves for Gil-Galad's camp, he's also been handling most of the healing at Amon Ereb for years. Few of the Feanorians can heal any more, bloodstained as they are, and even as a youth, it's clear that Elrond is remarkably talented at it.

Many of the Feanorians use sleeping draughts. Some of them, especially the former thralls, are plagued by nightmares. Maglor and Maedhros are so burnt out by the oath at this point that they can barely sleep at all.

Elrond is the one who mixes the medicine, quietly in the little room they've started calling the apothecary. No one watches. He gathers most of his own herbs too, from the gardens inside the fortress or the decaying land around it– no one goes with him, because the elves will be noticed by Morgoth's forces and attacked, but somehow, Elrond always slips by unnoticed.

Elrond leaves to get supplies. Elrond comes back. Elrond makes the sleeping draught, every afternoon. Maglor and Maedhros– and plenty of others– drink it without question every evening. They wake up the next morning, and there Elrond is, smiling and asking how they slept.

To most of the Feanorians, who've already started whispering about Elrond's kindness, this doesn't seem strange.

But Maedhros wonders. Maedhros knows that it would be near impossible to tell if the herbal draught had been tampered with. Maedhros knows that many of the herbs around Amon Ereb are poisonous, even lethal. Maedhros knows that the forested lands around Amon Ereb, sick as they are, would gladly shelter Elrond and Elros all the way to Gil-Galad's camp.

Maedhros knows all these things. What he doesn't know is why. Why Elrond stays, why Elrond helps them. And part of him– the part worn down by everything that's already happened to him– is suspicious of that. But he still takes the sleeping draught every night. And Elrond is still there every morning. And Maedhros never quite works up the courage to ask.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Weird question for you. It's the wine talking, sorry :)

If you could make a movie of your LotR fics, which actors would you cast? I know you'll keep Brad Dourif as Grima - would you change anyone else? Still go with Viggo for Aragorn, Sean for Boromir etc?

Also, if there was flashback scenes that included Theodred, who would you use for that role? Movie guy had like, two scenes, and we barely got to see his face.

Always a hard question!

I mean, if we're talking about the actors as they are today I suppose Brad's age of 73 would actually align better with what Tolkien had in mind when he wrote Grima (described as: "a wizened figure of a man with a pale, wise face and heavy-lidded eyes"), rather than middle-aged Brad from the early 2000s ;)

For modern actors, I've no idea who I would choose for Grima. Someone suitably weird looking. Not off-puttingly vile, but just disconcerting. He'd need a proper snake-vibe. I like him having certain animal-esque/evil fey-ish qualities, but they need to be done right.

Also he can't be sexy. No Loki-isn't-traditionally-handsome-in-a-greek-statue-sort-of-way-but-he's-still-unquestionably-good-looking bullshit. None of that. He needs to be disconcerting and weird.

Oh I would keep Grima having dark eyes, as they're described in the book. Because I think it adds a nice level of spookiness to him just having eerily dark inkwells as iris'.

Grima needs to look like he's reading your mind (and possibly stripping you, but not in a sexy way) with his eyeballs.

I have issues with how Peter Jackson chose to portray Grima, because the approach doesn't really make sense for the character and the position he occupies in the King's court, but I did appreciate that he wasn't sexy and that needs to be maintained.

As for everyone else? Honestly, I'd likely redo the entire cast. Some of it is for racial diversity reasons (Aragorn, Legolas, Elrond, maybe Boromir etc.) and others is just down to my thinking other people would be a better fit (Eomer, Eowyn, Arwen, Boromir again, Gimli etc.)

I feel like Dev Patel would need to be in it. Maybe as Legolas.

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I think it's easier to do this by people I'd keep/invent time travel and/or necromancy-that-works to have their early 2000s selves reprise the role:

Bernard Hill - Theoden

Ian Holm - Bilbo

Cate Blanchette - Galadriel

Ian McKellen - Gandalf

Christopher Lee - Saruman

I'm 50/50 on the hobbits and their actors, all of whom I like, but I feel that there are better fits for them? Also, again, we can have more diversity.

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There absolutely would be flashbacks with Theodred and I would pick someone more appropriate age wise since he's in his 40s, like Boromir, and whoever they had in the movies was too young.

There'd be some fun scenes of Theodred being like: I don't need to marry, I'm still young, there's plenty of time for heirs and spares. Then Grima just stares into the camera like he's on the office. Holds up a chart that shows the growth of Sauron's power. Theodred is like "eh, it's fine."

In another deep flashback scene:

Grima saddles up to Eomer: Have you thought about marriage yet?

Eomer: I'm twenty-two.

Grima: You say that like it matters? Your cousin isn't being helpful and the House of Eorl doesn't make many children, on the whole, and you all drop like flies in your thirties due to being way too adrenaline addicted and prone to poor life choices. Someone. Needs. To. Make. An. Heir.

Eomer: There's plenty of time.

Cue five years later:

Grima: Theodred's dead. So sad. May Middle Earth's smallest violin play at his wake.

Eomer: I'm. hmmm. Yes. Ok, I see what you meant five years ago about us all dropping like flies in our prime.

Grima: Your father going off with too few men to fight a bunch of orcs didn't clue you in to this tendency? Literally. Your entire family's history? Just. Somehow. Didn't clue you in? But never mind, so sad, too late now though. Quick, go fight some orcs.

Eomer squints at him suspiciously.

Grima does finger guns and walks away.

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I always end up having these things turn absurdly comedic.

anyway - not sure this was helpful! I've no idea who I would cast save that it'd be a major revamp.

thank you! <3 <3