#poutrope

[imakemywings]

Canon divergence AU: Feanor sends a delegation to Thingol (after Losgar and before the Dagor-nuin-Giliath)

AU asks

*cracks my knuckles* Okay this one is going to take some thought.

Feanor sends a handful of Noldor into Doriath to make acquaintance with Thingol and Melian, among them Maglor (his first choice would have been Maedhros, but he finds himself less than fully trustful of his eldest after Maedhros' restraint at Losgar).

Some things stay the same: Feanor and his representatives keep mum about Alqualonde. Feanor may have left sanity behind in Tirion but even he knows Olwe's brother will not react well to that, even if Feanor feels it was justified.

Because Feanor's reps explain (sort of) the situation (Melkor killed Finwe and stole from Feanor; they're here to avenge that) there's no period where the Umanyar believe the Amanyar were sent by the Valar to help them.

Thingol still wary of allying with these strangers who've come into Beleriand for their own ends.

Because the Arafinweans aren't there, and the Feanorians have no reason to believe they're coming, they can't rely on familial ties with Thingol to sway him.

Thingol recognizes that even if they are an unknown factor, they oppose Melkor, which is helpful, so he makes an agreement to give the Feanorians some land to settle on (they have to go somewhere, after all)

The Feanorians still take some of the land closest to Angband because Feanor essentially intends to take control of the entire war against Melkor and therefore wants to be up front.

Thingol send a couple of his own representatives to the Feanorians' camp basically to spy on them and learn about them (for my own bias, Daeron is one of them and he picks up Quenya far quicker than any of the rest but pretends he doesn't so he can eavesdrop more)

Partly out of his old affection for Finwe, Thingol invites Feanor himself to Menegroth.

Feanor definitely speaks stirringly, but over the course of their encounter it becomes apparent to Thingol that Feanor burns far too hot for anyone he wants to ally with. It's clear that Feanor is driven by a rabid desire for revenge and Thingol is also hugely not a fan of his "the Valar are against us" spiel (Feanor immediately pretty mistrustful of Melian and anyone related to her, including Thingol and Luthien).

He tries to end the meeting without making his stance clear, but Feanor pushes, and Thingol tells him his honest opinion: He doesn't trust Feanor as an ally, he thinks he's reckless, and he doesn't want any part of Feanor's plan to assault Angband.

Naturally Feanor loses his temper; they have a big fight in the throne room and Feanor accuses Thingol of cowardice and false friendship to Finwe; Thingol doesn't exactly throw Feanor out, but he is most certainly invited to take his leave, which he does.

Feanor storms out with his reps Maglor trying to stuff his number into Daeron's hand on the way out and goes on to launch the effort that ends in his death-by-balrog.

Basically I think Feanor would blow up any actual diplomacy with Doriath anyway, so his effort is always going to be doomed because he is exactly the kind of person Thingol would not want to ally with, and that gets proven to a T with how Feanor dies. I think Thingol would grieve this, because he would be inclined to want to help Finwe's son, but I don't think he would like Feanor, and he also has to put his people first, which means not tying them to Feanor's mania.