Erestor cleared his throat nervously.

" Well shall we start?"

He looked around the table. Unfortunately he seemed to be surrounded by three fierce looking Fëanorians. Maedhros, Maglor and Celegorm all sat and glared at him.

" Where are the others?" Just the sound of Maedhros's voice made Erestor anxious.

" Um…. I have some apologies, Ecthelion sent a note with the eagles. Unfortunately he is not allowed out of Gondolin. He asks if we can meet there next time perhaps –"

" Ha!" exclaimed Maglor. " It would help if he could see fit to tell us exactly WHERE Gondolin is!"

" …and Beleg also let me know he couldn't come. It seems he has become entangled with some trouble involving a Man."

" Didn't he learn anything from what happened to Finrod when he got mixed up with Beren?" Maglor sniped "Celegorm can tell us all about that can't you Celegorm?!"

" Stop teasing me about the mess I made of Finrod and Beren, Maglor. You know I didn't mean it." Celegorm pleaded.

" Right, right," Erestor hurriedly interrupted before he ended up in the middle of a Fëanorian dispute, " I think I will call this first meeting of the Gothmog Haters Sect to order. I will take the minutes….if you like, Maedhros?" He looked anxiously to Maedhros for affirmation.

" Fine" Maedhros answered. He didn't have much to say lately.

" So what, dear brother did you imagine us doing here?" Maglor turned to Maedhros as he asked the question.

Erestor slunk down as low as he could in his chair to avoid the withering glare Maedhros shot his brother.

" Perhaps we should go round in a circle and introduce ourselves?" He squeaked.

" For goodness sakes Erestor. We already know who we all are! Three of us are brothers, in case you hadn't noticed " Maglor snapped. Erestor made a note of the fact Maglor seemed to be in a very bad mood this evening.

" I know, I know!" Celegorm leaned forward eagerly,"let's go around and each say Why we hate Gothmog!"

" An excellent idea" Erestor grasped at it with relief, " and I will write them all down. Celegorm, why don't you start?"

" He killed our Father."

" Yes. Yes. Great start Celegorm" Erestor said encouragingly.

He took his pencil and carefully wrote

Celegorm: He killed Fëanor.

" I will go next" he said when he had finished. Then to his horror. He found his mind was blank. ' Think, think Erestor!' He internally panicked.

" Um….. His whip was very long….." It was the first thing that came into his head and he knew it wasn't any good. What must Maedhros think of him.

Still he dutifully write it down.

Erestor: his long whip.

" Maedhros?" He said quickly, anything to divert the attention from himself, " I think you are next."

Maedhros sighed. " Because he killed Fingon."

" Ah yes," Erestor nodded filling the rather uncomfortable silence that followed that statement, and he rapidly wrote

Maedhros: He killed Fingon.

"He squished him remember brother, we mustn't forget that," Maglor piped up. " I think I will have that one Erestor, He SQUISHED Fingon."

" Maglor!" Celegorm hissed angrily across the table

" You can't have that Maglor," Erestor said determinedly. "Maedhros has already covered Fingon. You will have to think up your own reason."

" Then I have nothing" Maglor smiled wickedly at Erestor, " You will have to come back to me later"

Erestor bent over his paper and wrote

Maglor is a pain in the butt.

" What did you write down just then?" Maglor queried sternly. " I didn't say anything."

" Just some headings" Erestor stammered. " Don't worry I will write these out in triplicate later, you will all get a copy."

" My turn again!" Celegorm was so enthusiastic, thank goodness he was here, Erestor could have hugged him.

" He has all that fire over him, it makes him very hard to kill."

Erestor wrote it down.

Celegorm: Fire makes him hard to kill.

"And now me again" Erestor was determined to think of a better reason than his last attempt. He paused in thought.

" He is very rude. I have never heard him say a good thing about anyone."

" He is a BALROG Erestor! Of course he is rude." Really Maglor could be so sarcastic.

" I don't see you saying anything better." Erestor snapped back and slowly wrote

Erestor: his language is appalling.

" Maedhros your turn.."

They all held their breaths.

" Because He killed Fingon."

"Ah….Maedhros…I think you said that last time…if you could think of something new?" Erestor said gingerly

Maedhros gritted his teeth.

" I said. Because. He. Killed. Fingon. Write it down!"

" Yes,yes, any thing you say Maedhros. I am writing it down right now" His hands were shaking like jelly as he wrote

Maedhros: He killed Fingon x 2

He showed it to Maedhros and got a terse nod in reply.

" It is your turn now Maglor." He sighed " I don't suppose you have anything useful to say?"

" He doesn't recycle." Maglor sat back looking smug.

Erestor finally lost his temper. " Why are you even here Maglor? Anyone would think you didn't even hate Gothmog!"

" Alright, alright," Maglor held his hands up in submission.

"Of course I hate him. He is a minion of Morgoth, how is that. Something suitable for you to write down Erestor?" His words dripped with sarcasm and Erestor was heartily sick of him.

" Yes it is fine. Good to see you making a worthwhile contribution"

And he wrote

Is Maglor a Minion of Morgoth?

" Me, me, Erestor, I have another reason," Celegorm was a breath of fresh air.

" He doesn't wash! I have never smelt anything as bad as he."

Erestor wrote it down

Celegorm: He has bad personal hygiene.

" Do you have any more Maedhros?" Celegorm continued hopefully

Maedhros took a deep breath.

" Because he –"

" Maedhros."

Maglor put his hand on Maedhros's arm. He lent forward placing his head against that of his brother. His voice suddenly more gentle, somehow safer. " Maedhros, can you try to think of another reason…... For your own sake?"

Maedhros hung his head. His hair fell over his face. Erestor couldn't see his eyes.

He was silent. The room was silent.

When he finally spoke it was in a voice softer than silk, filled with sorrow and grief.

" Brother, ….What else is there?"

Erestor began to write. With angry, harsh, vicious strokes he wrote. Black spiky words gouged themselves across the page.

Because He Killed Fingon.