So, this is a gift fic for Crackers, since Curufin is one of her favorite characters. I'm not sure how well it turned out. *winces* It was also originally going to be a birthday fic...but I am about two months too late for that. Sorry Crackers!

If I ever meet the one who wrote the Lay of Leithian, I might just have to kill him.

Now, there may be some who would look upon me with horror were I to say that in their presence, but really, after Alqualondë and all that? It would hardly be the worst thing I have done. But I digress.

Admittedly, the Lay slanders my brother Celegorm far more than myself—though I am the one they blame for Nargothrond's cowardice. Rank foolishness. We warned them, Celegorm and I; warned them of what would become of those precious jewels. And were we not right? Just look at what became of Doriath, even before we came there. If the Jewel had gone to Nargothrond, all that we foretold would have come to pass.

And yet they blame us for it all. For our cousin's death, for Nargothrond's weakening…there are probably some who would blame us for its fall, even though that clearly is the fault of that misbegotten mortal!

Perhaps inprisoning Lúthien was not the best course that we could have taken, but Celegorm was in love with her. Of foolish deeds done for love, this hardly counts as the worst. I do believe that Eöl has that dubious honor…

But I digress again. My point is, what we have done—at least of what is covered in the Lay—is far less than many others in this ill-fated land. It is even far less than others of our deeds! And yet, we are clearly the villains of the Lay, along with Sauron and Morgoth himself! Are our previous deeds to so tint us that we must always be so in song and tale, regardless of the actual severity of what we had done?

And as for saying we would not have ransomed Finrod…of course we would have. With his own treasure. If only to say 'I told you so'.

Really, if I ever get my hands on the one who wrote the Lay of Leithian…He's not going to survive that encounter.