Idrill the Traitor

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

So is it just me or was this a very clumsy way of preparing for the worst?
Did Idrill (and Tuor) not take a very big risk by acting as they did, could they not have isolated Maeglin politically, make him loose the kings favor or just work on having the loyalty of the other houses of Gondolin?

I think the stakes were too high for any other actions. Idril had been dwelling with Maeglin long, and sensed how dangerous he could be. She knew he loved her romantically, and that made him all the more treacherous and unpredictable. They couldn't risk trying to undermine him from within: had he got wind of it, I think he would certainly have killed Tuor, and possibly Eärendil as well.
That fear of Maeglin was certainly merited, as jealousy of Tuor was one of his primary motivations for betraying Gondolin to Morgoth. If he was willing to do that, who knows what he might have done if he had learned of a plot to shut him out of Turgon's favour?