The Eldar in Valinor deal with the aftermath of the breaking and reshaping of the world as they know it.

Outside Arda

There was to be a great council for all the Eldar leaders hosted by the Valar in the Circle of Doom. Such a meeting was not lightly called. Mornel had to remind herself of that when her circlet weighed on her brow or the collar of her formal robes pinched. The three kings of the Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri were in attendance, as were the lesser lords who governed the distant settlements on their behalf (and their entourages). Mornel was attending as Lady of Formenos but had foregone a large entourage, taking with her only Caranthir and his wife as her advisors. The presence of a Feanorion drew some consternation from the gaggle of Vanyar nobles attending to King Ingwe but there was little they could do about it.

Mornel was glad to see that none of the chieftains of the Nandor and Avarin tribes had been omitted from the meeting. These clung close to Lord Orome's Maiar for reassurance. Even the reclusive Elwing had deigned to make the journey as nominal Queen of the Sindar, with her husband at her side. The Vingilot was moored at the hill where the Trees once stood in their glory. It was quite a turnout and made even more impressive by the presence of all the Valar and a good many of their Maiar in physical form. To Mornel's eyes, the Ring was little more than a circle of standing stones but it allowed room for everyone. Others alleged it was built differently but this was the realm of the Valar and none could be certain.

Most impressive of all were the regal forms of Lord Manwe and Lady Varda, whose thrones rose in the centre, overlooking all. Mornel had had few occasions to meet the King and Queen of the Valar previously. Mawe was clad in billowy robes of blue and white, bringing to mind the open skies and the winds of which he held sway. His wife was clad similarly in silver and deep blue, reminiscent of the night skies. It was Lord Manwe who addressed the assembly.

He explained that their Father had broken the world and sunk Numenor, reshaping Arda into a sphere and removing Aman in its entirety from it, so that no ship may across the sea to the Undying Lands. At this proclamation, an outcry arose. From across the Ring, Arafinwe seemed to stagger, his face pale.

"What of my grandson Elrond who still remains in Endore?" Idril's distressed voice rose above the clamour. "Will they who remain be doomed to fade until the Second Music?"

"The Straight Road remains for the Eldar who will sail," Lord Ulmo declared. "Do not fret!"

"The Power of the Eldar is fading… Soon Arda Marred will be falling under the dominion of Men," Lord Namo added solemnly.

"What shall we do about that section of the Pelori, now that the Numenorean army is buried there?" Caranthir screwed up his courage to ask the Lord of Mandos. "Are they all past the Circles of Arda?"

Mornel stole a sideways glance at her brother, thankful he had dared to voice her concerns. There was always that niggling doubt that perhaps a few of the Numenoreans had survived and now lurked in the wilds of Araman. Caranthir was already renowned for his blunt manner, so such a question would not seem surprising from him.

"Leave them all in the Caves of the Forgotten, where they will await their part in the Dagor Dagorath," an icy smile touched Namo's lips as he addressed the assembly. "If you wish, you have leave to rebuild the towers there, even mine the earth for gems and mithril, but you will never intrude on their prison."

A collective chill ran through the Ring at his words. This was a pointed reminder of the Valar's, nay, the powers of their Father. The Halls of Mandos appeared endless within though it appeared as nothing more than a nondescript building of grey stone without. The living who visited the Halls of Vaire to view her tapestries could never find their dead kin, though many had tried. Once on a dare, a re-embodied Arakano had even tried counting the rooms and doors within, to locate the path to find his father in Mandos to no avail. He was certain there were more rooms inside than was physically possible.

Emboldened by Caranthir's query, more questions were aired and answered by the Valar the best they could. Idril was reassured by Lord Ulmo that a few of Elros' bloodline, still faithful to the Valar had managed to flee the Downfall of Numenor and made landfall in Middle-earth. Finrod was dismayed to learn that his nemesis Sauron had also survived and fled to Middle-earth.

"The time of the Eldar is passing in Arda… as of this new Age, its matters no longer concern us," Lady Vana yawned in her languid way when she was bored.

"They should!" Mornel could not help her outburst. "We still have kin on the Hither Shores. Eldar or Edain. We have seen what Sauron could do in Numenor. Will we allow him to corrupt the Peoples of Arda unchallenged?"

Her words were met by an initial murmur of rebuke from the Vanyar delegates, but it died down amidst quiet applause from Prince Ingwion in defiance of his father. The applause was echoed by Uncle Ara and his envoys, then Olwe's small Teleri delegation. The Silvans and Nandor chieftains beat their ceremonial shields or thumped the earth with their staffs or spears in approval.

Lord Tulkas put forward an impassionate plea to march on Middle-earth to smite Sauron with the Valar's might but his suggestion was overridden by the rest of his colleagues. They had sunk Beleriand in the First Age and learned from their mistakes since.

"Surely there is some other way we can aid them?" Mornel ventured. "Other than open war? Cousin Glorfindel was sent back with two Maiar…" Perhaps she could be sent back to Middle-earth herself.

"Very well, Serelanye Mornel Feanoriel. We will think upon your words," Lord Manwe chuckled. With a sweep of his mantle, he transformed into the likeness of a Great Eagle. Spreading his wings, he soared above the open Ring of Doom and towards Taniquetil.

"Let it not be said that the Peaceweaver is naïve in the ways of the Shadow and war," Lady Varda said solemnly as she transformed herself into a kestrel and followed her lord. The council was dismissed and the Valar took their leave singly or in pairs. Mornel could have sworn Lady Vana gave her a wink as she mounted Nahar behind her husband. With a spirited neigh, the mighty horse trotted out of the Ring, followed by many of the Sindar, Avari, and Nandor hunters who swore fealty to Lord Orome.

"Your place is here in Aman, child," Lord Irmo murmured as he passed her on his way out of the Ring. "We will send no more Eldar back across the Sea."

"What of my brother Makalaure? Will he be allowed to take the Straight Road and return?" Eonwe had stated that the Ban was lifted for the Exiles, but she feared her brothers' actions in the theft of the Silmarils would weigh against him ever returning.

Lord Irmo did not reply. Taking his lady's hand, both dispersed into a dream-like mist, shedding physical form for ease of travel to their Gardens. Mornel looked around her. The Valar and most of their Maiar were gone.

"Perhaps he will return by his own choice, or circumstances will force his return," Olorin patted Mornel on the shoulder before following his master's example and vanishing into thin air.

There was much work to be done. The earth-shake had caused sizeable damage to many cities of the Eldar. Much of Alqualonde had to be rebuilt, so too Avallone. The Teleri will need the expertise of the Noldor's best builders. Even houses in Valmar had suffered broken windows or cracked walls.

Turgon was aghast when his Great Dome commemorating the brave deeds of his fellow lords with its stained glass windows was damaged. All the windows had shattered, which might not be a bad thing – Ecthelion had found the depiction of his demise in poor taste and added that the feeling was shared by many of his colleagues. Cousin Laurelosse quipped that her brother might take a hammer to the window depicting him being dragged to his demise by his hair, had he been present at its unveiling. Elenwe had volunteered to design the replacement windows, having taken up art as a hobby after her less than stellar culinary attempts.

Formenos had several outbuildings collapse but the main fortress escaped serious damage. There had been a fire when one of the workshops fell apart. A spring of hot sulphurous water was reported to have emerged from a hill near the settlement. Some enterprising elves had dug a pool and channelled the spring water into it, forming a soothing bath for ridding one's aches and pains after a hard day of forge work.

New maps of the coasts and seas had to be made, now that the seas surrounding Aman no longer joined that of Middle-earth. Tuor had volunteered to lead the expedition and already reports were coming in on how the seas seemed to have expanded past where Numenor once stood. New islands were spotted. One vessel even braved the Southern Ice and found itself on the Outer Sea of Aman. Earendil's vessel continued on its assigned task in the night sky, sailing among the stars. Whatever changes wrought in Arda did not alter the skies or the paths of Tilion and Arien.

"Mornel, Grandma Miriel is expecting us for tea!" Caranthir urged, snapping her out of her musings.

"Coming!" Mornel removed her circlet and hastened out of the Ring of Doom to join her family. They would spend the rest of the day discussing dyes and embroidery techniques. It was not a topic Mornel was well-versed in but she was still glad to have the company of her grandmother.

Author's Notes:

This is the last chapter for this instalment of the Mornel Fenaoriel AU. Not sure if I will be bringing her (and her family) back any time soon.