FicWad

The Silmarillion: P. 31: Of Aule and Yavanna: " -- and he made first the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves in a hall under the mountains in Middle-earth."

P. 32: "They shall sleep now in the darkness under stone, and shall not come forth until the Firstborn have awakened upon Earth."

~~~

Bilbo and Frodo had been on their map-making expedition in the lands of Valinor for about a fortnight when Frodo noticed something in the sky. "That is odd", he remarked, "I never noticed it before. Look, Bilbo".

Bilbo looked up to where Frodo was pointing and saw a collection of dark spots in the clear blueness of the Valinorian sky. The sky of Valinor was much the same as the sky of Middle-earth, except that it was usually clearer, and the sun shone with a perpetual golden glow, rather than a white-hot glow. The light it cast was rather like the Middle-earth light of a late summer afternoon. It was more muted and softer than the blaze of a noon sun, and was very soothing to the eyes and the spirit. The two hobbits, who now stood almost as tall and slim as two elves, stood staring up at the dark spots. They looked to be not much more than a haze in the sky, almost a wispy cloud, albeit dark, but the strange thing was that the sky over Valinor never had any dark clouds in it.

"I don't know what it is, Frodo", said Bilbo, "but it is probably nothing to worry about. We have not been in the Undying Lands for very long so we do not know what is usual or unusual in this place. When we get back to Lake Lorellin, we will ask Este, and she should be able to tell us what it is, if it is anything to worry about".

"I suppose you are right, as usual, Bilbo", said Frodo.

The hobbits continued on their way. They were intending to walk along the eastern coastline so that Bilbo could measure every little inlet and rock face that they came to. It was very slow going. When they left the Isle of Este they decided to walk eastward across the lands to the Woods of Orome. Bilbo busied himself with his instruments, making calculations and plotting lines on his papers. They were planning to eventually head northward along the eastern coastline toward Mt. Taniquetil, where they hoped to stop for a while, and visit with Gandalf.

Frodo and Bilbo entered the region where the pastures of Yavanna began to roll out before them, and they knew that they had arrived in an enchanted place. Yavanna the Fruitful was the spouse of Aule, the Master of Smiths and the Maker of Mountains. His mansion stood in the Woods of Orome, which lay beyond Yavanna's pastures in central Valinor.

While all of Valinor was beautiful, the lands watched over and tended by Yavanna were the most fair of all. Her pastures, as they unfolded over the land for miles ahead, provided a vista of colors which rolled one into the next in perfect harmony with each other. There were greens ranging from dark olive to the palest lime, that contained the trees for which that color was named. Green rolled into yellow, from lemon to the golden hues of the mallorn. Yellow rolled into peach, then orange, and then the reds of apple to cherry. As the pastures unfolded toward the Woods where Aule dwelt, the colors became of a darker hue. There was no darkness such as there was in Mirkwood or Mordor on Middle-earth. The dark colors of Valinor served to imbue the landscape with some calming contrasts and interesting textures. They were of a soft darkness, never meant to threaten or overpower anyone.

Aule's woods were calm and fragrant, its trees each a perfect specimen of its kind. They lived in harmony with each other, and allowed visitors to pass among them without feeling any fear. The ground under the trees was of soft green moss, beautifully soothing to the feet. Here and there were benches made of soft wood bent into curved shapes to fit the body, where one could sit or lie and just gaze upon the woods and take in the sight and the scent of the trees. Each bench was placed so that it afforded an exquisite view of the landscapes the woods had to offer. Frodo and Bilbo passed quite a few elven painters on their travels, who had stopped in order to interpret the scenery before them. Other elves roamed freely through the Woods, composing poetry and songs as they walked. Presently, the trees gave way gradually to a more open space and the hobbits could see a path begin between two Yavannamire trees, which hovered over it protectively, and seemed to beckon travelers toward it with their fragrant, nodding heads.

Bilbo and Frodo stepped onto the path and immediately felt it pull them forward in a magical way, which reminded Frodo of the path along the Withywindle River in the Old Forest of the Shire, and how it had led the hobbits into danger. However, those were malevolent times back on Middle-earth, and Frodo could sense the difference between the evil trees of the Old Forest and the benevolent trees of Valinor.

He and Bilbo allowed themselves to be led along the magical path, and it took them eventually to a magnificent mansion made of stone. This was a vast dwelling, formed of blocks of granite of many hues of silver and grey with threads of pink, gold and green running through its stone face. The building was square, and stood four stories high, with turrets on its roof, and flags flying from them, all embossed with the letter "A", in gold. There were gold embellishments studded all over it, and golden statues all around the perimeter.

As Frodo and Bilbo stood staring at the mansion in amazement, the front doors opened with a deep, soft sound, not the clang of iron, but with a resonance that Frodo had never before heard. He saw that the two huge front doors were made of what looked to be solid gold. He did not know what could have opened them, as they would have been of too tremendous a weight, and impossible for any human being or even a strong elf, to push open by themselves. He could not believe his eyes at first, but then his gaze was diverted from the doors by the sight of a very large man who came bursting through them. He was of a huge size. Frodo thought that he must have been at least ten feet tall, and reminded him quite a bit of Tom Bombadil. His beard, his girth, his jolly appearance and his bright clothing all contributed to this impression.

"Welcome, my visitors", said the big man. "I am Aule, Master of Smiths. Welcome to my home", he boomed, and bade them come inside. Frodo understood then that this large man was one of the Valar. The hobbits entered and were awestruck by the sight of the interior of Aule's home. The walls and floor were of polished marble in warm brown and rosy tones. Along the walls were many golden statues. As Frodo walked past them he noticed that they seemed to be of dwarves, but very ancient dwarves of regal stature and bearing, adorned with many jewels and weaponry of precious metals.

The house seemed empty to Frodo, despite its many fine ornaments. There was very little furniture in the main hall and in the library beyond. However, the library did not seem to house many books, although the walls of polished stone were set with many alcoves in which shelves were set. Upon those shelves sat many unusual jewels in place of books. There were a few books about, but not as many as there were in Este's library, which was full of reading material. Some of the jewels were cut and polished, and were set upon holders of marble, iron or glass. Others were in their natural crystalline state, but each was of unique shape and color.

Aule led them through many rooms, all quite sparsely furnished, but spacious, with ceilings at least twelve feet high. Presently, they came to a room, which Frodo recognized as the kitchen, but what a kitchen it was! It had walls and floor of warm, golden-hued wood, and soft, woven rugs spread on the floor to walk upon. There were three great tables, made from fallen Yavannamire trees, and polished to a glossy sheen. Yavanna would never have permitted Aule to cut down living trees, but he was welcome to use dead ones. These were laden with many foodstuffs. There were bowls of fruit set upon them, and the hobbits saw breads, cheeses and cakes galore.

"Sit down, please, and help yourselves, if you are hungry", offered Aule, in a loud, rich, but pleasant voice. "If you wish, I will have some cold meats brought for you to sample as well, and some ale or wine, whichever you prefer".

"Thank you, My Lord Aule", said Frodo. "You are most kind to welcome us to your home in this way. We will not say no to some ale, as we are very thirsty". He glanced at Bilbo, who nodded in agreement.

"We would, indeed, very much like to take you up on your offer to sample some cold meats, as well", Bilbo stated rather passionately.

"Then I shall have some brought to you right away", replied Aule, and clapped his hands. The sound resonated loudly throughout the room. Some elves appeared, carrying trays of different kinds of meat: some had cold pork, chicken and roast beef carved from the bone; but what the hobbits craved most was the salt pork that was also on the tray. The elves brought in a dish steaming with hot roasted potatoes and mushrooms that smelled like bliss, to which the hobbits helped themselves with glee. A pitcher of ale was brought in and set down before them, and a couple of sparkling clean pewter tankards. The hobbits set to their meal with relish. Aule sat down at a separate table so as not to crowd them with his tremendous size.

"Where will you be off to next, my friends?" he enquired.

In between bites of the delicious food, the hobbits told him of their map-making expedition, which would eventually take them over every inch of the coastline of the Undying Lands.

"We are most interested in hearing peoples' stories as well, about the places in which they live", said Frodo. "We would like to include anecdotes with our maps, as we go along, and eventually put both stories and maps together in a book about these lands".

"That is an admirable endeavor", said Aule. "As for anecdotes, oh, I believe I can give you some wonderful anecdotes. Yes, indeed!"

"If you don't mind my asking, on our way in to your halls I could not help but notice that your entrance was filled with marvelous gold statues that seem to be of dwarves", said Bilbo. "I sensed that there must be a story to go along with them. I am rather partial to dwarves, and I must admit that those statues look to be of an ancient variety of dwarf of which I would be most interested in hearing more".

"Would you, now?" asked Aule, beaming at Bilbo, as if he were very pleased to hear that Bilbo was partial to dwarves. "Although it was meant to be kept secret, I shall tell you the true story of how dwarves came into being. However, Master Bilbo, and you too, Master Frodo, you must promise me that you will never reveal the secret to another soul".

"We promise", replied the hobbits in unison.

"As it happened", said Aule, mysteriously, "I made them".

"YOU made them?" Bilbo asked, astonished. Frodo stopped eating for a moment to stare in wonder at the huge Vala sitting in front of him.

"I certainly did", said Aule, "from earth and stone. Male and female alike. However, in doing so, I did something very wrong. The power had not been given to me to create life, and yet I had done just that. In fact, it turned out that I had made the dwarves and brought them to life BEFORE the elves of Eru's creation were brought to life, and it was the plan of Eru that the elves were to be the first-born. Therefore, I had committed a sinful act, which was deemed to be an act of selfishness and of illusions of my own grandeur, and I was asked to destroy the dwarves of my creation. I almost smashed them to bits then, with a big hammer, although I did not wish to, and in my heart I grieved for them because I had grown to love them. Then, Eru could see that I loved the dwarves dearly, and that I had created them not in order to usurp his powers, or to put myself forward, but simply to be able to have someone to whom to show the skills of smithying. I dearly wished for there to be other creatures in the world with whom I could share my love of mining and metalworking, and so I created the dwarves with which to share this love". Aule stopped for a moment and wiped his eyes, having become emotional at the memory of the dwarves' creation, and of their near destruction.

Bilbo and Frodo both stopped eating while they listened to his story and looked at Aule in astonishment.

"As it turned out, Eru forgave me then, and had the dwarves sent into a long sleep by Yavanna, my wife, who possesses powers of sleep-making, and did not allow them to awaken until the elves had come into the world. Thus the elves could be the First-born as Eru had wished. Now, I have told you the story", said Aule, "and, as you promised, you must not tell anyone the truth of the matter. The elves must never find out that the dwarves came into being before them".

"We promise, My Lord Aule", said Bilbo, who felt quite privileged that Aule had told him this tale. The full realization of the extent of Aule's power, the power of the Valar, to create life and to take it away, came upon Bilbo in that moment, and he was afraid of it, such that he knew he would never go back on his promise never to tell.

"And promise me that you will never put it in your book", said Aule, just in case anyone ever reads it".

"We promise that we won't", said Frodo, and he meant it, too. Although Aule had been very kind to them, he frightened Frodo nevertheless because of his talk of destroying dwarves with a hammer.

"I could tell you plenty of other stories, which you can use in your book", said Aule.

"That is most kind of you", said Bilbo. "May I ask you now, are the statues in your hall of those first dwarves that you created?"

"Yes, Master Bilbo, you have guessed correctly", said Aule.

"Where are these dwarves now?" asked Bilbo, "if you don't mind my asking".

"Well, my friend, Bilbo, they died", Aule replied. "The dwarves were not made to be immortal, as were the elves. Their bodies are strong and they were made to endure and live long lives, but they cannot live forever".

"Are no dwarves permitted to come to the Undying Lands, then?" asked Frodo.

"They never have been permitted before", replied Aule. "But as far as I know, no hobbits have ever been allowed to come here either".

The hobbits could not disagree with this statement. They both reflected upon the privilege awarded them, in that they were permitted to be the first, and possibly, only hobbits ever to sail on a White Ship to Valinor. They, and Samwise Gamgee, who had been a Ring-bearer as well, and therefore would be permitted to come later on, after he had fulfilled his destiny on Middle-earth.

"Now tell me", said Aule, breaking into their thoughts, "to where were you planning to travel next in these lands?"

"We thought we would first go northward, and then make our way around the western coastline, and eventually end up at Mt. Hyarmentir in the south".

"Hmm", said Aule, "Mt. Hyarmentir, is it? Let me then tell you the ancient story of Melkor and Feanor, and the theft of the jewels, and of the great spider called Ungoliant".

Frodo gulped. "G - great spider?" His hand flew up to his neck in a spontaneous gesture of protectiveness. He shuddered at the memory of his stinging by Shelob, the great spider of Middle-earth, whose poisoning had almost caused his death.

"Yes, the great spider. Do you not like spiders?" asked Aule.

"No, I certainly do not", said Frodo, "but it is all right. Please go ahead and tell us the story, and do not mind any reaction I may have to the mention of great spiders".

Aule then proceeded to tell the hobbits of how the Vala Melkor, as Morgoth was then named, had deceived the elven prince Feanor and had turned him against the Gods, and of how Feanor had subsequently spurned Morgoth's advances of friendship, seeing through his lies, and recognizing in him the lust for the Silmarils, Feanor's precious jewels of his own making. Morgoth then had retreated to his fortress of Angband after being spurned by Feanor, and had convinced Ungoliant, the great spider, to follow him to the southern Pelori mountain range, to the pinnacle of Mt. Hyarmentir, from which they could see across all of the lands of Valinor to its northernmost edge. Then, during a festival which Manwe held in Taniquetil, to which Feanor was commanded to attend, Morgoth and Ungoliant swept down from the mountain, and across the fields of Valinor, and destroyed the Trees of Light. They then fled, covered in a cloud of darkness, to Feanor's home, the fortress of Formenos, and there Morgoth murdered Finwe, Feanor's beloved father, and stole the Silmarils.

"At this point, I will stop", said Aule, "as it is getting very late. You will, no doubt, wish to rest now".

The hobbits were enthralled by the story of Feanor and the jewels, but they were becoming extremely tired. Bilbo's head was beginning to nod in spite of his desire to hear more of the exciting story.

"Come, then", said Aule, "and I will take you to a bedroom where you can sleep".

The room was very comfortable and their beds were soft and inviting, and the hobbits fell asleep right away. They did not wake until the morning sunshine streamed through their window. Frodo arose first, and found his way downstairs to the kitchen. He found Aule sitting there, as he had been the night before. When Aule saw Frodo, he laughed.

"Are you hungry, young Master Frodo?" he asked.

"Yes", said Frodo, "for both food and stories, if you don't mind".

"I could tell you another story", said Aule, "or you could find out from others when you reach those places in your travels where great or interesting events have taken place. Perhaps that is the best way to hear stories. Then you can imagine the events unfolding before your eyes as you stand in the places where they actually occurred. When you reach Mt. Hyarmentir at the end of your journey, be sure to climb to the top of the peak. Then, when you look down upon the lands below you, remember the story of Morgoth and Ungoliant, as they stood upon that exact spot".

Frodo swallowed hard. "Did you know Morgoth personally?" he asked.

Aule became very serious for a moment. "Yes, I did know him once, of course when his name was Melkor", he said solemnly. "Although none of us really knew him, if you understand me, not even Manwe, who was his twin. Evil in people is difficult to see by those close to them, especially if the close relation cannot comprehend evil. It is a simpler thing to believe that such a person has quirks or certain eccentricities, and therefore dismiss their dark ways as such".

Frodo shivered, in spite of the warmth of the room. "I think you are right about the best way to hear stories", he said, changing the subject. "I am looking forward to visiting the places where they occurred, and letting each tale unfold as we travel through Valinor".

Bilbo came downstairs then, and joined them in the kitchen. After a hearty breakfast, the hobbits decided that they should take their leave of Aule and continue with their expedition. Aule had entertained them so well, that Bilbo and Frodo were somewhat reluctant to leave, in spite of the fact that they looked forward to going on with their journey and perhaps experiencing some exciting new adventures. Bilbo promised that once his mapping was finished, then he would begin writing a book based on the tales he heard. He promised Aule that nothing would be told of the origin of the dwarves.

The hobbits said their goodbyes to Aule and left his woods, and continued along to the coast. They traveled toward Eldamar, and to the Bay of Eldamar, where they had first arrived in the Undying Lands.

"I wonder if we should go to visit Sindor and Sandor on Tol Eressea while we are here?" mused Frodo. "I suppose that we should do so, since we do not know when we will come back this way again".

"We will see how we feel when we get there", Bilbo replied. He was busy making some calculations. "I had wanted to walk all the way around the Bay of Eldamar anyway, so that I could measure it and then calculate the size of Tol Eressea. Once we reach the Pass of Light on the Bay, we should be about one-fifth of the way around the lands, by my calculations".

Frodo dropped down on the grass and lay there, stretching and yawning. "I am feeling a little tired and quite a bit hungry", he said. "Do you think we could stop for awhile?"

Bilbo nodded. "We have all the time in the world. Of course, let us have something to eat, and we can relax and rest our feet for a bit".

The two hobbits ate, and drank, and smoked, and then ate some more, drank some more and smoked some more. Presently, they fell asleep on the grass. When he awoke, Frodo shook his head, looked at the still sleeping Bilbo, and laughed.

"At this rate, we will never be finished this expedition", he thought. He watched Bilbo sleeping for a while, and noticed how much younger his uncle now looked, thanks to the ministrations of Este. His hair was no longer white, but was brown like Frodo's, although a little lighter in color. Frodo then looked up at the sky, and noticed again the dark haze floating over the northwestern edge of Valinor.

Eventually, the hobbits continued on their way, stopping whenever they felt the need to rest and to eat. They were in a delightful, beautiful country, as a paradise should be, with no time-keeping to concern them, no one to pressure them, and nothing unpleasant occurring to worry them. Occasionally, they would meet elves wandering about on their own missions, and would stop and visit with them for a while. The elves would bring out delicious food and drink, and they would sit and talk, sometimes even through the night. Sometimes they would bring out little candles and stick them in the ground so that they could see each other by the soft glow of the candlelight while they were sharing stories.

Everywhere in these lands there were resting places to be discovered every mile or so, sometimes nestled within a glen, or beside a small pond, or within a forest glade. In these resting places there were benches upon which to sit, with large, wooden, lidded boxes placed near them, full of wonderful things. The boxes were never locked, and in them one would find delicious food such as fruits, bread and cheeses. There were also bottles of wine, cordials of different kinds, and kegs of ale. There were barrels of pipe weed, and even fresh pipes. Also in the boxes could be found fresh blankets, candles, and books to read, mostly books containing beautiful pictures, which depicted grand events of the past. Frodo marveled at how the boxes' contents were never depleted, but were always full whenever one was opened, and the food inside was always fresh. Everyone whom they met seemed happy to sit down with the hobbits and tell them great stories of adventures that they themselves had experienced. Frodo thought that he would never get tired of living this way, which was to travel peacefully, in calm, tranquil lands where everything was laid out ahead for the traveler when he or she wished to stop and rest.

Presently, the two hobbits arrived in Eldamar, and on their way around the Bay, they managed to visit with Sindor and Sandor on Tol Eressea. The two fun-loving elves took full advantage of the hobbits' renewed youth and stamina, and took them on many new adventures, playing games, sailing, swimming, and mostly regaling them with amusing stories. Bilbo and Frodo had not laughed so much since they had left their friends, Merry, Sam and Pippin behind in the Shire.

Once they had managed to escape finally from Sindor and Sandor, the hobbits continued on to Alqualonde, where they stopped once again. They had visited the Swan Havens briefly with Gandalf when they had first arrived in the Undying Lands, but they now wished to spend more time there. While they were in Alqualonde, they met a friendly elf named Hithar, which meant "one who lives along the mist". He was one of the Teleri elves, and was of a great age, although his appearance was of a man of about forty. He reminded Bilbo somewhat of Elrond, but with fair, rather than dark, hair. He was very outgoing, and had a great sense of humor. The main thing about him was his sense of warmth and openness, qualities that Elrond had possessed as well. The hobbits took to him immediately, and while they stayed in Alqualonde, Hithar, Bilbo and Frodo became great friends.

One day, Hithar sat outside with them, where they watched the great ships in the likenesses of swans come and go from the port. Bilbo was smoking his pipe, and it suddenly occurred to him to ask Hithar where the idea of making these ships first came from. When he asked this question, Hithar became uncharacteristically quiet, and a look of sadness passed over his fair elvish face. He ran a hand through his long, whitish-blond hair.

"Do you know the story of Feanor and the kinslaying?" he asked.

"No", said Bilbo. "We have been told a terrible story about this Feanor, but we have never heard of a kinslaying. It sounds ominous indeed".

"Well, do not worry, Master Bilbo", said Hithar. "It is an old story of an ancient time passed and gone, and something that we should never have to worry about occurring again. Let me tell you about it. I shall try to be as brief as possible, because the story is very long indeed. Many years ago, the Telerin Elves chose to dwell here, when these lands lay close to those of Middle-earth. They were separated only by a passage of ice called the "Grinding Ice", or the "Helcaraxe". It was called this because the ice was not smooth and flat, and easy to traverse, but was composed of great broken pieces, floes and icebergs, all bumping and grinding together, making crossing difficult to do, if not impossible.

The Telerin elves had built great, beautiful white ships with the aid of Ulmo, the God of Waters, and his Maia servant, Osse. One fell day, Feanor came in search of Morgoth, who had murdered his father, Finwe, and Feanor had been overcome with grief by the slaying, and was possessed by the flame of evil revenge. He demanded that the Teleri give him the white ships so that he could sail around the Helcaraxe to Middle-earth. When the Teleri refused to give Feanor their ships, he and his followers slew many of our ancestors. It was a terrible act, and was the very first killing of an elf by another elf.

Feanor's jewels, the three Silmarils, which he had made with his own hands, had been stolen by Morgoth after he had killed Finwe, and thus Feanor swore a terrible oath upon these evil acts. His mind had been poisoned. He declared that the Silmarils could be possessed only by a member of his own house, and that a curse would be placed upon anyone else who dared to claim them. After the kinslaying, the Teleri and the Noldor, Feanor's clan, became enemies. However, many years later, we forgave the Noldor, after Feanor and all of his kin were dead and the elves had suffered enough agonies, in war after war. The world had changed. All of the lands of Beleriand on the west coast of Middle-earth had been washed into the sea, and the exiles had few places in which to go, and so we took pity on them, and let those who wished to, come back to Valinor".

"What happened to the Silmarils?" asked Bilbo.

"Ah, that is a very long story, indeed", replied Hithar. "I cannot do it justice now, as I am trying to be brief, but I will try to give you the gist of it. A mortal man named Beren had gone to Angband and managed to steal back one of the jewels from Morgoth. Never mind how for now, as the tale is too long to tell at one sitting. However, once he had taken possession of the jewel, Beren gave it to Thingol, King of the Elves of Gondolin, and the father of Luthien Tinuviel, an elf-maiden whom Beren loved and wished to marry".

"Oh, yes, I know the story of Beren and Luthien", said Bilbo.

"So do I", remarked Frodo. "Aragorn told it to us on our journey to Rivendell with the Ring".

"That is a relief", said Hithar, "as that will save me a lot of time in the retelling of this history. To return then, Morgoth still retained the two other Silmarils that he had stolen. Then, during a Great War called the War of Wrath, the other Valar flew into Morgoth's stronghold of Angband, and wrested the Silmarils from him. They ended up in the possession of the two remaining sons of Feanor, named Maedhros and Maglor, who, again, had slain other people in order to come by the jewels. I have forgotten to mention that the Silmarils were very unusual jewels. In them shone a light like a fire, which made it impossible for anyone to hold the jewels without burning their hands.

Meanwhile, the third Silmaril had been set into a necklace that Thingol had commissioned to be made for him by the dwarves of Nogrod. These dwarves slew Thingol over some dispute, and took the necklace. The dwarves were then slain during the War of Wrath, and that Silmaril eventually passed to Dior, who was the son of Beren and Luthien. Dior was slain while he tried to escape, and the Silmaril passed then to his daughter, Elwing, who is still living, and is the wife of Earendil the Mariner. Elwing, thinking that Earendil was dead, because he had tried to sail to Valinor, and she mistakenly thought that he had died in so doing, then threw herself into the sea out of grief for her loss of him. Ulmo, the God of Waters, saved Elwing, and she and Earendil were reunited by the Valar, who had much sorrow for the tragedies that had occurred during this dreadful time in our history.

The Valar sent Earendil and Elwing up into the sky in a ship called Vingilot, and Earendil wears the Silmaril upon his brow, where it shines as our brightest star, as he sails forever in the heavens.

However, the Silmaril possessed by Maedhros burned his hand so badly that he could no longer stand the torment, and he killed himself by throwing himself into a fiery chasm in the earth. His brother, Maglor, was also tormented by his jewel, and cast it into the sea and then wandered away to unknown lands. Thus, this story ends as all of the Silmarils were lost: one to the skies, one to the sea, and one to the bowels of the earth. We shall likely never see any of them again".

Frodo breathed deeply. Many questions burned in his mind. He understood now what Elrond had told him of his parents, Elwing and Earendil. He remembered the vial of the light of Earendil, which had been given to him by Galadriel, to be used to light his way in the dark places of the world.

"It has been said that Feanor had made the Silmarils himself, by hand, is that not so?" he asked.

"Yes, that is so", replied Hithar.

"Then why could more of them not be made?" he asked. "They could then be given to those who desire them, and there would be no need for stealing and killing".

"Ah", said Hithar, "that would be too simple a solution, would it not? First, those jewels seem to carry a terrible curse, even beyond what Feanor had placed upon them. Second, Feanor had said that he would never part with the formula for making the Silmarils, and that formula has gone with him to his death, as we believe", said Hithar.

"So he has died, then?" asked Frodo.

"Why, yes, he was slain by a Balrog, almost as soon as he had reached the shores of Middle-earth after crossing the Grinding Ice", replied Hithar.

"Since he was an immortal elf, would his spirit not be resting now in the Halls of Mandos?" asked Bilbo, who knew of such things.

"Yes, Feanor's spirit resides in the Halls of Mandos, but there it must stay until the Day of Judgment", said Hithar. "Then it will be decided what is to become of it".

Frodo and Bilbo had been enthralled by Hithar's story. Frodo felt that once he and Bilbo reached the Halls of Mandos at the end of their expedition, he would love to hear more about Feanor, as he was now burning with the desire to discover more about this fearsome elf of ancient times, who had lived in an age of hideous creatures, terrible destruction and dramatic acts of passion and high emotions. He let out a deep breath. "How the world has changed", he sighed.

Eventually, the hobbits said their goodbyes to Hithar, and took up traveling once again. They gradually made their way along an east road toward Mt. Taniquetil. They passed through the streets of Tirion, the great elven city, stopping often to chat with the elves, and finally they came to the green hill of Tuna, near the mansion of Manwe upon Mt. Taniquetil.

The hobbits did not care for heights, but they slowly made their way toward the mansion on the mountain-peak with the sure-footedness of their kind. There, they were reunited with Gandalf, who was most pleased to see them again.

"You certainly took your time in getting here", he admonished them.

"We did not think that time mattered any more", said Bilbo.

Gandalf laughed. "Come, my friends", he said. "I shall take you on a little tour of the palace, and then I shall introduce you to my Lord and Master, Manwe, King of the Valar".

Frodo was most impressed. "I should like to freshen up a little first", he replied. Gandalf then took the hobbits to a part of the palace that contained some elegant guest rooms, where they were reunited with Elrond, who was staying there as well.

"Master Elrond, I am delighted to see you again", said Bilbo. "I have had a most entertaining adventure this time. Let me tell you about it once we have made ourselves comfortable".