I mean, yes, once resurrecting Fëanor was on the table so were politics. I'm sorry.

We're trying to get the whole story and it kinda feels like we're just annoying everyone, she sends to both of them.

My cousins are defensive because they committed a series of war crimes and now it is actually costing them something. No one else is annoyed, I assure you.

Tell him that when I offered to try with anyone else besides Feanor, the first person Celegorm suggested was Fingon's sister.

Odette says that when she offered to try bringing back anyone except Feanor, the first person Celegorm suggested was your sister.

Can she do that?

He wants to know if you can do that.

Tell him that I haven't tried yet because I'm dealing with spider-related problems but my first try is going to be the person with the living identical twin because that sounds much easier, but she's second on the list.

Illia dutifully repeats this.

Thank you. I don't take back what I said about the war crimes but I will add that they have some redeeming qualities, and some of them even have quite a few.

So the ice thing was war-related?

Are you done talking with your sister? I can also give you the long version.

Shoo, for now, but do keep in touch, she sends to her sister. Am now, she tells Fingon.

Then let's go for a walk outside. And a minute later he's at her door.

She slides off the massage table, thanks the masseuse, puts the rest of her clothes back on and opens the door.

"It's safe to go outside by daylight, even unarmed. And I guess you never really are. All right. I can start from the beginning or I can start with a broad sketch and then fill in details as requested."

"Let's go with broad sketch and try the other one if I'm not good enough at asking questions to suit myself."

"The Enemy and the Valar had warred twice before. After the first war, the Valar built Valinor, which is their paradise and carefully guarded. The Enemy roamed this land freely, doing as he pleased. There were Elves. We all lived around a great lake far east of here. The Enemy came, picked us off, took us back to torture and forcibly breed and torture the children and use his magic to create orcs. The Valar knew none of this; they didn't even realize Elves existed. When they learned of it they went to war with the Enemy again. The war lasted centuries. Continents crumbled. The Valar won, and took the Enemy prisoner. His creations still roamed freely, and the land was hazardous, and they offered to take us to Valinor and restore our lost loved ones to life.

Some of us accepted.

Three Ages later the Enemy petitioned for pardon. He threw himself at Manwë's feet and spoke very convincingly and pleaded for the chance to become the smallest, humblest creature in Valinor and right the wrongs he'd done.

Instead, he started tearing our people apart.

The King, my grandfather, had remarried, and a consequence of the remarriage was that his first wife, who died, was not allowed to return to the world. The King's son by his first wife resented this and resented the remarriage and resented his half-siblings. They got on civillly, but did not love each other as brothers, and the Enemy spread rumors that each of them were seeking to destroy the other and have him ousted from the family, and after a few centuries of these rumors they started to gain traction."

...

"I can certainly see why you would be hesitant to forgive anyone, if he did that."

"Yes, it was unfortunate for the whole concept of parole. Anyhow, the Enemy escalated his efforts and eventually my father said to the King in a private council which Fëanor and half the city overheard that Fëanor was a traitor and Fëanor responded by drawing a sword  on him and the Valar panicked - violence was very forbidden in Valinor, it was vaguely disreputable even to practice sparring - and exiled Fëanor. By then they realized what Morgoth had done, but he'd fled.

The King stepped down to follow his favored son into exile, my father took up the rule of Tirion, and our people split between them."

"...Is it going to bother you if my sister takes one look at this situation and, aside from accepting that it presents certain logistical difficulties, decides that it's all the Enemy's fault and she has no obligation to bear personal ill will over it to anyone but him, because that seems like the kind of thing she would do."

"I bear no one in the mess any ill will. I tried. But we haven't gotten to the bits that are definitely Fëanor's fault yet."

"Right, sorry, go on."

"Morgoth attacked Valinor. At the time there was no Sun or Moon in the sky and the only light sources in the world were two trees. Morgoth killed them, and killed the King, thus raising the awkward question of whether his successor would be his favored and designated heir who was currently in exile or his current regent who was actually running the city. My father decided to keep running the city and hope it worked out. It didn't. Fëanor broke his exile and arrived at our gates to give an enormously stirring speech that moved almost everyone to decide to leave Valinor and go prevent the enemy from killing everyone who hadn't gone to Valinor and who were still out here and undefended against him. It was an urgent situation, and we made the decision in great haste.

And then we realized that the Valar being disinclined to let us leave Valinor, there was no way out."

"I think I like my not-proved-to-exist deity better."