It didn't make them hesitate to exile you, anyway. Hug. How do you feel about that being an unpopular decision?

I knew it was; I'm surprised that the people who disagreed with it took it that far, though. Nice of them, but... kind of excessive.

To leave a tribe that they thought killed their friend needlessly?

She snorts. Well, when you put it that way - I am too forgiving sometimes.

Just maybe. Squeeze.

Snuggle. I like it better than most of the alternatives, though.

I used to wish I was less forgiving but right now I don't think I wish that.

Hm?

When my cousins abandoned us in Araman.

Yeah. Hug. I still don't have the whole picture, there. What I do know makes them sound pretty forgivable, but of course it does, I heard it from them.

It was a very evil thing to do but it took the Enemy a long time and a lot of careful manipulation to get my uncle to the point of doing such evil things and I like to think if he'd lived he'd have - not regretted them, my cousins don't regret things, but preferred to think he hadn't done it and wouldn't do it.

Nod, leaning. I think they do regret the Ice. Or - I know Maitimo does, that's very obvious, and I think Tyelkormo does too in their own way - they didn't want it to go how it did, they've said. I haven't talked to any of the others about it, we're not that close.

Maitimo didn't do it. That matters kind of a lot.

Nod. And Tyelkormo didn't think you would cross the ice, when they burned the boats. They thought you'd just stay where you were. That's one of the parts I don't know much about, though, I don't know what that would have meant to you, or if they should have known.

A lot of people did. Just - not all of us. He shouldn't have expected I personally would but he might reasonably have expected the people who'd be in danger on the Ice would have.

Nod. So that sounds pretty forgivable to me. Not - nice, not right, not something they should have done, but it wasn't an attempt to hurt you, it was a misguided attempt to keep you safe.

It was an attempt to get rid of us. They wouldn't have done it if they'd known they'd been leaving us in dire danger, but it was an attempt to get rid of us; our safety was incidental.

Maybe. But I've heard Tyelkormo wish you'd stayed where it was safe, and I haven't heard them just plain wish you hadn't come. I suppose it could be a rationalization.

We're probably as safe here as we were in Valinor. Well, different kinds of dangers, but.

Nod. And they haven't said that recently, they said it back when you were just off the ice.

Anyway, I forgive them. I knew I would, but I used to wish it weren't true of me. Does that make any sense?

Some, yeah. Being too forgiving makes it easy for people to hurt you. That's what friends are for, though - I like Tyelkormo, but if they start trouble with you that's not going to stop me from stopping them. Hug.

Hug. 

Snuggle.

Yawn.

Sorry, you've been so busy lately. I should let you sleep.