I am no less confused but I'm so pleased to have met you.

Me too!!

Mystery stranger being tied up somewhat impedes snuggling. But not very much. You'll be all right if I keep you like this for a while?

Mm-hm! When there are lulls in the action she is borrowing her baby's eyes to check in.

Oh good. 

As much snuggle as she can snuggle while tied down.

You're pretty when you're happy.

It's an orf thing.

I wonder if someone designed orfs just to be very pleasant to have around. Kiss.

Kiss! Giggly kiss.

He pets her hair again. It's not going to be short forever.

And giggles fade into gaspy writhing. Insofar as ropes allow.

Guards bring her back down to her room with her baby that evening, and Elves sit down to try to puzzle out the mysterious timelines thing.

Baaaaaby~

He pays attention to her while they puzzle confusedly, in case she gets orders from the Enemy or suddenly has a panic attack or something. 

She doesn't have either of those problems. She sings to the baby and bounces her.

So, so, implausibly wonderful. 

I have a girlfriend, he tells the King.

The King has already been given context. That's presumably what the Enemy wants.

I am sure it's what the Enemy wants, it's like he made her just for me. 

 - in which case you should probably not do it.

Forever is a long time to do nothing but drearily choose whatever looks like it'll upset the Enemy. And who knows, maybe he meant for you to order me not to and for that to cause resentment between us, it could as easily be something like that as something which turns on my keeping her. 

And you're one to talk.

I didn't say no, I said think.

We're thinking! We're really confused. 

She's so cute and happy and eager -

I don't really care what you're into, Macalaurë. Just be careful.

I will. 

And here's what we've got on the alternate timeline, and all the wild theories anyone could throw together though none of them make much sense -

Enemy can operate in other worlds, and there's one that went as described. Enemy was deceiving Beka or implanted false memories in the service of some scheme that'll have more steps to it soon enough. Enemy is just idly doing things to make us spin our wheels and will follow up when he sees an opportunity but didn't have a complicated plan when he started this. Some force other than the Enemy did this - maybe Eru, maybe a well-positioned Maia with reasons as relevant to us as 'believing that babies whose toenails are a certain precise color should be at this latitude'. There's some sort of time travel going on and that world happens or happened but only some people remember it.