"Yes. The things I know are the things it was useful for me to know, and the things I picked up on without help. Interpersonal matters are... difficult to pick up on without help. At least for me."

"I'm happy to explain them. What was it useful for you to know? What was he hoping to do with you?"

"I was meant to be a weapon, but then I turned out to be intelligent, dedicated, and very believably loyal. It's useful to give me information about the strategic situation in Beleriand because I can use it to make very accurate guesses about things we don't yet know. It's useful to teach me the principles of magical engineering and composition because I pick up on them very quickly and can do things like repair Melkor's crown and compose the stealth song I used to escape Angband with it. I am sure they regret that one now."

"What kind of weapon? Other than to make us sad?"

"One possible use for me would have been to capture you, learn how to impersonate you, then do that long enough to murder your father. I'm not sure I could have managed it, but it's possible, if you had ever left Doriath in order to be captured, and if I'd turned out to be good at pretending to be happy and innocent and kind. And you and I are an interestingly unique sort of creature, not exactly the same as an Elf but certainly not the same as a Maia, and I did manage to build a few unique magical advantages on that foundation. You're probably the only other person in the world who could successfully use my stealth song. But I hope you never have to, because it's very uncomfortable."

"Stealth and a song don't really seem to go together, no."

"It makes you not quite present, or not quite real. The main design challenge was in arranging to be present enough to move around and breathe but not present enough to have discernible effects on the world. The song I have is stable for as long as a day, and then I have to drop it because I no longer have enough air to sing."

"That's pretty impressive.

....I have really powerful happiness songs but I don't know if they'd make you feel happiness or not."

"...I don't expect them to. I'm not sure whether I want to test it."

"Okay. Let me know if you change your mind. I can start learning something that would help? Sleep? I could learn sleep."

"...Thank you," she says. "You are a good sister. I'm not sure if I want to get in the habit of sleeping so I don't have to be awake. It seems like it would make me less useful. Would a sleep song be useful to you in other contexts?"

"Yeah, I could use it to end battles and stuff too..."

"Then you could learn a sleep song and even if I didn't use it very often it would be worthwhile to have."

"I'll start. It'll take a while."

She nods. "Yes. These things do."

"I'm impressed you've got anything, if you're only forty."

"I started young and worked hard."

"And in secret?"

"No. An undetectable subordinate is a useful asset. I was encouraged."

"Angband does not sound much like how I imagined it."

"How did you imagine it?"

"I guess I thought Morgoth just mostly tortured prisoners. This is a lot more convoluted."

"He does do a lot of that. Not just prisoners, either. Anyone who annoys Sauron is generally made to regret it."

"What do they do all day, though? Normally?'

"Melkor is actually a very boring person, leaving aside how evil he is. He doesn't do very much other than sit on his throne and give orders. Sauron's favourite hobby is definitely torture, although I think he also managed to enjoy teaching me all of my practical skills. Lately he has been occupying himself with arranging for the first Men in Arda to worship Melkor and become werewolves. It might be strategically useful to put a stop to that, but I can't in good conscience advise that anyone pick a fight with Sauron."