"The last remnant of the light of the Trees of Valinor, wrought there by Curufinwë Fëanáro of the Noldor while the Trees still shone."

"Can you swear that the Enemy didn't send you, that they're not a danger to us within our walls..."

"I swear that everything I have said to you is true, that the Enemy did not send me and will likely try to kill me as soon as he finds out where I am, and that the Silmarils themselves are no danger to you although if you let it be known that you have them it will bring more of the Enemy's attention on you than you might like."

The King cautiously motions some people forward to retrieve them.

The counterfeit princess stands still and watches.

"I apologize for my existence," she adds after a moment. "I know it was intended to cause you pain."

"What are you planning to do now?" the King says after a minute.

"I don't know," she says. "It seems a waste to die when there is still so much I could accomplish, but I can't do much without help and I don't expect to be able to find help."

"Most people who swear contradicting oaths seek out their deaths as quickly as they can."

"I know," she says. "I don't plan to do that until I run out of ways to be useful to the cause of defeating Melkor."

"I see,

The goal you've set yourself may not be possible to achieve."

"I don't see that as a good reason not to try. And an unknown force did show up out of nowhere and level Angband. If I knew more about whoever did that I would be trying to ally myself with them."

"...that was unknown to us until you mentioned it and still seems likelier to be a trick or trap. When did it occur?"

"A few days ago. It was not a trick or trap of the Enemy's."

The newcomers, Melian says. The Valar did not tell us of their coming.

"I would not expect the Noldor to be able to level Angband so soon, but the unknown force that leveled Angband did also rescue Sauron's favourite prisoner, who was a Noldo..."

"Perhaps they will visit and explain themselves," says the King. "All are welcome in Doriath's borders who swear to do no harm to anyone within them and convey nothing to the Enemy."

"...I do not want to cause you to suffer, and I suspect that my presence would cause you to suffer, but if I stayed in Doriath I could avoid dying while considering what to do next."

"If I have another daughter and what she desires is to see the Enemy defeated before she seeks Mandos' healing, she should come home."

"That... seems like an accurate description," she says.

"So your oath not to harm anyone in Doriath, or share our secrets with the Enemy, or bring those things about..."

"Oaths I make about my future conduct are logically meaningless because I would lose nothing in swearing not to be bound by them afterward," she points out. "I'll swear them anyway, if you want. I prefer not to harm anyone or share anyone's secrets with the Enemy."

The King and Queen confer. "Perhaps it's best we just keep you under guard. You may come in."

So she comes in.

It finally occurs to her to say, "My name is Shirask."

"I am not sure how much you would have been told about us," the King says. "Elu."

"I have been told a lot of things. I am very good at using information to find out more information."