"Does Finwë have no daughters?"

"I haven't solicited a complete family tree but I haven't met any. Nolofinwë has one, but Elu is not particularly eager to open his borders to visitors. I think I just amused Melian or something."

"Well, she decided I was interesting enough to let in even though the first time I tried to go in they didn't like how I did it and tried to shoot me and even though they otherwise have a policy about persons with free will. They do place some restrictions on me during my visits, regardless."

"He's very conservative about it. I have misgivings but his people do seem very safe and comfortable compared to others I've encountered and I don't know how much this evaluation conflates his policy and Melian's contribution."

"Or how much the two are separable."

"That, too."

"Elu was not the type of man to take his Kingship lightly, and he'd given up everything to take us to the brink of Valinor. The direct attention of the Ainur can be overwhelming. I am not sure he married, ah, voluntarily."

"...as opposed to?"

"I don't think he remembered who he was for three hundred years, and it was in that state that he chose to bond his soul to Melian forever."

"I didn't realize it was quite that altered a state, although I guess it would have to be."

"Among the Falathrim we encourage couples to take a year's engagement period apart from each other, to make sure that they are not making an irrevocable decision lightly. I - wish the Maiar understood us enough to see the wisdom of this custom."

"I think my people would find the custom onerous, but we're not telepathic, hurry a bit more than the Quendi do, and do not have soul-based marriages anyway..."

"Even a day would have sufficed for Elu to be in a state to make such a commitment knowing his own name."

"It seems like it would have been advisable there."

He nods. "I have in any event rarely regretted staying. We are the people of these shores, not Valinor's."

Nod.

Shortly after that several people come to the door with problems for Círdan or Meril to straighten out, and Meril offers to walk Loki to the people who have a guest room.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that. When and where should I expect to hold my lecture?" Loki asks. "Or was no one interested?"

"I expect the interested people will meet you there," she says, "but, mind, we mostly do sailing and farming and things you can make with your hands, not theories, so it might not be the audience the Tatyar'd have."

"That's all right. I might be able to remember spotty bits of information on those subjects too, for that matter, if I get questions on them. I wish I'd known in advance I was going to be whisked here, I would have packed very differently."

"Touched that you'd have come at all."

Shrug. "I had to spend a few years away from home anyway, I picked my destination because I didn't anticipate being able to do much useful with the time and thought I might as well go somewhere familiar, but if I'd known here was an option..."

"I can only hope that a few years is enough time to set all this straight!"