Loki half-bows, again, in trained habitual compensation for thoughts of a less respectful nature. "I understand."

"And I would prefer that they not see our kingdom and home," the King adds.

Nod. "What about the converted orcs? Presently at least five."

"Tell me about this," Melian says. "Converted? How? How confident are you in whatever you've done?"

So Loki explains how she caught some orcs and talked to one until they were out of ideas and then went to Fëanor for help and the solution he came up with and how well-behaved those orcs now are around - Quendi. "I am a little concerned that I have inadvertently set myself up as the sole prophet of a religion, but better me telling them that they should be good neighbors than the Enemy telling them to attack everyone they meet."

"I fear both are unwise," Melian says. "If this process makes them more bound it may be harder for Mandos to aid them."

"This at least permits mercy capture instead of mercy killing and I believe there will be less wear and tear on the consciences of those orchestrating it," Loki says. "Perhaps I am biased because in other realms when people die they simply cease to exist forever; but if orcs can live happily and peacefully alongside others instead of being funneled to an invisible fate elsewhere, I cannot see that as an unworthy goal."

"I have not been invited to supervise the process to which deceased orcs are subjected," Loki says. "Presumably it is visible to someone, but I am the one who can heal an orc of what hurts it and tell it stories of an alternative 'Melkor' who is a benignly noninterventionist omnipotent being. I really wasn't expecting them to want so much micromanagement about the details of his opinions on whether they are allowed to have names and so forth, but that is what seems to have happened."

"You're deceiving them," Melian says.

"I am phrasing my speculations as such and they are being taken with considerable gravity. It is entirely true that the entity in question does not use oaths as part of his usual modus operandi; entirely true that I have never heard of him having any opinion on whether one must earn one's name; and entirely true that if you lined up every entity I have ever heard of next to each other from most to least powerful he would be on the far end by orders of magnitude, for all that he is not known to exercise this more than very occasionally and at times that seem random to me."

She considers this at length. "I admire the convictions that drove you to this approach, whatever my reservations about the approach. You may continue, if on reflection you think it wise."

Oh may I. "Thank you, your majesty."

"I understand too why you're so eager to blanket Angband in silence. He is working a terrible evil on them, and that would prevent it. I don't think it can be done, but having seen your powers I doubt you would be harmed by trying."

"Until I came here it had not even occurred to me that it might hurt me directly; the principal worry is that he would direct his attention to killing me."

She nods. "He might. That would be dangerous for you. He is like me; our powers are more easily manifest over Ages of careful development than in immediate action, but we can still do a great deal immediately when stirred to it. I would ask you not to attempt it while here, lest our kingdom be caught up in his retaliation."

"Of course," agrees Loki, instead of I can't even do it from that far away. "I'm loath to spend decades on another spell or two to be that much surer of myself and condemn generations more orcs and everyone those orcs will meet; but it may be the only responsible option."

"Mandos will judge them justly."

Mandos or any of the others could get off their asses - "It is fortunate that the people of this realm can expect that death is not truly the end."

"It is a misfortune beyond my comprehension that there are realms where this is untrue. I would say more, but it is unkind to speak ill of a childhood home you may miss dearly."

"It has redeeming qualities, but there is little to recommend that one." Not nothing, she likes the 'nobody is living in dread of being held hostage by a dubiously adequate divinity' part, but still.

"You said you do not understand how you came here, but you think it was a mistake?"

"Yes. I was trying to travel between realms, but with a friend and to a different destination. I arrived here, alone. It could also have been someone's intentional sabotage. Either way, no one has been sent to retrieve me and my friend has not followed after, so I expect there is some sort of disagreement or technical problem at the source."

"Or Eru called you here in our time of need," she says, "for your arrival is certainly timely."