Sneaking into Angband. Remains a bad idea, but I think my family would eventually have attacked Doriath or have lost their capacity to do anything at all. Going off to fight Thauron.

- why would your family have attacked Doriath?

...the Oath?

But what does that have to do with sneaking into Angband?

They have me, and can get the Silmaril back in a less horrible way.

Oh, you're imagining a whole series of events where they still nuke Angband and Doriath still has a Silmaril even if you were in there, I'd lost track of the hypothetical.

I think the Enemy's play was always to give Doriath a Silmaril if he needed a distraction. There are a lot of ways it could have happened.

It's not a bad tactic.

No. And we left ourselves wide open to it, could've gotten most of the benefits of the Oath with a wording that swore to see them taken out of the grip of the Enemy or anyone who'd use them towards his ends...

Yep.

I hate it. I am sure that there will be occasions in the future where Father uses them to - replace a planet's dying sun, something absurd like that - and I'll have to start being fond of the damn things again but right now it's just a chain around my neck. And the Enemy wore them in his crown and having it on all the time isn't good for my sanity.

Do you have the flexibility to do something else with it occasionally?

As far as the Oath's concerned, what matters is that it's mine; I could technically leave it here, if I'm satisfied that it's my Silmaril I'm leaving here. In political terms I don't think people would think of it as my Silmaril if I just left it lying around.

Yeah, probably not. If you want me to hold it for you while I'm visiting I'd do that?

He takes it off and hands it to her.

She pockets it. Better?

Slightly. It's shining through her pocket. He shakes his head. Thank you.

She frowns at it and tries to turn it invisible.

Nothing happens.

Well, it really doesn't want to be invisible. She tries turning her pocket more opaque.

That does make it shine through less brightly. It's fine, he says, really. I'm quite used to it.

At this point I'm half curious why it's insisting on being so thoroughly shiny and how hard it is to work around. She layers on some more opacity.

Dimmer. Still visible. I am not the person to ask.

Maybe I'll ask your dad.

He would be the person to ask. I am glad you two still get along.