What is Nolofinwë thinking? 

"You told me to do it," Hereniel told him, and he knew then that something was very wrong, but who could he tell - Fëanáro, who was as likely as not to torch Nolofinwë's own home in response - Finwë, who'd watch - he'd been planning to go to the Valar with it, but apparently they'd been putting together the same thing as he had - and going to the Valar is likely to infuriate Fëanáro again, not that there's any choice at this point - the only thing that would've actually been comforting to hear was "that wasn't me, yesterday morning" but of course none of Melkor's attempts have been that bold. It was Fëanáro. And divisions among them serve their enemy so he will have to forgive him anyway. 

He's lost track of which story he's supposed to believe about Leareth and is not bothering to believe anything about Leareth at this point. Probably Leareth is not personally Melkor.

All of which is, honestly, also fair enough, and Leareth feels a startling wave of sympathy for Nolofinwë. Doing his best to hold everything together, in a world where nothing makes sense anymore. He's been there himself.

Well, he doesn't need Nolofinwë to trust him (and it's not clear the man would or should even if he had all the information, which Leareth has no intention of giving him). He just needs him to go along with what's clearly in his personal interest as well.

The shield-artifact isn't quite complete. He starts packing it up along with some of the other equal-sized blanks, in case there ends up being a good moment to keep working on them. :I am ready to Gate when you are ready to depart: 

We're ready, says Finwë.

Then Leareth will get the exact memory from him, requesting a spot that has an existing doorway so he can cut back slightly on energy-expenditure. Then, Gate. He does all of that sitting down and only stands when it's his turn to walk through, keeping a hand on Huan's neck the whole time and all of his Othersenses on alert. This time he won't miss any gods trying to impersonate Quendi or anything else. 

They're outside Valmar. Finwë walks over to talk to some people at the gates. It's a way from here to the Valar but it'd be rude, I think, to directly approach any closer, he explains. We'll walk quickly.

Sensible. Leareth follows. 

:Nelyafinwë?: he tries, anchoring on the now-distance talisman he recently made; it takes significant power, at range, but he's got Huan. :Can you hear me?: 

Yes. He wonders if Leareth can read all his thoughts at this range. He wonders if Leareth's range would allow for communications across the ocean, that'd be useful.

Leareth could technically get his thoughts at range, but he's not bothering to try, the energy-requirement is high enough already. :I am not going to maintain a link, this is tiring, but if an emergency happens, you ought to be able to get my attention by 'shouting', and as though aiming through the talisman rather than in my direction. Try it?: He backs off. 

Leareth, he demands urgently and loudly of the talisman.

:That works, yes, good: He expected it would but wasn't completely sure, given that he's still working out how osanwë interacts with his own kind of magic. :Arrival here was uneventful. Will pass on updates if anything relevant happens: He drops the link, keeps following Finwë. 

They go up the path through the hills. The city sounds like a choir of bells, or maybe like a wind chime, if there were ever a wind chime designed by an incredibly obsessive musician who wanted to make sure no combination of its chimes would be the slightest bit discordant.

The air gets heavy, and fuzzy, and quiet, and magicmagicmagic.

The wind-chime bit is beautiful but also feels kind of creepy, though maybe Leareth is confusing it with the encroaching magic. He has to keep reminding himself to relax, tamping down the voice in his hindbrain screaming that this is not a place where he should be. 

And then, there are the gods. 

There are fourteen of them. Some of them are all here - big auras of magic, operating bodies at their center - and some of them are only a little bit here, tendrils of magic operating bodies without much magic spilling over beyond what sustains the physical form. Gravity is much stronger. 

The Quendi kneel.

Leareth kneels as well; he doesn't prefer to kneel before gods, in general, but he even less prefers to draw their attention. Waits for one of the others to speak. 

A god speaks first, actually. 

OUR HERALD HAD NOT YET ARRIVED AT TIRION TO REQUEST YOUR PRESENCE HERE, BUT IT IS YOU WHO WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO DISCUSS. YOU HAVE BROUGHT UNREST AND THE THREAT OF VIOLENCE TO VALINOR. YOU ARE COMMANDED TO ANSWER FOR IT.

You explain, Fëanáro tells his father. I'm liable to snap at them. 

So Finwë explains - the example Leareth caught, the other examples discovered in conversation once they had the hypothesis, the ways that attempts at reconciliation had failed, their fears that Melkor means to bring about a war with the Valar. 

At the end, Leareth can offer to let them read his memory of what he Saw. 

They do that. 

They confer. 

TULKAS WILL DEPART TO RETURN MELKOR TO OUR CUSTODY, one of them announces, and a different one of them heads off. BUT THERE IS MUCH STILL TO DISCUSS HERE. SOME OF THE EVIL INTRODUCED TO VALINOR IS OF MELKOR'S DOING, BUT NOT ALL OF US. IT IS THE PRINCE CURUFINWE FEANARO WHO THREATENED HIS BROTHER WITH A WEAPON. AND THIS IS A CRIME, FOR WHICH HE MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE.

"It is too much to expect of even a god, that they would tolerate disobedience from their slaves," says Fëanáro. 

IF THIS IS SLAVERY, YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE IT IN THE OUTER LANDS; FOR MANWE IS LORD OF ALL OF ARDA, NOT JUST OF AMAN. AND THE THING THAT YOU HAVE DONE IS LAWLESS IN ALL OF ARDA. THEREFORE THIS DOOM IS NOW UTTERED: YOU WILL LEAVE TIRION, WHERE THIS THREAT WAS MADE, FOR TWELVE YEARS. IN THAT TIME, TAKE COUNSEL WITH YOURSELF, AND REMEMBER WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE. BUT AFTER THAT TIME THE MATTER WILL BE HELD REDRESSED, IF OTHERS WILL RELEASE YOU.

There are other worlds and Manwë's not in charge of those. 

He says nothing. 

          "I release him," says Nolofinwë.

Fëanáro turns and stalks off down the hill. 

        Finwë waits a slightly courteous amount of time and then follows him. 

And Leareth will get up and follow them with his hand still on Huan's neck, not saying anything, not allowing his face or body to reveal any expression. He's – weirdly okay with Nelyafinwë knowing that the gods of another world frighten him. He would prefer that the others not. 

They are barely paying attention to him because Finwë and Fëanáro are arguing heatedly at the base of the hill. 

It's symbolic, Finwë is pleading. You were leaving anyway.

      Symbolic of the fact they do not respect you as our ruler, they do not consider us entitled to rule ourselves, they hate us, Fëanáro says. 

They care for us, and so prohibit violence, which is a threat to us, not to them.

      Not to them yet. 

I didn't know they were planning this. I'm sorry.

       I bet the Vanya knew.

- maybe.

       Fëanáro snorts. We're done here, Leareth. Let's get ready to go to the Outer Lands.