"Yes, that is a good point. I wish I had more leads on trying to follow it; the lifebond was instrumental to finding you. I wonder if that is why I reached this place before Telumë did." 

"I guess that means, uh, weird one-way Elf-marriage bonds are less traceable, or at least less traceable than a lifebond plus a Companion bond."

"Or that Telumë is less competent at research than I am, which is plausible, he seems less capable at various aspects of making decisions." 

"I guess. I am not exactly eager to meet him but it will certainly resolve some questions."

Leareth nods. "...On reflection, please do not let me be captured and tortured by an evil god, I am not sure if it would always do that but I am not eager to test it." 

"I was not exactly planning to let anybody get captured and tortured by an evil god!"

A world away, Vanyel turns to Nayoki and the others assembled. "I think I have it." 

Telumë nods, shakily. It's been a couple of days, now, of nonstop horrific torture-at-one-remove, and Stef can't painblock for him all the time, and can't get all of it even a full strength. He's been putting some of his mostly-pain-free time toward helping Vanyel and the rest toward attempting to sleep, and then spending large fractions of the day either extremely miserable or under one of Melody's varieties of Mindhealing block, which doesn't make it not hurt but does make him mostly incapable of having subjective experiences such as 'caring about it'. He's exhausted, and really looking forward to having his brain back, and also feeling a great deal of trepidation about what they're going to find. 

"...Well, I'm going, obviously." Vanyel doesn't feel like Telumë is in good shape to defend himself. "And Stef." 

Sigh. "I am really not looking forward to whatever's going on there, but I think I'd better come." 

"I'm bringing us to the spot we think he started out in, which isn't where he is now, but given the, um, torture, I'm not sure we want to be landing on top of where he is now." 

And Vanyel raises a Gate. As usual for inter-world Gates, the threshold is milky and opaque, showing nothing on the other side. 

:Well, here goes: And Yfandes follows her Chosen across, and immediately stretches out her various kinds of senses. 

:–Amshalan?: She vaguely remembers the Companion mare, who she's pretty sure never Chose anyone, and is assumed to have died horribly in the attack on Haven. :What are you doing here?: 

:Belrun! There was a Gate and Yfandes just turned up!: 

:...which Yfandes? Ours, the other one, or some third Yfandes?:

:Not ours, just a second – the other one, she's with a Telumë, also - Melody? I'm so confused right now: 

- Elves head over to the site of the Gate. They do not attempt to obstruct anyone coming through but they do not look incredibly welcoming.

:...I'm going to name our Velgarth "803" till we know more about what's different besides the year and the lifebond and Telumë's can be "813". Till I or someone else comes up with real names. These are all from 813? Is Vanyel with them?:

:Vanyel's with them, and - young man, Bard, I guess that must be his new lifebonded, and - gods, the tiny teenager with them is presumably Telumë, wow. Looks like that's everyone. Gate's coming down– just a minute, Telumë looks like he's injured, I'm asking...: 

Pause. 

:I think you had better come over here and talk to them, I'm now confused on several levels: 

:Leareth, Telumë and some other people from I'm-calling-it-813 are here: And she goes out and hops on Amshalan to trot over.

Leareth heads out at a jog. 

He slows as he approaches them. "Vanyel."

Vanyel looks up, and freezes. "I, um.. What? Did we - somehow go back in time... This is Arda, right?" 

Belrun hops off Amshalan. "There seem to be two each Velgarths and Ardas. At least. Or we're all elaborate Foresight simulations and it turns out those are conscious, that was my first guess. Hi, you presumably don't know me but I know, uh, alternate universe versions of some of you from several years back. I'm Belrun."

:She's Amshalan's Chosen: Yfandes explains helpfully, including everyone. 

"Also my lifebonded," Leareth says. "I am not the same Leareth you know, although I do know a Vanyel in my world and I am curious what the divergences are. Our Velgarth did not have any contact with Arda until just over a week ago, when Belrun was eaten by some strange manner of magical snake and I traced her here." 

Telumë is meeting a copy of himself and there's no possible way that he's going to make a good impression, given that he's in a significant amount of pain despite Stef singing right beside him, it's a lot worse on this side of the Gate. 

(He can't imagine what it must be like for Maitimo; it's loud enough that he can actually sort of feel a direction on it, and he wants to sprint toward whatever's wrong and fix it, but that's a terrible idea so he doesn't.) 

"What year," he says, between gritted teeth.