I don't know why there are any here, they usually stay out of international affairs.

Maybe we'll find out.

And that is when something else makes itself known to Ambela's attention. It is in the room across the hall. She knows this because it is informing her. That's all it is doing, just information. It is one of the Rings of Power Tyelperinquar made. It makes a weak-willed bearer a slave of Sauron but it makes a strong-willed bearer more powerful than the Valar and the right person more powerful even than that. The One Ring, they call it, and they are afraid to take it up, because they do not trust themselves to rule the world.

And that is what it does. It is seductive, but not falsely seductive; its promises are entirely sincere. Tyelperinquer was afraid he had too much of his grandfather in him; everyone else still alive has far too little. And so it has tumbled through the eons, the means to end this war and all war -

"Mirelótë?"

"- I, um." She's staring fixedly at the wall between her and the ring.

Sauron used it to make the humans who served him immortal but you could make them all immortal just as easily - Sauron did not figure out how to bring back the ones already dead because why would he care to, but she could. The shapes Sauron warped them into were ugly and terrible but she could make them stronger, resilient to illness and injury, as easily as he made them ghoulish and frightening. The Elves won't touch it but they sequester themselves away in these places where they can forget why there is need for it -

"Lord Elrond wants to see you."

"If he happens to be on the other side of this wall I might need to glue my fingers together first."

" - no, his study -"

aaaaaaaaaaaaah

"- okay -"

Elrond's study is in the opposite direction. The ring ceases to provide helpful information as they head that way.

oh thank fuck

"Mirelótë. Thank you for coming. - are you all right -"

"I do not think I should have whatever it was that really really wants me to have it in that room we passed."

" - no, you really shouldn't. We're trying to destroy it."

Nod.

"It's the One Ring. Sauron designed it to let him control all the others - it's impossible to give up once you have it and it tempts people in proportion to how much they want -"

Very small whimpering noise.

" - I can, uh, place guards -"

"That might be a good idea."

- nod. "Destroying it is our best prospect of defeating Sauron. Uh. Without creating something worse."

"I see."

"People've tried - it can't be used safely, it changes what you want even before you put it on -"

Shiver.

Nod. " - so. Ah. I read the lady Galadriel's message -"