"I'll have people bring food. It's good you didn't come to harm; it is not always safe out there. I lost my daughter that way."

"I'm sorry."

Nod. "Our age of peace ended before the year 1512 could have been counted."

"Should I describe our history first, or you yours?"

"Why don't you go first."

She nods. "My name is Mirelóte Ambela. I was a child when the Elves who so chose traveled from Endorë to Valinor -" She names the tribes and their kings, gives numbers.

"Names are the same, our numbers are an order of magnitude smaller."

"I suppose that alone could explain my absence. Anyway, twenty-five short years later we arrived - I was still a child when we landed, if barely -"

"It took us longer, 20 Years - we set out in 1105 and arrived in 1125 -"

"- why did it take that long? It's only about twenty-five light-years."

"Light-years? And I was of course unborn but they walked slowly, and built themselves beautiful places to stay along the way and wait for stragglers -"

"- a light-year is the distance light can travel in a year. The distance - cannot be walked. In my world."

" - we walked to the edge of the sea and then the Valar ferried us across it. I have never noticed light having a speed."

"It takes a considerable distance before it can be observed to delay. A light-year is almost six trillion miles. We did not traverse a sea - I see the problem now - in my world Endorë and Valinor are separate planets, orbiting separate stars. There was a bit of delay collecting everyone onto the ships first, but the bulk of the journey was spent traveling near the speed of light in airtight miniature ecosystems through hard vacuum."

"Valinor is the continent west of here. It's cloaked now so Men can't reach it but it's not far."

"Well. I suppose that means that if I decide what I need to do is go there and appeal to the Valar I will not have to wait for a shuttle and spend two and a half Years in flight."

" - no, you wouldn't. Appealing to the Valar also does not have a very encouraging track record. In particular I'd expect not to be permitted to leave."

Sigh. "My usual pastime at home is 'explaining incarnates to Valar' and it may be faster the second time."

"Well, that would be something. If your Valinor is a different world the differences might be deeper, though."

"Possible. I haven't decided that that's definitely what I should do, it's just an option."

"Lots of Elves are going west, in anticipation of losing the war. Not everyone - we'll end up there anyway - but you'd have company."

"It's possible I could write up the lines of argument that worked for someone else to deliver but I still wouldn't expect very quick results; if the war can be ended with my help it probably won't be through the Valar at all."

"If the war could be ended with your help it would be an extraordinary good. The kingdoms at risk of falling to Sauron are the Mannish kingdoms where Men live longest, occasionally learn to read, know the history, know enough of various arts to make themselves good lives. It would be a loss beyond their dying even sooner if their lands are lost."

"If you, ah, haven't noticed light having a speed, the most plausible avenue is through technological advancement, but that might provoke enemy escalation."

"I don't think he's noticed that either, or why confine himself to equipping orcs with axes?"