Okay. I suppose there's little to lose by excess caution. You can talk to us. None of us are planning to go to Mandos if we die.

Okay, I'm going to overthrow the Valar once I'm confident I can pull it off. By 'we' do you mean you and your brothers, you and your brothers and cousins, everyone in this fortress, or some other combination of people?

Me and my brothers. My cousins vary in how seriously they take the Valar but would not agree to overthrow them. Our people would probably mostly agree with you but I cannot ask them all to forsake Mandos, it's very dangerous. If someone under my command does learn what you're planning, then I can and will ask them to forsake Mandos should they die, but try not to let it come to that.

I wasn't planning to tell a lot of people anyway. My sister knows, but not because I told her, she just knows me. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to overthrow the Valar, because I doubt they'd be okay with some of the other things I'm going to do when I get strong enough. Like obviate the Doom. Also the thing where you can accidentally glue your soul to someone else's; that sucks and if people want to do it on purpose I don't have a problem with it but it's not the kind of thing that ought to happen by accident.

I really can't wait for you to meet my father.

I'm looking forward to it.

He's been in Mandos for five hundred years, I don't think he'll be okay. But once he is.

Well, I'm already going to have to wait until I'm strong enough to go through with this. I can wait longer than that for him to be okay.

Yeah. And take care of yourself in the meantime.

You're very helpful with that.

Not enough, not when he really needed it.

I'm sorry. I...meant for me. But maybe I'm more manageable since I've had a twin to do it all my life.

If she'd just been violently murdered trying to protect you and her killer had stolen half your magic abilities and fled to another continent to do everything the Enemy's been doing here, that'd give you a sense of how much support my father needed.

I really don't think you can blame yourself for not being enough in that situation.

It's not a question of blame, just a fact. He needed us and we were not enough and so he's dead.

I'm going to fix that.

I believe it.

If--if your metaphor was accurate, I'm not sure anyone could have been enough. If Illia were dead, I--I don't know what I would do. I. Probably wouldn't be actively suicidal. Especially if I had kids who needed me. But.

He wasn't suicidal, not after the first few hours. He just organized everything he needed to charge Angband at once and then charged Angband and died fighting.

I will not do that without solid evidence it won't get me killed. And the ability to get out smart quick if it looks like I was wrong.

I am very glad to hear it.

I really don't want to die.

Well, if you do what we tell you we can keep you alive.

I know. I ran when Maedhros said run.

We appreciate it.