"Fifteen years, by preference. I expect we'll find more nasty surprises waiting for us if it takes thirty."

"Fifteen years." She shakes her head. "It's going to take me some time to get used to your species' timescale. I'm planning on doing Doriath first because I'd like to do it in the same trip as replacing the glass with this other stuff your brother invented, I talked with a linguistics guild and we're calling it tinkte, what can you tell me about Doriath besides 'doesn't accept refugees' and 'commits linguistic blackmail'? Neither of these facts seem like a good idea to bring up while attempting to be diplomatic."

"The greatest of the powers that created this world are called the Valar. The lesser ones are called the Maiar. Thauron, who you met, was one of those. The Queen of Doriath is another; she met and married Doriath's King while the Elves were traveling west to go to Valinor. They have a daughter, Lúthien, who by all accounts is stunningly pretty, charming, and of course half a Maia and magically powerful in her own right, if very sheltered - the King has never let her leave. Doriath accepts Thindar refugees. They don't accept Noldorin refugees because we were on opposite sides of a great tragedy long ago, one Elu has not forgiven or, to be fair, been asked forgiveness for. They don't accept Men of any flavor because you're too unpredictable, but there's a tribe of Men - the Halethrim - that live on Elu's northwest border and seem to be on civil terms with him.

Doriath has a significant population of Dwarves, who Thingol does not like but tolerates because they outfit his army with weapons. Knowing him only secondhand, I would size him up as proud, possessive, xenophobic, but very committed to doing right by the people he regards as his own, and ruled by his temper more in the short term than in the long. Melian tempers him, but for political reasons never actually overrules him. Lúthien as far as I can discern has no political power."

"I actually knew about Melian, in the abstract, come to think of it; before I made contact with Illia and she was worried about where I was Fingon mentioned that if I had landed in Doriath I might have a hard time leaving. If they don't let humans in because we're too unpredictable I might have a problem."

"My expectation is that their desire to meet a major player in the suddenly rearranged battlefield of this war will outweigh their mislike for Men; if they deny you entry so be it, we tried."

"Fair enough. Any advice on not appearing unduly influenced by you and any other Noldor?"

"It'd help a lot if you knew anyone else. You met Finrod's vassals in Ladros; Finrod is on splendid terms with Thingol. Aiding in the defense of Dorthonion will be good. Stopping spiders, good. Visiting habitations of Men and civilizing them, at least neutral. You found us, hmm - humbled, boring, not nearly as beautiful as Thingol's kingdom - you'll be able to say that truly, by all accounts it's marvelous. They might be worried about my stability. I am a typical Noldorin lord - a little simple-minded, a little single-minded, not likely to snap and serve the Enemy and not likely to be operating independently of my uncle the King."

"If it would help if I knew other people better I don't have to do Doriath first."

"Nargothrond or Brithombar would both help you with Doriath. They're also both easier to navigate, so if you're mainly worried you'll make errors of inexperience it might make sense to send you there first."

"Probably Brithombar first. I think doing it for the first time while being subtly condescended to for my species might not be the best idea."

"I don't expect that to be a problem anywhere. The tribes of Men we've met have been nomadic and illiterate. That does not make it acceptable to treat them with condescension, but you can imagine how it results. Your society is by all accounts more advanced than ours, and you're not going to die. People might condescend to you as a very inexperienced diplomat, but they'd do that to Ereinion if he ends up in charge too - a relative of mine who's very young and in Nargothrond's succession," he adds at her expression.

"It is possible I am getting more stuck on the fact that Finrod literally renamed someone vassal than is entirely warranted."

"I have heard it said that it was a derogatory term Beor's people started using for him, which he decided to embrace as no insult at all."

"That speaks much better of both of them, I think, but I admit to still being slightly concerned by the fact that both Celegorm and Fingon found the other story plausible."

"It is not implausible. I just do not know whether it's true. My cousin Finrod has tirelessly advocated for the interests of Men even when those didn't involve fighting for him; I think his concern for their welfare is sincere, if not always constructively manifested."

"I suppose it may not matter whether I go first to Brithombar or Nargothrond, then."

"Entirely up to you. I can also as you see fit send someone with you."

"If you think it would help," she shrugs.

"That depends on what you need. Are you going to find this hard and confusing without a sounding board? Then it might be good to have someone along. Are you likelier to withdraw onto 'your side' if there are other people present who are on your side? Then might be better to go alone. Sadly the people I'd soonest send with you are ones I cannot spare from the war."

"I think this will probably go the smoothest if I think of 'my side' as being 'me and my sister' and/or 'anyone and everyone who opposes Morgoth,' which is something I can do. I think it might be useful to have someone I can check things with before I say them so I don't accidentally trip over a cultural norm, but I don't think I'm likely to if I don't have someone."

"I'll assign someone to escort you, then. Probably not someone you already know."

"If I'm specifically not looking like you're influencing me too much what's the ostensible purpose of the escort?"

"You're, I hear, soon to be the princess of a realm. Those usually travel with personal servants."

"Well. True. But I'm not sure I want to set that precedent, because making a habit of dragging people with me everywhere I go would probably slow me down more than it would help anything. And I don't want to give the impression that I'm interested in standing on ceremony for the sake of it."

"You can't fly as fast with a passenger? And having an attendant in a foreign environment is very much not ceremony for its own sake."