Full Circle

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: LIFE SERIAL



Buffy absolutely loved the fact that she and Maglor had the entire palace nearly to themselves. She had never really thought about how many people actually dwelt within her Halls until it was empty. She liked it but still preferred having people that catered to her every need. Regardless of all that, the Slayer was having the best time of her life. It’s just a shame that it only lasted one week. That’s when she received two most unexpected visitors - her twins.

“Good morning, mother,” greeted her son on that fateful day.

“Anno. Mirë,” said the surprised Slayer. She and Maglor had been dancing to the tunes of one of her minstrels. “What a pleasant surprise,” she added with a smile, before hugging them both.

“Hail mother,” stated her daughter. “It is lovely to see you again.”

“Let me introduce you to my future husband, Maglor, son of Fëanor,” said the Slayer.

“Yes, the elf,” commented Anno haughtily, as he looked the Noldo over.

Mirë’s cast at glance at her brother and quickly said, “You are needed at Sussrúmnir, mother. Already the first men have arrived and are awaiting your judgment.”

“Already?” questioned Buffy as she looked to Maglor. “I didn’t know that man had awakened.”

“Indeed they have,” replied Anno. “From what we gather these men all fell on the battlefield.”

Buffy felt a cold chill sweep up her spine. “Illyria,” she muttered.

“It seems that your first born is making mischief east of Orocarni,” revealed her daughter.

“And it appears that Melkor has provided Illyria with an army nearly a half million strong,” added Anno.

“What?! A half million?” queried a freaked out Buffy.

To say that she was caught off guard would be the understatement of the century. Buffy knew that she had to go to Folkvang immediately; there was no doubt about it. And there was no way she was leaving Maglor behind, he’d have to come with her. A fearful Buffy had no idea how long it would take to judge all those who were awaiting their doom. Eru only knows how long they’d be gone from Middle-earth.

Within a minute, they all disappeared in a blink of an eye. They reappeared in the vestibule of Sussrúmnir only a moment later. Immediately upon their arrival, Feawë placed a gold and sapphire crown on Buffy’s head and handed her a white pearl scepter. Laurië then draped a white silky cloak over Buffy’s shoulders, clasping it at the neck. The Slayer looked queenlier than ever before. She gave Maglor a kiss and told him to have fun exploring Folkvang while she took care of business.

Buffy then ascended the stairs leading to her Hall of Judgment. All was quiet except for the sound of Antamo’s fair voice in some far away chamber. Four guards stood on either side of the double doors, which magically opened of their own accord. When the Slayer entered the chamber, the doors closed silently behind her. The room was deserted and the only light came from the two vats of burning flame at the bottom of the dais. Her own flesh emitted a soft glowing light as she climbed the steps and took her seat on that magnificent canopied throne. Buffy had come into all her glory and majesty. She was now Maranwë Fëantári, Queen of Spirits Destiny.

“Enter,” declared Buffy, and soon the first fey appeared at the bottom of the dais. Her eyes bore down on the fearful man and soon the images of his life appeared before her. From the moment of his birth to his untimely demise, Buffy saw everything of significance in this person’s life. However, if she saw anything regarding Illyria, she did not speak of it. Not once did Buffy ever share with anyone the information that she had obtained from one of the fey’s that she had judged. Although after a time, she did devise her version of various types of ‘hells’ to punish those who had done great evil in the world. Some did not deserve to be embodied to roam freely in Folkvang and those same ones did not deserve the luxury of solitary confinement within the Halls of Mandos until the breaking of the world. She was judge, jury and executioner rolled into one.

While sitting on her throne, her ‘awareness’ was heightened ten fold. She now realized that the vats of fire contained the essence of Eru, The Flame Imperishable, and that one of its magical properties was remaking the bodies of man. For Maranwë Luinil would grant a new trait to man that they had never before possessed - the gift of regeneration. This was the land where warriors reside and all delight in swordplay. In Folkvang, none will encounter death until the End of Days but that does not mean there will be no loss of limb. It was the will of Eru Ilúvatar that man be given this new ability as one of their rewards.

Buffy passed judgment on sixty-three men in that one sitting; fifty-two were to remain with her and the rest she commanded to Námo’s keeping. While making her pronouncements, the Queen of Spirits had little reckoning of time. She had stayed in her Hall of Judgment for two weeks straight without any breaks or refreshments. Any bodily requirements that they Slayer normally had did not have to be satiated while she sat atop her high seat. She was a goddess, after all.

A great feast was held when she finally did exit her chamber in order to celebrate the arrival of mankind into Folkvang. Great rewards were awaiting those brave and heroic souls who entered her domain. All the pleasures that they had enjoyed in life was theirs for the taking once again.

While Buffy was confined to her Hall of Judgment, Maglor had gone to the forges and wrought for her a silver band to replace the earring that she wore on her finger. She knew that he had met with Marto, but the elf did not disclose the content of that conversation to the Slayer.

When the feast was over, Buffy took Maglor to her armories. He was in awe at the mammoth size of the numerous chambers and the multitude of weapons that were contained therein. She instructed her people to gather hordes of armor and mail into one of the weapon’s chambers. The Slayer was going to see if she could transport the entire contents of one of these chambers to her armories in Lindecoa. She had several crates of precious metals and gemstones placed within the vault so that all of it could be moved at one time. A separate chest wrought of copper was placed in the room by Buffy herself, but she did not tell any what the box contained. She then ordered Marto to make some type of mail for Kit and Kat, and that special attention needed to be paid to their undersides. She would use her wild beasts during wartime and they would most likely do a majority of fighting from the air, so it was imperative that they were well protected.

Buffy uttered a powerful spell and all the contents of the chamber disappeared before their eyes. She hoped that she was successful in stocking her armories at home. Before she and Maglor were to return to Ossir, they had a couple more stops to make. A few moments later, they arrived outside the doorway to the Deeper Well. A couple dozen armed dwarves came through the mystical barrier, ready for a fight, until they saw that it was the Lady Freya. The dwarves bowed low before Buffy and looked upon the elf with great interest.

“My dear Lady,” began Brokk. “What an honor and privilege it is that we are graced with your presence once again.”

Maglor looked at the dwarves with wonderment; he was the first Noldo to set eyes upon them. “These are the children of Aulë,” informed Buffy. “The Naugrim are great craftsmen and I’m sure that you and they have quite a bit in common considering your affection for that mighty Vala.”

“My dear elf, you know our father, Mahal?” queried Brokk excitedly.

“Indeed. We used to frequent his Halls often in the days of my youth,” answered Maglor with a smile. He couldn’t help but notice that the dwarves looked like miniature versions of their father. “The Noldor have learned much from Aulë and his kin,” he added.

They entered the mystical doorway and proceeded down the long winding tunnel that led to the Deeper Well. Buffy was astounded by the dwarves progress in the last two years. “This is the prison for the Ainur that have been corrupted by Morgoth. Right now, we only have one occupant, but the day will come when the Well will house all the heinous creatures that have ever haunted Middle-earth.” She led him across the bridge and through the doors on the other side. The Slayer was delighted to see that there were many dwarves assigned to the task of making sarcophagi. The Deeper Well was useless without them and she was glad that everyone understood how essential those stone caskets were.

Luthor made Maglor feel welcomed from the first moment that they had met, which made Buffy happy to no end. While they were getting to know each other, the Slayer disappeared into her private chambers. She opened the wardrobe and dug underneath her clothing until she found what she was looking for: the gilded belt with little dangling charms that Morgoth had wrought for her years ago. With a wave of her hand, the door to her chamber locked. She sat on her bed, holding this magnificent weapon in her hand, the tinkling sound mesmerized her.

Her thoughts drifted to the upcoming wars. She could sense that it would not be long until blood was spilled in great volumes. She had seen that much while she sat upon her throne in Sussrúmnir. When it came down to a confrontation with her firstborn, Buffy knew that she would not be able to defeat her. That thought made her sick to her stomach and she vomited all over the stone floor. Her body was trembling, beads of sweat formed on her face, and her head felt like it was about to explode. She pushed the belt under the mattress, unlocked the door and rang the bell for assistance. A dwarf maiden soon entered, let out a cry and hurried out of the chamber again. Buffy crawled up on the bed. She felt like she was dying.

Minutes later, Maglor and Luthor came flying into the room, each took a seat beside her. Luthor felt her forehead. “Your burning up, Bella.” As several dwarves cleaned up the mess, Luthor instructed Grer to bring two bottles of tonic from his stores. “Perhaps this is the after effect of passing judgment on man,” said Luthor lightheartedly. “When was the last time you’ve slept, child?”

“Two… two weeks ago. Folkvang time. So, four months in Middle-earth time,” she answered weakly.

“You need sleep. We shall let you rest awhile and see if you improve,” advised Luthor.

“Did Maglor tell you about our betrothal?” she asked the Maia.

“Indeed he did. Congratulations, my dear. And I must say that I most definitely approve. I see that you and Maglor will have many happy years together. But let us save that conversation for later.” When Grer returned, Luthor gave Buffy a dose of tonic from each bottle before she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The Slayer slept for seventy-two hours before waking, completely refreshed. There was still so much that she needed to do. After bathing, Buffy dressed. She slid her hand underneath the mattress, grabbed the belt and clasped it around her waist. She and Maglor enjoyed one last meal with Luthor and the dwarves before they departed to Khazâd-Dum. They did not spend much time with Durin, as Buffy was there to pick up her first order of Orbs. The Dwarf Lord gave her a sack containing three hundred of the crystal spheres before they finally left for Ossir.

It was evening when they arrived at Lindecoa and Buffy’s Halls were once again filled with many people. The chill in the night air indicated that summer was waning and that fall would be coming early this year. She consulted with Úrion, Nestor and Orchal about the engines. The elves had bought four hundred and forty three of them. Buffy instructed them not to sell any more; she would need the rest for the wars in the east.

Maglor was anxious for Buffy to return with him to his realm up north, but before she would agree to depart Ossir, she wanted to meet with her small army of 7,500. That was the number of green-elves that she had managed to convince to join her brigade. She took them to her armories and had them outfitted in mail and provided each with the weapon of their choice. Buffy wanted to take her people out for one more hunt in Taur-im-Duinath prior to her leaving. It was important to her that they practice their tracking skills and master the art of Guerrilla warfare.

This army was the only one in Middle-earth that had both male and female warriors. There was no way in hell that Buffy would discriminate against women that were more than willing to fight for all that they held dear in this world. Not all of her advisors agreed with her, but the bottom line was that she, the Blue Lady of Ossir, wielded the power to do as she wished. And nobody was stupid enough to argue with that!

The elves were broken down into smaller groups that the Slayer referred to as platoons, which contained two squads (ten people per squad). Each unit would be dispatched throughout various regions of the woods and were instructed to bring back the sinew from their victims. They would be hunting wargs. Buffy took it upon herself to take the ‘teenaged’ elves out with her and Maglor. All dressed in green (which was normal for the elves of Ossir, not so normal for Buffy and Maglor), in order to camouflage themselves from the eyes of the enemy.

Thranduil was a part of Buffy’s group. She was amazed at how much he had matured in the last fourteen years. He was quickly approaching manhood and his resemblance to Denethor was uncanny. Ironically, the Slayer had become more like a surrogate father to the elfling even though Orchal was officially his ‘foster’ father. It had only been in the last two years that Buffy had convinced Orchal to learn how to wield a sword. He wasn’t a fan of the weapon and often said, “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.” That’s why she took it upon herself to see that the future King of the green elves knew about warfare and combat tactics.

The group climbed into the boat that had been prepared for them and moments later, the rushing current quickly took them down the Adurant River. It took half a day for them to reach the Gelion, where they allowed the stream to push them southwards. They traveled twenty miles before they rowed towards the shoals on the western bank. A second boat was already pulled onto the sandbar, indicating that another platoon had already arrived. The group climbed up the steep embankment with their supplies and entered a natural opening in the woods. Thranduil and Buffy led the team. The young elf seemed despondent.

“What’s wrong, little man? It looks like you have a case of the grumpies today,” observed the Slayer.

“It’s nothing,” he replied sullenly.

“Oh, c’mon. You can tell me what’s on your mind,” she prodded. “I won’t tell anyone. Promise! I’ll even pinky swear.” The ‘pinky swear’ was something that she had done with Thranduil numerous times in the past. He understood exactly what it meant.

He looked down at her (yes, he was taller!) and held out his left pinky. “Pinky swear,” he said as Buffy wrapped her little finger around his.

“Pinky swear,” she said echoing him.

“Your leaving for good, aren’t you?” he queried anxiously. “We’re going to do this last patrol and then you’re leaving for the Noldorin realms in the north.”

“Is that what this is all about?” she questioned with surprise.

“I thought you loved Ossir. Why would anyone want to leave the fair woods and sweet rivers for the bitterly cold plains of the north?” Thranduil asked fretfully.

Buffy smiled. “For love, that’s why,” she replied as they ducked under a limb. “I love Ossiriand. Always have. From the moment that I first entered that land, I totally fell in love with it. And Lindon, the city in the trees, is the most amazing place that I’ve ever seen.” She nudged the elf. “Believe me; I’ve seen many awe-inspiring places like Menegroth and Khazâd-Dum, east of Ered Luin. I hope to take you there one day.”

“But you will not come around after the wedding,” protested the silver-haired elf. “We will see you less and less.”

“How often am I gone now?” she questioned. “I’m a woman on the go, Thranduil. I can’t devote all my time to one place, that’s a luxury that I just don’t have. There’s a vast world out there and someone’s gotta keep things in check. And once again, I’m the lucky recipient of the ‘You don’t get a normal, stable life; you get to hunt demons’ award.”

Thranduil laughed. “You were gone for one hundred twenty-three days last time,” he commented.

“Huh?” she queried, totally forgetting her previous question.

“Last time you left Ossir for one hundred twenty-three days. And before that you were gone for twelve years, four months, three weeks and two days,” disclosed the young elf.

“Hmm,” said the Slayer, casting a suspicious look at the elf. “To the casual observer it would seem like you’ve gone all stalker on me. How in the name of the Valar do you know exactly how long that I’ve been gone? I couldn‘t even tell you that!” His fair face started turning a deep shade of crimson. “Oh,” she replied. It finally dawned on her that Thranduil had a crush on her. She thought that was so cute. “You’ve got the hots for me,” she said teasingly as she went to pinch his rosy cheek.

“Lady! You pinky swore,” the elf whispered as he nervously cast a glance over his shoulder. “You cannot say anything to anyone.”

Buffy smiled, “I know. I know. A promise is a promise. I won’t say a word, little man.”

“Can I come with you?” asked Thranduil straightforwardly.

“No,” she replied. “Your mother needs you. Maybe when you’re older you can come for a visit.”

“Then I will never see you again,” moped the elf.

“That’s not true. You’ll see my plenty. Ossir will always be my home and I’ll come back from time to time,” she countered. “Do you know what will make you feel better?” she questioned. “Killing a warg. I know it always makes me feel better.”

The elf shook his head. “Things will not be the same without you, Lady Luinil. That I can clearly see!”

It was the following evening when they discovered a den of wargs. They noticed that there were some newborn pups in the pack. Buffy had the elves positioned in trees all around the perimeter. Wargs had a fantastic sense of smell and she tried to keep everyone down wind from the beasts. She stood next to the future king on a beech tree limb.

“Keep steady,” she instructed Thranduil in a mere whisper. “Aim for the head.” He let his arrow fly and he nailed the alpha warg right in the eye. The beast yelped and then fell dead. It was a proud moment for the Slayer. “Well done, little man,” she said as she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

As the wargs realized that they were under attack, the woods hummed with the sound of arrows whizzing from all directions. When the flying projectiles hit their mark, one could hear the distinctive cries from the dreadful beasts. Some attempted to flee, only to find that they ran directly into the line of fire. The elves made quick work of the wargs, but the fun part hadn’t even begun. After the slaughter, the wolves had to be skinned and their sinew had to be removed. Not a fun task by any means, so Buffy assigned the job to the youngsters.

Four days later, they returned to the port at Lindecoa. The time had now arrived for Buffy to go with Maglor to his land. She would only be bringing twenty-four people from her Household on this first trip including Úrion. Orchal and Nestor would remain in Ossir, seeing to the day-to-day running of things. They left on horseback, but they would not have to travel through all the land that separated the two countries. Buffy used her magic’s to transport them from Tol Galen to the northeastern eaves of Nan Elmoth, just south of the River Celon. She was off nearly a hundred miles in her guesstimate of where Maglor’s lands were located. Since the land was open, they would continue the rest of the journey on horseback. With the elves acute eyesight, it would be a dead giveaway if Buffy used magic’s to get them any closer to the city.

The Slayer constantly looked over her shoulder as they rode to the northeast. She had always wanted to explore the woods of Nan Elmoth but unfortunately, they just didn’t have the opportunity to do to that right now. They traveled across the great open plains of the north until they reached the Little Gelion River. At that point, they crossed the ford and continued northeast until they reached the dwellings of his people. Maglor’s Gap, as it was called, was a far cry from the beautiful land of Ossir. To the north of the ‘city’ were great rolling hills that stopped abruptly for about twenty or thirty miles, thus causing a gap between the hills. Maglor’s people were assigned the post of guarding that opening from the enemy. There were no trees to speak of, which the Slayer found slightly depressing. To the west, were many hills and the fortress of Maedhros. His great tower could be seen from Maglor’s lands even though it was a good seventy miles away. To the east, Buffy could see the mighty peaks of Ered Luin, the same mountain range that formed the eastern border of Ossir. And to their south, the plains stretched on to the convergence of the Little Gelion and Gelion Rivers. The terrain was the complete opposite of what she was used to. And quite honestly, the Lady hated it!

“The things we do for love,” mumbled the Slayer as she dismounted her horse. She was ready to go back home. You can do this, she attempted to convince herself. It’s no biggie!

Buffy understood that it would take her a while to get acclimated to her new surroundings, if at all. After a few weeks, Maglor and members of his Household took her out for her first trip. They rode through the pass (or gap) into Lothlann (the great northern plains), where the horses and kine of the Noldor grazed. It was impossible to miss the sight of Ered Engrin looming in the distance and to the northwest, the Slayer recognized the three peaks of Thangorodrim. The group followed the ‘road’ that ran north of the hills along what they called the March of Maedhros. They were going to Maedhros’ home, Himring, where Buffy was going to meet three of Maglor’s brothers: Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir, and partake in another betrothal feast.

The Slayer never told anyone about the creepy feeling that she had while they traveled across the plains. She could feel Morgoth’s eyes piercing through the mountains, watching them intently. Visions from her past flashed in her mind, but she didn’t know if it was Morgoth’s doing or just her mind playing weird tricks on her. Whatever the reason, she didn’t like it.

Maedhros’ land was similar to Maglor’s in that it had no trees. It was a pretty hilly region and not at all to her liking. The eldest son of Fëanor built his fortress on the top of the tallest of these hills. The summit was level and broad and along the perimeter, they had built a stone wall that looked to be over fifty feet high. They entered the gates and then rode on to the citadel.

Once their horses were stabled, they went to the Halls of Maedhros. They were greeted by many people including the brothers. The travelers were given the opportunity to ‘refresh’ themselves before being introduced to the dozens of elves that were most eager to meet the Lady of Ossir and her loyal following. Buffy was thrilled by all the attention that the Noldor gave her; she felt that it was well placed. These elves sensed her power and felt that it was a blessing that Buffy would one day wed one from the line of Finwë. Perhaps she would have the skill and tenacity to retrieve the Silmarils from Morgoth and avenge the House of Fëanor.

After they settled in, Buffy and Úrion were taken to one of Maedhros’ sitting rooms where they would speak with the sons of Fëanor in private. The room itself was more like a library. There were many volumes of leather bound books on the stone shelves and it looked like they were in the process of making maps of Beleriand. Throughout the chamber were many relics that they had brought from Valinor. The room was warm and inviting; everything was decorated wholly in red and gold. Buffy sat on a couch beside Maglor as Curufin poured a glass of wine for everyone.

“We have your payment for the engines that we’ve purchased,” announced Maedhros.

Buffy didn’t keep up with that stuff, that was Úrion’s department.

“Yes,” remarked Celegorm. “One would think that you would give your future kinfolk a discount on… ”

The Slayer turned to Úrion. “You didn’t give them a discount?”

Úrion seemed very uncomfortable. “Well, er, no. Perhaps we can offer them a ten percent discount under the circumstances… ”

“Ten percent?!” questioned the Slayer in disbelief. “They’re my future brothers-in-law, Úrion. Surely, we can do better than that!”

“Nay!” interjected Maglor. “We will pay the same as everybody else.”

“No!” countered Buffy. “I say we just let them have ‘em.”

“Bella!” said Úrion as he leaned forward in his chair. “The sons of Fëanor have purchased one hundred and forty four engines. We cannot merely give them away. We have too much money invested in… ” His words trailed off as he felt the icy stare of the Slayer. “Oh, I suppose we could offer… say a… fifty percent discount. That is fair as we are letting them go at cost,” he suggested gloomily.

Buffy looked at Celegorm to see if he approved. “Welcome to the family Maranwë Luinil,” he said with a big grin.

“Then it’s settled,” said Buffy. Úrion was not pleased by her decision, but it was she that invested her monies into the war machines, not him.

“That is very generous indeed!” remarked Caranthir. “I must say Luinil, that I am quite impressed with those machines of yours. I would never have expected a woman to contrive weapons of that sort.”

The Slayer laughed at his comment even though she found it to be very sexist. “I’m, unfortunately, not like other women. Not many women have to face the nasties that I do… I hate to say it, but my thoughts constantly revolve around death and destruction. It’s what I do.”

“And there is nothing wrong with that,” said Maedhros in agreement. “In fact, we have all discussed the appropriate betrothal gift for you, Muinthel. You do not mind me calling you that, do you?” he asked. Buffy shook her head. The name translates to ‘dear sister.’ “I speak for all the sons of Fëanor when I say that we are honored to have one of such noble blood unite with our House. We are pleased that our brother has managed to capture the heart of one so fair and wise.” His smiled widened. “Though your stature is smaller than that of the Eldar, you possess the strength of ten men.” Maedhros laughed heartily. “And that I’ve seen first hand! We welcome you into the family, Muinthel,” he said as he raised his glass in toast. “May the Valar bless your betrothal and upcoming wedding. To Maglor and Muinthel.”

“To Maglor and Muinthel,” said the other is unison before taking a drink.

“Thank you Russandol,” replied Maglor. (Russandol was Maedhros epessë or nickname given to him by his closest kin.) “I have two gifts for you Maranwë. In keeping with the traditions and customs of the Eldar, I give to you this jewel.” He then placed a package into her hand. She unwrapped the cloth and picked up a large red jewel that hung from a thick gold chain. “This was wrought by both Curufin and my father in Valinor and it is no mere trinket! Hold it up to the sunlight and it will send forth a beam of flame that will penetrate metal, stone and of course, wood.”

“Wow!” exclaimed the Slayer. “Pretty and deadly. That’s right up my alley. Thank you Maglor,” she said as she gave him a kiss and hug. “Thanks to you all,” she added as she smiled at the brothers. “I can’t wait to try it out.”

“Ah, but that is just the first gift,” remarked Maglor. “Curufin.”

Curufin then came forward with a long object that was wrapped in the same black cloth. Buffy knew that it was a sword. He handed it to Maglor. “The exchanging of weapons in not part of the customs of the Eldar, but we all agreed that it was appropriate in this situation. You see, we deem that our father had the foresight to see that this day would one day come for he wrought this weapon long ago in Valinor.” Maglor unwrapped the cloth and Buffy almost fainted when she saw the weapon. He unsheathed the blade and revealed a beautiful sword, sharp and deadly, and just over five feet long. The hilt was inlaid with rubies, diamonds and silver. On one side of the blade were etched seven stars and on the other side were runes that Buffy recognized. “This is our father’s sword, Nacil.” She looked up at her lover; the blood was rapidly draining from her face.

“Your father’s sword is named ‘Slayer?’” questioned Buffy.

“Indeed. This was the first sword that he made and he wielded it in both battles that we had fought in,” answered Maglor. The Slayer knew that meant that this weapon was used against the Teleri in Alqualondë as well as the Orcs and Balrogs of Beleriand. But that’s not what shocked her. This was the same weapon that Allandro had given to her for her birthday in Rome years ago. There was no doubt about it! The Slayer wondered how in Eru’s name her former lover acquired something that was given to her as a betrothal gift.

“Is something wrong?” asked Maedhros with concern. “You do not look well.”

“Oh,” she replied. “I’m… I’m fine. I don’t think I should accept this. I mean, this is an heirloom of your House. It should be on display somewhere within your Halls or something. I can’t take this.”

“We have all discussed it, Maranwë,” countered Maglor. “We all want you to have it. It would insult us if you choose not keep it for it was meant for you,” he added.

Buffy’s eyes welled with tears. She knew how precious this weapon was to the brothers and she was very honored that they would give her something so dear to them. Maglor placed the blade into her trembling hands. “I’ll treasure it always. Thank you. All of you.” She looked closely at the runes. “What does this say?” she asked pointed to the etchings.

The Slayer never heard his response. At that very moment, she heard the voices of Anno and Mirë calling to her in her mind. They told her that she had to return to Sussrúmnir immediately, but Buffy refused. An argument ensued between her and the children although those in the chamber did not know it. That is, until her offspring materialized within that very chamber, much to the astonishment of all those present.

“Mother, why do you speak so harshly to us, your children?” queried an upset Anno.

“Children?” questioned a shocked Caranthir. The brother’s eyes darted from the Slayer to her children.

“What is going on here?” asked Celegorm.

“Maglor, did you know about this?” inquired Curufin.

“What is going on here?” queried Maedhros. “Maranwë?”

Buffy was disappointed that her secret had been exposed to the brothers much sooner than she had anticipated. She was not yet ready to tell them about her past, but what choice did she have?