She, sorry they, will be back

Eleanor's POV

After that life settled down.

I am not sure Oropher approved of who Thanduil's wife was, but he wisely did not comment. She remained living in our little palace anyway.

It was nice having her around actually, not anything like those stereotypical mothers-in-law.

I quickly grew very fond of her and so did everyone else.

One time, when the others where off somewhere (I don't bother keeping track of what my family is off doing this time), we had an interesting private conversation. This was a few weeks after her return.

"Miriel always seems a little reserved around me, do you know why?" she asked me.

"I am not sure, but first when I was in Mirkwood, then later when Miriel was reconciled with Thanduil, after running off with us when we escaped, I discovered that Thanduil and Legolas had never talked with her about your passing and she had got this idea from what little she did know that she was responsible for your death. When your husband found out this out, he was absolutely devastated. I know; it was my shoulder he cried on.

That was when they were first reconciling with each other. I think he managed to semi-convince her that she was not responsible, but I think that, whatever she told him, she still thinks that she was responsible in a little part of her mind and she cannot quite shake off the notion it was her fault somehow, no matter what anyone tells her."

Myrwen looks almost as disturbed as Thanduil had when he first found out.

I think she may have had a private talk about that at some point shortly after that.

Miriel certainly looked a bit happier.

About a millennium later something quite disturbing happens.

Lanthi and my son started 'walking out' together.

They make a cute couple, but it is still quite disturbing.

Actually, only Ginny and I find it so as we are used to the human way of working out these things, the fact that Lanthi was an adult when Valaráto was born doesn't bother the elves as a few centuries age difference is relatively small in immortals.

I discover that by elfin standards the sum total of the time I spent in romance with Legolas before we engaged (not counting the 90 years or so when we were running round the wilderness) was what the elves consider to be a whirlwind romance.

Lanthi and Valaráto take nearly a century of courting to actually getting round to popping the question.

Thankfully, they have a fairly short engagement and get married fairly quickly.

By now I am getting this strong impression that elves stay in their chambers for about a week after their wedding every time.

I ask about this and apparently it is the way elves are programmed, as every time we sleep together we are bound slightly closer and the first week or so of the bond forming is very important to the ultimate formation of our bond.

In other words, the more 'exercise' we get in that first week, the stronger that emotional bond formed between the couple.

Well that explains why Legolas and I are so close.

Thankfully my daughter keeps her head clear through all this romance stuff.

Another thing I notice is that all of those given new cats begin to acquire magic like ours.

The more that happens the more I think things are beginning to stink rather.

No matter how much I ask our esteemed resident deities they always evade answering me.

That in itself speaks louder than words.

The question is what the hell are they up to?

A long while after the marriage of Lanthi and Valaráto (I have stopped counting time here), we start getting clues.

Irmo asks Ginny and I to tutor the Blessed Ones (as Ginny calls the ones who are owned by the giant cats) in our world.

The Valar are kind (!) enough to provide us with text books and show us how to make anything we need to make them understand what we are trying to explain to them.

When we give them history lessons and lessons on the culture we grew up in, I have the great amusement of seeing the shocked, disturbed, and absolutely horrified (and variations on those themes) expressions that flit across my father's face as he begins to grasp what the world he sent me to be brought up in was actually like.

Actually, we manage to disturb everyone with those lessons.

The looks on everyone's, but particularly Erestor's, faces when we give them a rather more detailed rundown of the Classical Civilisations, their culture, religion, myths and anything else you could ever want to know about Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the lands around those civilisations are amusing to say the least.

I don't think they were ready for the concepts of incest, rape, and goodness knows what else that is the norm in Classical Mythology. Not to mention the generally unelfin nature of those societies.

I think it was the nature of ancient brothels that traumatised them the most though.

Hell that traumatised me a bit too and I am used to this stuff.

Once we had fully immersed them in our culture, science, and things we learnt at school then the Valar introduced them to our world weapons.

I know I amazed everyone including Ginny with, not only how good I am with a rifle, but that I can shoot a plastic tea spoon at 100 yards (around 100 metres, a little less I think) even though I haven't held a rifle since I was about 15.

One of those days we have finished lessons, training, and whatever, we are sitting down talking to some of the Valar when Aulë brings up a question which makes me really suspicious about what they are up to.

"How would all of your names deal in this world?" Why would that matter I want to ask.

"Most of the elfin names would be noticed, but would be considered just foreign or something, few people would comment though a few might assume the names come from a certain language. The only names that couldn't be used are Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas, Erestor, Gil-galad, and Turgon. Those could not be used as they are mentioned in books by Tolkien. Legolas is the only name which would be really well known, but the others, particularly the names of the Twins and Erestor, are highly likely to be known by the huge fan audience for Tolkien the world wide and Gil-galad is quite well known too. Turgon is the least like to be noticed actually." I explain.

"Why would my name be least well known?" Ada asks, I think he is slightly offended.

"Because your name is only really mentioned in The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, and The Unfinished Tales, Ada. It is generally accepted that the sign of a true fanatic of Tolkien is that they managed to read the whole of the Silmarillion without once being tempted to throw this whole Tolkien thing in and give up while the Unfinished Tales is a book made up of taking the little bits from all of Tolkien's other works and putting them together to make a vaguely readable story. Your one other showing is right at the beginning of the Children of Hurin and that is only a fairly passing reference in the introductory section that lays down the whole background for the story. I have to admit that I never got much past that point, but never mind."

"You never got past that point?" Manwë asks.

"I was never that much of a fanatic, if I wanted to know something I would go on the Council of Elrond website and look it up in the encyclopaedia. It was easier and less boring. Either that or go on Thain's Book, which was another useful website."

"There was a website called Council of Elrond?" Elladan buts in.

"Yes, but out of the desire to preserve your and everyone you know's pride don't go in the humour section, particularly the captions competition. One of the joys of not being mentioned in the book is that I never get the piss taken out of me like that."

This conversation goes on like that, degenerating as it does.

I have this unfortunate inkling of what the Valar want us to do though...

Uh-oh.

Ginny's POV

Thanduil was a very lucky elf when Myrwen agreed to bind with him – she absolutely delightful.

I warm to her immediately when we're introduced.

I can see why Adindel also tried to court her.

Adindel...

You know, this is the first time I've thought about him since I came to Valinor – maybe it's seeing what the first elleth he fancied looked like.

Not that I'm comparing myself in any way to her – I spent the vast majority of my life in Middle Earth believing Adindel hated me to my very core (and hating him for it), only to find out that the opposite was in fact true.

It wasn't the best circumstances to find out in, not to mention being highly embarrassing when I think about the way that Adindel saw me for the first time.

Admittedly, he did seem to warm to me whenever I visited him and Thanduil in Mirkwood during the years after Ellie sailed, but I always believed I would die, so I never really paid any attention.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why I didn't want to visit Mirkwood as we travelled to the Grey Havens – I knew what me being turned into an elf could entail and I don't think I was ready for that.

But now?

I do find the vastly increased possibility of Adindel and I getting together quite disturbing actually, but strangely not half as disturbing as the thought of my sister getting together with Ellie's son.

Only Ellie shares my feelings on this subject – she after all was brought up in the same world as me and it's a little disturbing to say the least when I think that Lanthi was an adult when Vala was born.

Not that I suppose I can talk seeing as I was midwife to the birth of my own father-in-law.

Thankfully, the whole romance of the situation (I really am a sap for these things) takes over and I begin to enjoy the prospect.

I also enjoy giving Lanthi sisterly advice as well as trying to bring Ada round to the idea.

I find it quite amusing to observe all the comings and goings from a more objective viewpoint rather than being at the actual centre of events.

I never really appreciated quite how protective Ada is – many's the time I have to distract him whilst Lanthi sneaks off for a little time alone with Vala. And this happens a lot, not only because Lanthi and Vala are in the passionate throws of a new relationship, but also because it takes almost 100 years for it to go any further.

Not very long when you live for eternity I know, but you try keeping an overly-protective elf-lord content for that amount of time.

But, anyway, they get finally get married and settle down together and life in Valinor continues...

Ellie and I are starting to be able to piece together exactly why some of the Valar act so strange around us sometimes – especially when we ask questions.

We have been asked to tutor everyone who received one of our cats' babies in the history and culture of our world.

Once we dispense with all boring stuff like that, Ellie and I take great pleasure in going into exquisite detail as to the everyday life of the Classical World. While Ellie concentrates on the more domestic side, I make everyone slightly queasy when I describe the varying diseases and ailments that afflict our world.

I think what disturbs them most is the almost ecstatic and dream-like state I describe them in, especially the diseases loitering at the more gross end of the spectrum – bubonic plague and dysentery to name but two.

After theory comes all the practical stuff – modern weapons training for one.

I've hardly ever seen guns and stuff in real life, let alone learn to use them.

I'm a bit daunted really.

But elfin grace comes up trumps again – I manage to hit the target nearly every time. I still think I prefer the old weapons though – there seems to be something classy in swinging an elfin long-sword about.

I begin figure out exactly why the Valar are putting us through such rigorous tutoring, etc when Aulë brings up the subject of reception of elfin names.

I think about everything whilst Ellie tries to pacify her father on the subject of his only vague recollection in the minds of Tolkien fans: virgin births followed by kittens given to specific elves, the sudden desire for said elves to be tutored in the ways of my old world. These two I could possibly overlook if it weren't for the fact that said elves again are given training in gun use, not to mention the Valar's very telling silence whenever questions are asked as well as Manwë's little hints.

With all these thoughts in my head, I suddenly pipe up,

"Why are you suddenly so interested in the way people will respond to elfin names, Aulë? It's almost as if you're preparing everyone for a life in our old world."...