A/N: This may be taken as a companion/expanded piece to my other one-shot story, Arda Unmarred. Hopefully, I¡¯ll get enough inspiration to finish this¡­heh. I haven¡¯t been writing for almost half a year. Please forgive my weird style if you spot it.

Important: If you read this piece with weird characters, please right-click, and from encoding, choose Chinese Simplified. My sis messed up my encoding stuff. Grr.

Disclaimer: All Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion characters belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. No intentional copyright infringement is intended through their use.

Dagor Dagorath

Prologue: The Beginning of a New End

¡°¡­Thus spake the Prophecy of Mandos, which he declared in Valmar at the judgment of the Gods, and the rumour of it was whispered among all the Elves of the West: when the world is old and the powers grow weary, then Morgoth shall come back through the Door out of the Timeless Night; and he shall destroy the Sun and the Moon, but Eärendel shall come upon him as a white flame and drive him from the airs. Then shall the last battle be gathered on the fields of Valinor. In that day Tulkas shall strive with Melko, and on his right shall stand Fionwë and on his left T¨²rin Turambar, son of H¨²rin, Conqueror of Fate; and it shall be the black sword of T¨²rin that deals unto Melko his death and final end; and so shall the children of H¨²rin and all Men be avenged.

Thereafter shall the Silmarils be recovered out of sea and earth and air; for Eärendel shall descend and yield up the flame that he hath in keeping. Then Fëanor shall bear the Three and yield them onto Yavanna Pal¨²rien; and she will break them and with their fire rekindle the Two Trees, and a great light shall come forth; and the Mountains of Valinor shall be leveled, so that the light goes out over all the world. In that light the Gods will again grow young, and the Elves awake and all their dead arise, and the purpose of Il¨²vatar be fulfilled concerning them. But of Men in that day the prophecy speaks not, save of T¨²rin only, and him it names among the Gods¡­¡± ~Mandos; The Quenta S19 (Q II), The Shaping of Middle-earth

***

Long had the withdrawing of Valinor from the Central Lands been done, even in the memories of they who had been known as the Ainur, before the world began; and the Valar, by the Elves who had first thought of speech.

The Lords of the Valar are seven: Manwë, Tulkas, Oromë, Aulë, Ulmo, L¨®rien and Mandos. All were equal in stature, but Manwë was held most puissant amongst them, he who knew the most of Il¨²vatar¡¯s thoughts. Yet, only N¨¢mo Mandos, the Doomsman, understood Il¨²vatar¡¯s will, being the Herald of Doom for all matters great and small, yet never proclaiming them save by necessity, or by summons from Manwë.

He is the Doomsman, and the Fëantur, and the Master of the spirits that came ever to his Halls, for which they are ordained to do so, for Mortals and Immortals alike: those who have died¡ªthe Immortals remain there awaiting judgment and finding healing; and the Mortals for a brief rest ere they continued on their way beyond Arda.

The Halls of Mandos is set at the utmost west of Valinor, and it faced the boundaries of the World, impassable save through the Door of Night, which is ever guarded by Eärendil, sailing Vingelot.

Set so near the confines of Arda, where the boundaries were given strength by Il¨²vatar¡¯s will and the wills of the Valar, ever did the veil thicken or thinned at times, allowing brief exchanges between within, and beyond.

Being free of bodily constraints, the spirits residing in Mandos Hall felt more acutely than even the Elves in Valinor the changes in the world, and they whispered restlessly.

***

N¨¢mo Mandos stood at a window, gazing into the darkness beyond Valinor, which had begun even ere it reached the Door of Night. His dark hair and dark eyes revealed few of his thoughts, ever guarded was he against the revealing of prophecies not meant for others, save by Il¨²vatar¡¯s will.

Winds unfelt by anyone else stirred his hair.

Behind him sat Vairë, the Weaver, his spouse even before the forming of the World, and even before Il¨²vatar himself created them, for they were brought forth from His thoughts, and one thought knew and sought out another even before their spirits had formed.

He needed no sight to know what Vairë had weaved, having already felt the shifts of the barrier.

Word had been brought from his brethren Irmo L¨®rien, and he had said: ¡°Dark have my dreams been of late, and even my garden feels the weight.¡±

¡°The darkness grows heavier,¡± Vairë said.

¡°Yes.¡± And Mandos turned, fixing his eyes upon the tapestry in his spouse¡¯s hands. It was white, yet torn in places by black gashes and fainter areas of grey.

Il¨²vatar did not speak.

***

The Atlantic Ocean laid between Europe, and the United States of America. It spanned not as large as the Pacific, but many areas were not traveled upon by people, and many areas remained unexplored.

Few storms accompanied heavy fogs in that area, but in the light of facing such dangers as storms, few people ever gave thought to the fogs.

Ships began appearing out of the fogs and storms: ships with white sails bearing the emblems of swans in flight set upon crafts built in the likeness of great white swans, their prows arching beautifully and gracefully.

Through the storms and fogs, these swan-ships cut gracefully and silent through the waters, slicing through them as a keen blade might part flesh.

Though no eyes saw them, the shipwrights of these crafts cast upon themselves such spells made from Music, and made from Songs, likened to the disguise Finrod Felagund had cast upon Beren and their party to hide from the eyes of the Dark Lord.

And so, in small groups, the Elves made their way to the Central Lands so long unvisited by any Powers or Firstborn, save by Ulmo through the waters, and even those visits were less than what once had been.