Disclaimer/Author's Note: My sincerest apologies for the great delay in publishing this! All I can say is life has me in its cruel grips! Of course, anything recognizable is Tolkien's. I have referenced two sites here, Council of Elrond, and LOTR Wikia. Many thanks to my great beta Crackers for her patience with me! Without further ado, I present chapter ten to you! Reviews greatly appreciated!

The End's Beginning

"So, on to Lord Irmo's gardens of Lórien you venture now?" Mandos said.

The Telerin couple nodded their heads simultaneously. The three Valar, seated on their thrones, smiled down upon the Elves, pleased that they were about to embark on the rest of their journey.

"Does it not feel better now that all of you have aired your secrets? Nolwi, you were afraid Arqueno would reject you for having a lofty dream that you could not uphold. Arqueno feared you would desert him for his own reservations about your past. And Lainanu was frightened you would reject him once you knew he was our emissary," Nienna stated. "Healing cannot begin until the true reality of matters is accepted, and I think that this crucial first step has been taken."

"I am relieved that I am no longer an actor in a play, that my true work is known. It was so difficult keeping up the ruse of groundskeeper," Lainanu said.

Nolwi began to chuckle. Arqueno looked at her, puzzled.

"Why the sudden mirth?" he queried.

"All my time with the Noldor, I should have learned that secrets deeply buried for some time erupt viciously in the end. The Noldor are a very passionate people, as quick-tempered as they are merry. When they finally make their thoughts known, no one is spared. Suppressed secrets are akin to an inactive volcano, smoldering for many centuries, until one day all the circumstances are perfect—and it explodes into a rain of molten lava and ashes. Should anyone be in the path of this anger, Eru have mercy! For anger that is latent for a lengthy period scorches as much as molten lava. I now know that this unhealthy attribute is true of any person," she said. "The relief of having my secrets exposed is priceless and very welcome!"

Arqueno felt himself tense for a moment when he heard his wife refer to the Noldor, yet as his eyes met the gaze of Nienna, he relaxed.

"It is wonderful to have spoken of everything we buried," Arqueno affirmed. "Though I suppose it is to be expected that the healing process will take time."

Nienna nodded.

"It is a common misconception that any problems that suddenly materialize have arrived without incident. However, nothing occurs overnight. Even Eru did not create the World that quickly! What you must remember now is that just as time gave your secrets their darkness, time will help you unravel your issues," she advised.

"It may seem that to turn away and ignore the situation is the easier and saner choice, but it is not," Lainanu said. "I have gone down that path against my better judgment and every day I rue my decision. Your greatest test of strength and faith is in how you reclaim your ground after you have fallen—walking away from your tragedies does not achieve that. Your life is based on how you rise into the light after you have descended into darkness."

The Valar were silent. Only Vairë's rapidly weaving fingers made any sound.

"I shall be honest with you," Mandos said, looking at his wife for agreement. "When we first received word of your calamities, my wife and I did not think that you would be able to endure all your secrets. It was Nienna who believed that your rift could be mended. She has pitied your cause in such a manner I feared it would change her. When you appeared in my court a fortnight ago, I was quite skeptical. However, you have both truly proven yourselves more resilient than I thought."

Nolwi and Arqueno stared at each other at the mention of their stay being a fortnight. They had not felt the time pass by so quickly! It seemed to them that merely several days had gone by, not a fortnight! Had it truly been that long?

Vairë smiled softly at the bewildered couple. "Time here flows differently than in other areas of the World. Those who arrive in the Halls come to be judged, and my Lord does not give out his judgments lightly. He prefers to take counsel with himself before he sentences souls. So it was with your arrival as well—we had to ensure adequate time had passed before your sentence was given. Though you came not as traditional souls that have perished, but on behalf of someone you assumed had perished, the same tenets applied."

Lainanu moved from behind the Telerin couple to a spot facing them. Mandos and Vairë flanked him on either side. When he spoke, his eyes and voice were soft.

"The most important lesson to remember," he said, "is that of time. Each of you have come into your marriage with different emotional burdens that you did not resolve together, until now. Rather, you each nurtured your own secrets within yourselves, brooding, feeding your wounds and prejudices silently. Likewise, your healing will take an equal amount of time, if not longer. You must learn anew to trust completely and to forgive one another. You will begin your marriage afresh, if you are sincere about staying together, when you rebuild one another."

Arqueno took Nolwi's right hand, pressing his lips against her skin softly. He then sank onto his knees, all the while still holding onto her hand. His gray eyes met hers as he looked up from his position on the marble floor.

"Nolwi, I know how important it is to you to discover the remainder of Vanimë's tale. I promise that I will accompany you to the gardens of Lórien where you may uncover the truth. Then, I hope we may stay there some time to cleanse ourselves of the darkness that we both allowed to engulf us. This matter is as important to me as Vanimë's tale," Arqueno said passionately.

Nolwi smiled down at her husband, nodding fervently as grateful tears flowed freely down her face. She responded in kind, saying: "I promise to be wholly open and honest with you, and to hold dear what you value."

"Your time here in my halls has come to its closure," Mandos said solemnly, and from his manner and tone the Telerin couple realized that they had received their judgment. "Though there was much doubt about the strength of your bond before, it is now clear to me that if you stay true to each other and remember all that you have learned here, then your marriage can be salvaged.

"Your path will not be easy, however. There will be times when temptation to return to your previous habits will overcome you, but should you succumb to your old ways you will fail as husband and wife. You shall journey on now to Lórien, where the remainder of Vanimë's life account awaits you. Lainanu shall lead you there. May you travel swiftly and with lighter minds."

When Mandos finished, he brought his staff down onto the dais beside his throne, and the Elves felt a sudden chill pass through them. Lainanu, who remained standing in front of his companions on the opposite side of the fountain, turned and bowed deeply to the three Valar. The Telerin couple quickly sank into bows of their own.

"I shall prepare the horses," Lainanu said, rising to his feet. "Be ready within the hour."

Arqueno and Nolwi nodded. Nolwi then excused herself and hurried up the winding staircase and into their chambers to pack their belongings. She did not notice Nienna, who followed her silently.

"You imagined the life of a Teler to be dull. Long have you dreamed of your own adventure, such as those the Elves of Middle-earth speak of when they arrive here, yet your story has turned out to be equally compelling!" Nienna said, startling Nolwi.

"My Lady! Pray forgive my insolence for not noticing your presence!" the Elf exclaimed.

Nienna laughed, dismissing Nolwi's words with a wave of her hand.

"I followed you to counsel you. Long have you thought of yourself as not being courageous, as being a simple and helpless woman. You need to realize that you are far from what you imagine yourself to be. Indeed, you are very strong. You tried to follow your dream when you married Morifinwë. You left the security and comfort of your people for what you desired.

"Then you had the strength to seek sanctuary when you were troubled, returning to your own people in the face of ridicule. You married again, something seldom heard of within the elven culture. And now, in the face of much pain and resentment, you have summoned yourself to repair the bond between you and your husband. You have been strong and independent, Nolwi, from the beginning, though you may not have realized it. What do you think has carried you through all these centuries if not your own resolve?" the Vala said.

Nolwi stopped what she was doing , pausing in the midst of folding a pair of Arqueno's blue leggings. She turned slowly to face the Vala before her.

"Do you really believe that I have those qualities within me?" she whispered.

"I would not be here if what I just said was untrue," Nienna replied. "You will need to marshal your courage in the coming days. I do not fear that you will stray, only that you will be faced with circumstances that you cannot change. Recall that for every action taken, every deed left undone, there is always a price."

With those words, Nienna vanished as suddenly as she had appeared beside Nolwi. The Teler was reminded of a night long ago, when she had uttered a prayer up into the black night sky. She had uttered this prayer countless times over, but this time a voice from the heavens responded, warning her to reconsider her plea, that, as Nienna had just stated, everything always has a price. In her haste then, she thought only of herself—and since had rued her fateful prayer. The Vala's words recalled that prayer now, and her heart sank.

"Nolwi, you can no longer hide and cower from your past. You knew that this day would arrive. You must face the consequences of your actions," she said to herself.

"Know that this time, Nolwi, you will not be alone," came Nienna's voice into her mind. "You have a loving husband who will stand by you, providing you comfort. And you will be in a safe haven, Lórien, where you both can find the solace and support needed to heal. I have faith in you; this time you will prevail, not fail as before."

A short time later, Nolwi joined her husband and Lainanu in the courtyard of Mandos. The wind was blowing fiercely again, and she shivered as she adjusted her fur-lined cloak. The two men were adjusting the satchels onto the horses, and a few sentinel Maiar hovered in the background. Just as Nolwi's steed was being led to her, the great doors of Mandos' Halls opened, and three figures emerged. The three Elves immediately sank into bows, their glances cast downwards.

Námo's soft voice came across the wind to them:

"Rise, all."

The Elves straightened their postures.

"We came to wish you farewell. We are all very pleased with the growth you have made in the fortnight you spent in my halls," the Vala continued. "Of course, we will be monitoring your progress…Until we meet again…Namárië…"

"Namárië…" the Elves responded simultaneously as they mounted their horses.

With a final glance and wave at the gathered Valar, the three rode out of the courtyard. The formidable gates closed behind them as silently as when they first arrived. The Valar remained in the courtyard, watching their retreat.

"Never has there been a family so intriguing as the Fëanorians. From the start, they have pushed the boundaries of Eru's laws; even after death, their effect lingers still. I suspect that this will not be the end of their entire story," Nienna said.

Vairë looked at her spouse with a knowing smile, answering Nienna, "Only Time will tell."

"Indeed, this is but one of many chapters in the grand Fëanorian tale," Námo said.

The descent down the misty, rocky path seemed to be much shorter than the ascension a fortnight ago. Though their minds were far from idle, not a single word passed the lips of any of the Elves until they had reached flat ground. Lainanu broke the silence first.

"Our journey to Lórien will take a month," he told Arqueno and Nolwi. "Though the journey has been long and tiring for all, we must endure but a little longer until the end approaches."

Arqueno directed his steed to stand directly aside of Lainanu.

"We both," Arqueno said, indicating himself and his wife, "cannot thank you enough for everything you have endured. I am unable to fathom the difficulty you faced in keeping your true charge hidden. What I cannot understand is why you agreed to undertake this task of aiding us. What was it in particular that drew you to us?"

Lainanu turned his face slowly onto Arqueno. "Your troubles reminded me of mine. We both face challenges with our children—though for you personally hîr nín Arqueno the children are híril nín Nolwi's rather than yours. Despite this fact, I felt a personal connection with you," he said. "I knew that you needed someone who had a traumatic experience greater than or equal to you, who was able to overcome the fear involved."

"I cannot thank you enough for all the trouble we put you through. Had you not come to us, Arqueno and I would have fallen into a deeper ravine than we were in initially," Nolwi said, drawing up her steed on the other side of Lainanu.

"Once you are finished with your business in Lórien, I would like for you to meet my wife. My intuition tells me that this time she will meet with me, and we will finally settle our differences," Lainanu replied, eyes shining with tears.

"We would be honored, Lainanu," Nolwi and Arqueno said together. "To Lórien!"

The three Elves arrived to the Gardens of Lórien about a month later. Evening was approaching when they came upon the Vala Irmo's dwelling. In contrast to the dark hues of Mandos, green and silver colored the realm of Estë and Irmo. The smell of cedar and pine trees mingled with the aromas of flowers. Glowworms emitted lights as if passing secretly coded messages to one another. Pools and lakes glittered silver in the dying light. Soft, eerie singing rose up to greet the travellers, and they found themselves pulling their horses to a stop.

"It is beautiful…" Nolwi breathed.

"I can see why it is a place of healing. Simply looking at it from this vantage point makes my soul feel much lighter," Arqueno said.

Lainanu smiled. "The Valar themselves come here for rejuvenation. Every weary soul who comes to Lórien finds exactly what they need to heal. You have to want to heal, to put the effort in. Heniach nin? To truly heal, you must first embrace your pain."

This last sentence lingered in Nolwi's mind. She felt the Laiquendu's amber eyes upon her, as if piercing right through her. A sudden shiver went down her spine, and she found herself whispering a question whose answer she greatly feared, "Vanimë is never returning, is she?"

"I do not know that answer, but I can take you to someone who does," Lainanu replied. "Are you ready?"

Arqueno reached for Nolwi's hand and squeezed it in a reassuring manner. He then nodded to Lainanu, saying, "We are ready."

Lainanu pointed down the lane in which they had stopped short. Two figures stood at the very end. He bowed his head slightly, and the Telerin couple understood that this part of the journey was for them alone. Their horses started walking again.

The couple could hear whispered voices carried softly on the evening breeze. With each step the horses took towards the figures, Nolwi felt her anxiety return slightly. She knew that her life would never be the same from this point on, but that if she turned and fled she would never have this opportunity again.

"Relax…" came a voice into her mind. "You have tortured yourself for so long. Rest, child, and seek the knowledge for which you have travelled so far."

That voice, it was not altogether unfamiliar to Nolwi. It was a voice from eons before, almost from another lifetime. She felt her anxiety increase tenfold, and her breathing quickened. Nolwi was afraid of meeting that voice, of looking into the face of the person it belonged to. The effect of this situation was too much on Nolwi's nerves. The world darkened before her eyes as she cried out.

"Open your eyes…" came the voice, louder this time.

Nolwi opened her eyes as directed, surprised to find herself laying on a bench. Next to her stood a tall lady with red hair and a ruddy complexion. Her tresses were carelessly tied back from her face, although rebellious strands fell before her eyes. Her clothes were covered with a white powder.

Nolwi gasped in recognition. "Herinya Nerdanel!"

Nerdanel smiled. "Ah, so you do remember me! I was beginning to wonder if you were angry with me, given that you and Caranthir parted on bad terms."

"I never even thought of you…not that I do not like you!" Nolwi stuttered, ashamed she had forgotten about her former mother-in-law. "How did I even get here?"

"You lost consciousness when you saw me." Nerdanel smiled. "Arqueno carried you here. You will join him soon, but I wanted to talk with you first, as I have not seen you in eons, my dear."

While Nerdanel spoke, Nolwi was looking around, admiring the sculptures and statues adorning the segment of the garden they were in.

"I come here to sculpt. I find that my work brings peace and comfort to the poor souls that need healing. In turn, it gives me much satisfaction," Nerdanel said.

Nolwi did not know what to say, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Nerdanel continued working, humming softly under her breath. Finally, she said, "I will not deny that my heart was greatly saddened when you no longer spoke to me."

"I did not intentionally cut off communication with you. After Alqualondë, I was so withdrawn I fled to the security of my parents' home. I never once thought to check on you! There I was, pitying myself the loss of my husband and daughters—my daughters' loss being my own fault—when you lost more than I did! I cannot forgive myself for being so selfish! Forgive me, please!" Nolwi said, wringing her hands in shame.

"Nolwi, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I understand your situation completely. I feel nothing but love towards you. You are like a daughter to me. I could never be angry with you. You do not have to explain yourself to me," the older woman said.

"But you did not leave your husband and children out of weakness and shame like I did. You did not curse them. You truly loved Fëanor and your sons. When you wedded Fëanor, you were prepared. I merely lusted after an unattainable dream, and when the time came for me to be strong, I fled without looking back!" Nolwi cried. "So yes, I do have to explain myself. I am a selfish, evil person!"

"The important thing now is that you realize your errors and accept the consequences of what you have done. I hold no ill will towards you, my child. I have always loved you as my own. I wish you happiness, as I always have," Nerdanel said.

Again Nolwi did not respond immediately, instead pretending to survey the area around her again while her mind drove on with many thoughts. Nerdanel was so compassionate and loving! Nolwi remembered how all her visits to the red-haired lady's house were full of warmth. Nerdanel truly loved her sons and her husband. She was devoted entirely to Fëanor during their life together, and though he in the end became harsh, he worshipped the earth that his wife trod.

"Did you truly love Fëanor?" Nolwi asked suddenly, coming out of her reverie.

Nerdanel did not instantly reply. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Fëanor bears my love to the End of Time and the World. His spirit was very strong. Where others saw stubbornness in him, I saw passion. There will never be another like him, and I will never sever my union with him, even though it is considered broken by our laws," she said. "Always is it sung of the love of Beren and Lúthien of Middle-earth, but my love for Fëanor is deeper. Ours is the truest and purest love in all of Arda."

Nolwi hung her head. "You are fortunate," she said.

"A love such as ours is something you must earn, something you must attain. It is not simple fortune," Nerdanel responded. "You have that chance now with Arqueno, if you treasure him for what he is, for how he treats you. Remember that, my dear. Few things in life come spontaneously. You earn what you put into any relationship. Remember that."

"Truly you earned your title 'the Wise'. I promise to call upon you and that I shall remain estranged from you no longer," Nolwi said, embracing her mother-in-law tightly.

"Go now, my dear. Your questions about your daughter Vanimë await you. Namárië."

Nolwi heard her name being called again on the wind and followed it through many small gardens. Dusk had settled now, and the glowworms were shining brightly. Nightingales called to one another, hiding in the trees. The eerie singing started again.

Ahead of her, she saw a small circle of willows in the midst of a pool. As she approached, Nolwi saw a crystal bridge leading to the trees, which were located on a small isle. In the middle of the trees was a silver basin. Beside it stood a tall, silver-haired lady clad in white. She held a pitcher in her hands. Arqueno stood beside her.

"Welcome, Nolwi. We were waiting for you. I am Celebrían, daughter of Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel, whom you know as Artanis. I was born in Middle-earth, and came here after suffering much torment. I aid those who come to the Gardens of Lórien seeking healing. But for you, I offer much more," the lady said, pouring the contents of the pitcher into her basin.

"You are Artanis' daughter? You mirror her beauty. Is she here with you?" Nolwi queried as she moved beside her husband. Nolwi suddenly realized how long it had been since she last saw Artanis, a distant kinswoman, and she longed to see her.

"She remains in Middle-earth with my father, my husband, and my children. I have not seen them for many centuries, though my heart longs to be with them once more…" said the Lady of Rivendell. "But do not trouble yourself concerning me. You came for Vanimë. You came for your daughter Vanimë, and you are being allowed to see the events of her life with your own eyes. Please, be seated by this basin."

Arqueno and Nolwi noticed a bench just behind them, so they seated themselves upon it.

From this position, they could peer directly down into the basin. Satisfied that they were comfortable, Celebrían closed her eyes and lifted her hands over the basin, uttering words under her breath that the Telerin couple could not understand. The water began to stir, and images appeared on the surface. Celebrían opened her eyes, smiling at the seated couple.

"I believe Vanimë's journal ended with her demise in Aran Thranduil's court in Mirkwood after fighting Dol Guldur's invasion. Here is the continuation…"

With that, Celebrían vanished from the enclosure, leaving Arqueno and Nolwi alone. As before when reading Vanimë's journal, the couple felt themselves being pulled into the visions in the basin. The Gardens faded and once more they found themselves staring at Vanimë's motionless body, Thranduil weeping over her.