Chapter 11
Summary: The fresh air.
Melkor was clinging to his arm, trying to hide behind his brother. Manwë couldn't blame him for his frar - Varda was visibly really angry.
"Order her to stop!" he shireked. "Order her to go away!"
"Melkor, ordering Varda is not the best idea," Manwë felt pity for his brother, he was so scared of his wife. "I warned you - holding us againt our will was unwise." He could just hope there was a way to calm Varda's rage before she could harm Melkor. The laughter was still audiable, echoing in the corridors and halls of Utumno. Luckily the complex of dungeons and caves was not longer shaking.
Melkor groaned. Sulimo was waiting for Varda and Estë approach them - it seemed Melkor had no idea where to run or hide now. Manwë felt really sorry for him - enough to forget about his experiments and all suffering he had caused him. Yet he was afraid the rest wouldn't be so forgiving. Maybe Melkor remained at his side hoping he could help him, shield him from the warath of the Valar?
Someone tapped Manwë's shoulder and he turned around to look at a tall man, beads woven in his blonde beard, his muscular body towering above him. The man was smiling with a wide smile. The next moment Melkor looked at the man as well - and groaned.
After a moment of looking at the twins the man hit Manwë's brother in the face. Melkor cried and moved away as if afraid a next blow would come. And it came - but this time the man aimed at Manwë's face. The Vala gave out a noise of surprise at such a behavior amd mimicked Melkor's gesture of grabbing his face in pain.
"That's for letting him hold you here for so long," the man explained his action.
"Tulkas, you hit Manwë one more time and I will show you what "starstruck" means!" Varda and Estë stopped just a few steps away from them. Both were quite surprised by Tulkas' behavior, startled enough to forget about Melkor for a short moment. The dark Ainu started to slowly move back, hoping no one would notice while talking to his brother.
"Sorry," he chuckled and reached for Melkor to catch him by his arm before he had a chance to sneak away. "I couldn't resist."
"Let go of me, you brute!" cried Melkor, looking at them all, his eyes wide. Manwë gave Tulkas a pleading look, and the other Ainu fixed his grip to hold Melkor less painfully. Yet he was now a captive, Manwë could see that it was too late to save Melkor from this. He had commited a great sin and now it was time to punish him. He knew this day would come, but he desperately wanted to forget about it. Instead of watching Tulkas and Melkor he turned to face Varda and Estë.
The Healer raised her hand and sang a note, brushing her fingertips against Manwë's seal. With a quiet noise it cracked and fell from his head. A gust of fresh wind went through the corridor, pulling at their robes.
"How did you do this?" Melkor asked, looking at Estë in sheer surprise.
"You caught Manwë and then Varda," she replied. "And when your servant sealed her power she was not alone. None of us was alone outside of Valinor after Manwë's disappearance."
"So I went with Nessa to let your servant catch me," Varda added and took Manwë's hand. "I could just wait for others to bring you back to me. I had to join you and help you be free agaim."
Manwë smiled at her softly, but Estë was speaking still. "Nessa saw your servant apporaching Varda and putting a seal on her power. So Aulë created a device to shield one's power from being sealed. When your servant found me alone and put a seal on me it didn't work. I came here to contact Varda and Manwë and free them... And since I had my power I could contact and lead others to this pit."
Melkor was standing in silence. Manwë felt pity for him, his plan failed. It was a bad choice, a great mistake. He walked closer to him, wishing to comfort him, but Melkor took a step back - just to have his shoulder squeezed by Tulkas.
Manwë could feel the difference, he had his power back. Yet he couldn't be happy - not when his brother was looking at them all with fear in his eyes. Not while his pale lips were trembling like this. Yet still a part of him felt joy, the taste of freedom and gladness of seeing his friends again - he just couldn't connect to those feelings right now. He had to went out, feel the wind swirl around him, to realize more deeply he was no longer a hopeless prisoner.
"Estë!" Irmo appeared beside his wife. Manwë recognized his smile - it was one of relief. How much worried he had been for this whole time? Manwë could see how brave his friends were... How cunning and selfless... And yet he couldn't be entirely happy because all they wanted was to catch his brother and undo his doing.
He knew Melkor's deeds were wrong, but seeing him so miserable and defeated was painful.
"Others want you to join them," Irmo said to them all. "Let's go out of this dark dungeon, shall we?"
Varda took Manwë's hand in her long, warm fingers. "Come, my love. It is time for us to go home..."
"...And to destroy this pitiful place," the Elder Queen looked at the huge facade of the fortress, a part of a mountainhill. One could see the damage already done to it - it seemed that a battle was fought here. Manwë looked around, at the faces of his beloved friends. All of them were there, all but Oromë. Melkor was standing between them, but Tulkas was holding his hands and Nessa was standing nearby, ready to put a barrier around him. The land around them - the mountains and high hills of the North, bore signs of a great battle. Manwë ws wondering for how long Melkor's forces was fighting them back. Yet now no one was here to defend the dark Ainu. Many fleed, others were destroyed or defeated.
"Manwë?" asked Namo. "Do you wish to start?"
"Please, no!" Manwë was surprised by the panicked sound of his voice. "No," he added a bit calmer. "It is the dwelling of my brother. I couldn't destroy it."
Varda turned to look at him, worry in her eyes.
"We cannot leave this place," Namo spoke from under his hood. "I am sure you understand it."
"Yes, but still..."
"Proceed," Varda said, her voice cloear in the cold air of the North. "And let Manwë, Tulkas, Nessa and me take Melkor to a prison where he will wait for our judgement."
"I will accompany you," the Judge said. "My power is not to destroy things and Halls of Mandos are ready to keep Melkor within."
Varda looked around and, as everyone else nodded in agreement, led Manwë away from Utumno and the dark past hidden within the earth. Tulkas and the rest followed them. Manwë let Varda lead him, thankful that she took control over everything. He himself had too conflicted thoughts right now. And he was thankful she understood he didn't want to see Melkor's home fall, that he couldn't destroy it because it was his brother's... Even if this place was a lair of darkness, where many sins had been commited. Melkor gave a small whimper as they felt the ground under their feet tremble - Aulë and the other Ainur started theur labor.
Manwë could hear so much in this single, quiet noise! Fear mixed with disbelief, loss and confusion. This one sound pierced Manwë's heart, but he couln't bring himself to look at his brother. He knew what was to come - the judgement. And as the Elder King he was the one to speak the sentence for Melkor's sins and mistakes.
He was the one to punish Melkor. To hurt his twin.
Varda squeezed his fingeers and he lifted his gaze to look into her worried eyes. "You knew this day would happen," she spoke to him in his mind.
"Yes," he replied in the same manner, letting her witness his mixed emotions. She was quiet for a long while.
"If you want to I can judge him," she offered, her voice soft and full of compassion. He shook his head.
"Iluvatar made me his steward, his hand within Arda. It must be me," he spoke. The mere sond of those words broke his heart. He felt as if it was him who was sentenced to suffer a severe punishment.
"True. But you are not alone in this," she replied. Manwë realised how lucky he was, having his wife and friends. And how unlucky and lonely Melkor was - he had many servants, but was there any being he could call a friend or a beloved one? Had he someone to worry about him, risk everythig for him?
He looked back at Melkor, walking between other Valar. He could see how much effort his brother was putting in remainig quiet and carrying his head high. But his shuulders were shaking and his fists were clenched. He was bitting his pale lips.
Manwë couldn't know those weren't signs of fear, but rage.
