I am taking a break from the general narrative with this interlude in the Halls of Mandos.

The time is probably within the first century of the First Age of the Sun. Technically, Finwe is not under the Doom of the Noldor.

21. Interlude in Mandos

Hast thou considered my offer, Finwe Noldoran? The Doomsman of the Valar boomed from high on his throne. This offer will not be made again while the Doom still holds...

Where a lesser elf might have wavered, Finwe did not. I have, my Lord, and my answer remains the same. How could I leave, Doom or not, while my son and grandchildren remain? Finwe bowed and took his leave even as the muted protests of his grandsons reached him.

Should have accepted… Pityo's fea brushed against Finwe. Beside him, Arakano palely nodded his assent. Time in the Halls was marked only by the entry of ever more elven fear, their eternal lives cut short, and the slow healing of its occupants.

Finwe and his grandsons passed but did not enter the hall where Feanaro's fea still blazed. They did notice a score or so fear from the Helcaraxe trying to warm their frozen hands at the flame, not understanding that the cold of the halls could do them no harm. Pityo could not help smiling at the irony of it. Whatever his atto made of the situation, he did not know. The fear would linger there until the Maiar came to usher them away lest they be burnt by the fire that was Feanaro.

The Maiar were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tormented fear pouring into Mandos. Elflings were always a priority – confused, in pain and often sundered from their parents. These were carefully taken aside and put into the care of the Maiar in a special hall to sleep and heal until they could be returned to their parents' care in Valinor. Occasionally, the young inhabitants would wander out into the common halls in search of their parents and need to be shepherded back. Those whose parents were also in Mandos were allowed to visit them. Many of these had fallen prey to madness or the cold of the Helcaraxe. Finwe had begged for the Doom to be lifted from these elflings that they might return to Aman. Surely the fault lay not with them? There was little sense re-embodying elflings if there were no parents ready to care for them, Lord Namo explained.

There were special halls for elves deranged by their suffering, elves perished from grief, and elves who had been enslaved by the Black Foe in his fortress. These last elves were the subject of much speculation as some were said to predate the Great Journey. Arakano had sneaked a peek into that ward once and claimed some of those within resembled the foul creatures he had encountered in Beleriand. He had fled screaming into his grandfather's arms.

They passed the sprawling caverns and courts where the fear of the Avari, Nandor, and Sindar lingered waiting to be re-embodied. The halls of Mandos were vast and endless. There were the occasional fights between Noldor kinslayer and Teleri slain which needed to be broken up. For a time, the Noldor were shut away from the Teleri but it was not feasible. The Teleri needed to make their peace with those who had slain them before they could return to Aman.

Finally Finwe and his grandsons came to a vaulted hall where Elenwe hovered and gazed thoughtfully at a tapestry. Elenwe slept often despite having long been healed. When awake, she would seek out the latest of Vaire's tapestries, hoping to find a glimpse of her husband and daughter.

Pityo glanced at a tapestry depicting a traditional Vanyarin wedding, recognizing Ingwion in it as the groom. He had caught fleeting glimpses of his brothers and cousins in his grandmother's handiwork before, yet his sister eluded him.

He was restless. The cold walls did not suit him one bit. He yearned for the open wilds of Aman and reassuring presence of his twin. It was disturbing having the bond he had known since conception sundered. He wondered if Ambarussa felt just as lonely. Cousin Arakano was a poor substitute. They were never close in life.

Found her! Arakano called out in triumph. Pityo immediately hastened over. Sure it's not your sister? The tapestry showed a small elfling, astride a large horse, before the gates of Tirion.

Definitely not. Irisse's horse is not that colour…

It could have been yesterday or hundreds of years ago. Pityo grumbled with frustration. They could ask news of the fear who stumbled in from Beleriand but no one had died or faded in Aman for quite a while. They had learnt of Elwe's people and the dwarves who were created by Lord Aule. The dwarves did not come to Mandos, for none had seen a dwarven fea.

She'll be all grown-up before we know it. There was a twinge of both pride and regret in Finwe's words as he joined them.

Finwe had always taken an interest in the raising of his children and grandchildren, as far as his duties as Noldoran would allow him. Of course, his pride and joy was his eldest. His marriage to Indis had opened up a rift between father and son which was never fully bridged afterwards. Like most Vanyarin nissi, Indis believed having elflings would fix all domestic discord but each additional sibling only pushed them further apart. He delighted in his children by Indis – clever Findis, the ever-smiling Irime, little Arafinwe who took after his amme and Nolofinwe who was so like his atto.

It had hurt when Feanaro moved out of the palace to set up his own little household across town. Indis had argued that it was best for all. She had long tired of his dark moods and their effect on her brood. Findis would shy away from company, Irime smiled less and Ara was so unsure of himself… With Nerdanel, Feanaro almost returned to the happy son he once was, that was before the quarrel with Nolo happened. Finwe could not understand how it could have happened – Nolo adored his big brother and would never seek to replace him and Feanaro had been more at ease at the forge than at court.

When had that dark influence first touched his children? Perhaps his remarriage had been the root of his son's pain. He had followed Feanaro and his family into Exile, hoping to heal his pain. However, it did not work out as he had hoped.

His thoughts now drifted to his many grandchildren. Ara's brood spent much of their childhood at Olwe's court, the eldest, Findarato, was almost of age when the family finally returned to Tirion. Nolo's wife had raised her brood within the palace but their grandfather was often too busy to play with them. He might have dandled little Findekano and Turukano on his knee. He recalled Anaire chiding Irisse for wearing her skirts too short. The youngest was a regular warrior but lacked the good sense which came with maturity and experience. This foolhardy valour proved to be Arakano's undoing.

In Formenos, Finwe had gotten to know the wilder of the Feanarions - Tyelkormo and the twins, for whom the courtly protocols were a torment. The twins were young by Eldar standards when Feanaro was first exiled. Nerdanel had followed for their sake but when they were old enough, she returned to Tirion and her craft. Indis might deem that irresponsible.

Maitimo wrote letters to his favourite cousin Finno. Makalaure kept up a correspondence with his wife in Alqualonde. Carnistir made constant journeys to Tirion to visit his wife but the strain was too much. Perhaps they had drifted apart during that time. Curufinwe and his wife tried for a child to no avail. Curufinwe had wed young and expected to father children quickly, just like his atto. He was disappointed when his wife's belly refused to swell with new life. Formenos was too cold and desolate for children in Finwe's opinion. Somehow the twins thrived- they reminded him of the early elves, half-wild and almost fey, but not as fey as their atar.

It had always been his sons and their sons who drew his attention. Findis and Irime were never really trained to lead. Indis insisted they master their needlework and other domestic skills to one day manage their own household. Findis had no inclination for marriage or children. There were such elves among the Eldar. Irime disappointed with her choice of husband. It might have been some consolation to her parents had she been happy. Alas, the cracks soon appeared and not even little Laurefindil's birth could bring his parents back together. Both mother and son soon returned to Finwe's house. Nolo always doted on his little sister and granted them a place under his roof.

Of the granddaughters he knew, Irisse had inherited the famed Finwion spirit the strongest. Had she been male, she would have been a warrior like Finno. She could match her brothers and cousins in both horsemanship and archery, even outshine them. Artanis' unusual beauty made her proud. She was the pampered baby of her family. There was a light of something deeper in her eyes. The gift of foresight was said to run strong in the Falmari lines. She was prone to episodes of daydreaming and odd remarks which would later prove true.

Mornel Feanariel. Finwe knew nothing of this last child of his favourite child. She'd be slower, less robust than her cousins and brothers without the Light and without the strength of her parents to draw upon.

Author's Notes:

Where do the orcs come from? One version suggests that they were descended from Elves captured and twisted by Morgoth – they have pointy ears in the Jackson movies. Which also begs the question if their souls are elven and could be healed for rebirth in Aman. Other versions suggest they were created from the mixing of beasts, men, and fell spirits.

The dwarves are there in the Halls, only the Elves don't get to see them as the halls they end up in are separate.

The idea of the fear using Feanor as a fire is amusing to me.