Chapter 1 The Boredom of Manwë
Manwë was bored. As he sat upon Taniquetil, looking out across Arda, he realized that his fulfillment was at its greatest. How dull it is, he thought, to have a job that can never be complete and yet be as near to completion as possible.
The last big threat, Sauron, had been banished and Middle Earth seemed to be in a state of healing and reconstruction. Manwë considered this to be the peak because while not all was healed, everyone had a job, a goal, a purpose. Everyone had something to purify or rebuild and they all knew the times to come would only get better. That was when lives were lived to their fullest.
He sighed, glancing over at his lovely wife, Varda. He could see the almost joyful sadness in her beautiful eyes as well. A thought graced his mind and he rose suddenly, quickly mentioning he had to be somewhere and ignoring her expression of surprise and alarm. As he exited the halls of Oiolossë, he made his way to the Houses of the Dead.
"Hello Vairë," Manwë said. She was hanging another tapestry of time across the right wall. "Is Námo in?"
"Hmph," she replied, "Of course he's in. And moping around, too. He must be pondering some plight of the past or future. Sometimes I really think he should be put to better work." She turned and went back to hanging the tapestry. "You'll find him just down the hall there. He made the lighting darker and lit some candles to emphasize his brooding mood. Oy!"
Manwë made his way down the hall which ended in a shadowy nook that was eerily lit. He could scarcely make out his colleague's outline.
"Manwë! What a surprise! Would you like a drink? I think I've had a bit too much myself. Must be what uprooted this mood," he said, emerging from the shadows and looking rather grim. "Or perhaps it was the mood that brought about the drinking! Goodness gracious, I can't quite remember…"
Manwë coughed. "It's only hours after dawn. Should you be drinking? And besides, I didn't know worldly things could affect us," he said, his brow gathering.
"Eh, who cares? And trust me, if it's good enough, it'll have an effect. This is some good stuff. I ought to give you some."
Manwë rolled his eyes and laughed. "Always for the effect, Námo, always. But I sure could use some. Varda is about as stiff as a board these days. She's trying to hold on to the regality of the position, but I say screw it. No one's there to watch anyways. She needs to loosen up and stop being so anal about the details. We all need to live a little."
"You know what? You're absolutely right," Námo said, throwing his glass of wine on the floor as the lights suddenly popped back on and the candles blew out by themselves. "And try telling that to Vairë. I'd swear she was an old human woman with her complaining and nagging. Always nagging."
Just then a wail could be heard through the walls. It was long and sounded like someone was about to die. Vairë came jogging to the end of the hall and slammed her fist a few times on the left wall.
"Hey! Shut up in there, you hear me?! You're already dead. Don't think your griping will change anything!" She turned around and smiled at Manwë apologetically. "It comes with the real estate I'm afraid. Which I'm also afraid came with this loon," she said, jerking her thumb towards the Doomsman. Then, she scuttled off in the direction she came to complete her task.
"Anyways," Manwë said, "I came to ask you something."
"Yeah, what?" he said, still gazing after his wife and shaking his head.
"Middle Earth is settling down and this place is just as boring as it has ever been. What do you say to a little fun? You know, stir things up a bit."
Mandos looked at Manwë and a smirk crossed his lips. "You know what? That sounds absolutely fabulous."
Next chapter: Mandos and Manwë gather other Valar and Valier to "stir things up" and what does Manwë have in mind to end the boredom? Will Mandos say "fabulous" again? Oh, please, no!
Manwë was bored. As he sat upon Taniquetil, looking out across Arda, he realized that his fulfillment was at its greatest. How dull it is, he thought, to have a job that can never be complete and yet be as near to completion as possible.
The last big threat, Sauron, had been banished and Middle Earth seemed to be in a state of healing and reconstruction. Manwë considered this to be the peak because while not all was healed, everyone had a job, a goal, a purpose. Everyone had something to purify or rebuild and they all knew the times to come would only get better. That was when lives were lived to their fullest.
He sighed, glancing over at his lovely wife, Varda. He could see the almost joyful sadness in her beautiful eyes as well. A thought graced his mind and he rose suddenly, quickly mentioning he had to be somewhere and ignoring her expression of surprise and alarm. As he exited the halls of Oiolossë, he made his way to the Houses of the Dead.
"Hello Vairë," Manwë said. She was hanging another tapestry of time across the right wall. "Is Námo in?"
"Hmph," she replied, "Of course he's in. And moping around, too. He must be pondering some plight of the past or future. Sometimes I really think he should be put to better work." She turned and went back to hanging the tapestry. "You'll find him just down the hall there. He made the lighting darker and lit some candles to emphasize his brooding mood. Oy!"
Manwë made his way down the hall which ended in a shadowy nook that was eerily lit. He could scarcely make out his colleague's outline.
"Manwë! What a surprise! Would you like a drink? I think I've had a bit too much myself. Must be what uprooted this mood," he said, emerging from the shadows and looking rather grim. "Or perhaps it was the mood that brought about the drinking! Goodness gracious, I can't quite remember…"
Manwë coughed. "It's only hours after dawn. Should you be drinking? And besides, I didn't know worldly things could affect us," he said, his brow gathering.
"Eh, who cares? And trust me, if it's good enough, it'll have an effect. This is some good stuff. I ought to give you some."
Manwë rolled his eyes and laughed. "Always for the effect, Námo, always. But I sure could use some. Varda is about as stiff as a board these days. She's trying to hold on to the regality of the position, but I say screw it. No one's there to watch anyways. She needs to loosen up and stop being so anal about the details. We all need to live a little."
"You know what? You're absolutely right," Námo said, throwing his glass of wine on the floor as the lights suddenly popped back on and the candles blew out by themselves. "And try telling that to Vairë. I'd swear she was an old human woman with her complaining and nagging. Always nagging."
Just then a wail could be heard through the walls. It was long and sounded like someone was about to die. Vairë came jogging to the end of the hall and slammed her fist a few times on the left wall.
"Hey! Shut up in there, you hear me?! You're already dead. Don't think your griping will change anything!" She turned around and smiled at Manwë apologetically. "It comes with the real estate I'm afraid. Which I'm also afraid came with this loon," she said, jerking her thumb towards the Doomsman. Then, she scuttled off in the direction she came to complete her task.
"Anyways," Manwë said, "I came to ask you something."
"Yeah, what?" he said, still gazing after his wife and shaking his head.
"Middle Earth is settling down and this place is just as boring as it has ever been. What do you say to a little fun? You know, stir things up a bit."
Mandos looked at Manwë and a smirk crossed his lips. "You know what? That sounds absolutely fabulous."
Next chapter: Mandos and Manwë gather other Valar and Valier to "stir things up" and what does Manwë have in mind to end the boredom? Will Mandos say "fabulous" again? Oh, please, no!