For all the role that the Silmarills play in the history of Arda; very little is said about what will become of them in the future. It is said that at some point they will be removed from the Air, Earth, and Sea but that exactly how or why that happens is never explained. So here is my take on what may come to pass as far as the Silmarills are concerned - just a thought experiment I had rattling around in my head. Enjoy!

In the end, so it was, that Maglor having been persuaded returned once more to Aman.

Though he was still under the ban of the Ñoldor by a fate more powerful than the will of the Valar he came safely to the hither shore and was there taken into the custody of the Teleri; who returned him to the safe-keeping of the Valar in Valmar.

Before Taniquetil, within the Ring of Doom the Powers assembled a court to determine the fate of not only Maglor but those of the house of Finwë who were Oathtakers and who afterwards had journeyed to Middle Earth in pursuit of the Silmarilli.

Yet; before Manwë would allow judgement to be passed he implored Maglor to speak on his own behalf and on the behalf of his kin who - being consigned to the halls of Vé - could not be present.

And Maglor spoke thus:

"Eight there were who swore the Oath. There now remains only one among the living, for as we have said and as we have sworn we have pursued those who keep from us the Silmarills unto the ends of the earth or the ends of our lives - whichever be the shorter. And as well those assembled know we have called upon the Powers of Arda as well as the Greater Power beyond; even Ilúvater himself to hold us to this Oath and that failing to fulfil it we be cast into the eternal dark.

Yet; from the very start our cause was in vain - for have not the very powers we have sworn by to uphold the oath done all in their power to prevent it's fulfilment? For it is not beyond the powers to retrieve the Silmarils from where they now lie. And there is less to fear for them - for the Great Enemy has been cast from our midst and shut behind the Doors of Night. Still we Oathtakers did not ask for aid of any save each other; and had the Valar remained without moving their hand we would have felt less ill will toward them.

Yet the Valar HAVE moved their hand and in doing so have through either accident or intent made the completion of this oath impossible and have thus condemned those who took it to the eternal dark by their interference. This I would say then, that before you may pass judgment on those who swore the oath you must first convince us that you are indeed impartial and just Powers of the world - for we have as of yet little faith in your evenness or your benevolence yet only your anger and distance."

And Maglor continued:

"For we Oathtakers do not forget that it is you Valar who said we might leave, yet also you Valar who moved to stop us. We do not forget that it is you who failed to keep the great evil contained, yet you who abandoned us to that evil to fight it alone and without aid after allowing it to bring sorrow upon us. For we still do not believe you interfered out of obligation or mercy, but because Ilúvater himself ordained it and moved your inertia to action. And we Oathtakers hold you accountable for both your actions and inactions that have done wrong to us and for that reason our faith in you is little.

"Know then this: that though regret of what I have done lay heavy on my heart I do not ask the Valar for their forgiveness or their mercy for I sense that little they have ever had of these things for the Children of Ilúvater though they claim to love us much. Yet I am one of the children of Ilúvater - descended from those born of His thought alone. I would ask the council of Ilúvater then as to how to lay to rest the Oath once and for all - whether he is willing to declare the Oath void for the interference of the Powers by which it was sworn."

And many of the Eldar who had remained in Aman were incensed by his words, not least of all the Teleri and Sindar who had suffered greatly on account of the deeds of the Ñoldor. Still many of the Noldor who had returned felt the resonance of his words and were in agreement with him. Yet at last Manwë called for order. And taking long council with the thought of Ilúvater he fell silent.

When Ilúvaters thought was declared, it was this:

"For so have you sworn so must you fulfil. Had you sworn by the Valar alone the Oath would be negated for the Valar themselves have made it an impossible feat; one by whom an Oath - however terrible - is sworn is obliged to neither help nor hinder in it's fulfilment. For the actions of the Valar in this case would have condemned My Children to an unjust fate - and this is contrary to My will."

And at this the Valar themselves were abashed, for though they had not meant harm, harm to the Children of Ilúvater had yet come of their actions.

"Yet an Oath was sworn and one sworn by Ilúvater cannot be broken. Yet much in the world that cannot be broken can still be bent. If any are willing to whom an Oath may be transferred - if the Oathtakers all as one shall agree to it - then a transfer of an Oath may be allowed as compensation for the interference of the Valar."

Much discourse there was then in Aman and in the halls of Mandos it echoed most loudly; for Fëanor was still stubborn at heart and would suffer none but Ñoldor and his kin at that to possess even one Silmaril. Yet in the end even he had grown weary of the Halls of Abiding and longed to return to his fathers house. And more than that even he had grown to fear that he and his sons would be banished to the everlasting dark. So to a transfer he agreed - yet on this condition; that the one chosen be a living descendant of the house of Finwë - so that at least in spirit the Oath may be fulfilled.

Now, because of the Oath and the actions taken on it's behalf there were few that remained - for Finwë had not yet come back to his kin and two of his sons and their sons as well were in Mandos. Even still, the terms were given back to the Valar who added yet one more of their own: that the bearer could not be among the Exiles, those who had first left Aman of their own free will. For Námo deemed ill fortune alone would come from it.

Of the house of Finwë now only there remained: Finarfin who had never left Aman and was now High King of the Ñoldor following the return of the exiles. And with Finarfin was his daughter Galadriel and Finrod Felagund. Yet Angrod and Aegnor had not yet returned from Mandos and Galadriel and Finrod had followed the Noldor into exile in Middle Earth. And Finarfin would not swear any oath by or for the Silmarils, least of all at the behest of Fëanor.

But Eärendil there was still; yet he was still bitter at heart for the losses he had suffered at Sirion and the Kinslaying there - and also for the sake of Elwing his wife who had endured both the Kinslaying at Sirion and of her home in Doriath; and both refused any part of the bargain of the Oathtakers.

Yet between them they had a son who was called Elrond the Half-elven; Lord of Rivendell before his journey to Aman. And he was married to Celebrian - daughter of Galadriel and grandaughter of Finarfin. And Celebrian first was asked; yet she declined. For while in Middle Earth she had suffered greatly and even in Aman she felt she had not the strength for such a task.

Long debate once again fell. It was a suggestion from an unlikely source that led to the appointment of a Warder of the Silmarils. After speaking among the elves in Aman and hearing their tales and learning of their long history; and upon thinking a long time in quiet to himself, a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins came forth.

"I have only met Lord Elrond once before this voyage." Frodo spoke before the Aratar in the Ring of Doom. "Yet I trusted the truth he spoke, and his foresight he revealed and made a perilous journey for the sake of all Middle Earth to destroy the One Ring in Mt. Doom. I would not have taken the ring if I did not feel I could put my faith in his guidance. I have heard now here in Aman that he bore a ring of power himself; though I did not know that then. And that he fought against Sauron for many ages before I was born. It does not surprise me to learn he is descended from Kings - for he is very noble, so much as a Hobbit can tell in any case. But what I want to say is this; I do not have any great gift of forethought...but I do believe that if you entrust the Silmarils to Elrond that he will not fail you and will keep them safe from harm."

And Manwe said: "Are there any other would would bear witness to this claim as true?

And Galadriel, Lady of Light answered. "I will. For many long centuries Elrond ever fought the forces of the Dark One and has remained steadfast to the cause of Good. And though he bore a ring of power, in like to myself he also remained uncorrupted by it. His heart has ever remained good despite his ordeals and in him I would trust this task - perhaps him alone in all of Aman."

At Frodos plea and Galadriels reed the Valar were moved and would accept his appointment. Yet dissent, much like his recommendation, came from an unlikely source. For the stipulation was that ALL the takers of the Oath agree, and Fëanor was willing - with Elrond being descended from Finwë through his father Eärendil, son of Idril the daughter of Turgon. And Turgon who was the son of Fingolfin - son of Finwë and brother of Fëanor.

"Though it be bitter that the Warder of the Silmarils come from Fingolfin's line," Fëanor was heard to say. "At the least he is kin and not a stranger from the wild! For what that's worth."

So the dissent came not from Fëanor: it came from his sons Maglor and Maedhros - both of whom were loathe to see Elrond swear any oath to the Silmarils even if it meant facing the everlasting dark themselves. For in their short custody of Elrond and his brother Elros they had grown fond of the twins and would not see them harmed; for they were as younger brothers to them. In the end the two agreed, but only if they themselves were allowed to review the new oath before it was spoken and that all would agree that it be subject in part to their approval.

Thus it was decided among the Eldar and Ainur of Valinor to ask Elrond if he might take up the mantle of Keeper of the Silmarils. And so Elrond Half-elven took his oath before the Valar and the seat of Manwë. And the Valar he invoked and Ilúvater himself, yet not the everlasting dark. And this is what he swore in that hour.

"With all my strength, power and will I so swear to protect and ward the Silmarilli against all evil things that would possess or harm them. Yet I swear to protect them in mercy and benevolence, seeking always peace among the Children of Ilúvater but war against the legions of the dark. And I swear to use the light of the Silmarilli as a beacon of hope to all free peoples - that they may know light in dark times when all other lights fade. But I swear also that no malicious or evil thing will I do in the name of my Oath against my kin or those under the protection of the Valar. I swear to use it's holy light to mend what has been marred until such time as the Silmarils come to their doomed end. And when that doom comes I swear also to surrender them to their fate without quarrel."

And thus Elrond became the Warder of the Silmarils. Námo spoke then;

"And I foresee that this oath will be upheld and that with it's utterance a great blow has been struck against the enemy." Though he would not say how this would come to be.

And Manwë took council with the mind of Ilúvater and spoke:

"So have you sworn, so must you uphold. And the Oath of Fëanor - terrible as it is - is considered now fulfilled and negated and those who swore are no longer bound by it. Yet for their actions it will be long ere they return to life."

For a time there was anxiety in Aman over this issue, for now that Elrond had taken charge of the Silmarilli they had been gathered from their long homes and brought once again to the Blessed Lands. There they indeed became a beacon for all to see. And Aülë with great joy built for them a tower of ivory white and polished gold and set upon it a bed of crystals that magnified the brilliance of the three so that they lit all the land with their shimmering radiance - for long had Valinor been dark since the Changing of the World; for the land of Aman had been removed and set apart from Middle Earth where the light of the Sun and Moon reigned and as such had grown into a land of peaceful twilight.

So a system was devised that the Silmarilli be covered for twelve hours, and uncovered for twelve - and thus the day would be counted.

And Elrond's estate was at the foot of the tower in a great rift and was a vision like to Imladrís - though in Aman it was without blemish, or stain, or blight but all was new and bright. It was there that Bilbo remained the rest of his long days, and Frodo and Sam thereafter until the ending of theirs in the great Valley.

Many elves who had lived in Lindon, Eregion, and Rivendell came to dwell in Elronds lands so that he was allotted a House to himself.

For as was said; he was descended from Kings and their kin. A crest for him and his house were made upon which were the three silmarilli together; yet framed with two wings on a field of blue - and the shape of the wings were in like to those seen on Elwë's charge - for descended from Elwë through Elwing Elrond was. Yet the wings were of white in memory of his mothers flight while bearing a jewel around her neck. And outside the edges were bordered in silver stars in honor of his name. And his sons Elladan and Elrohir when they at last crossed the sea following the passing of Arwen and Elessar were welcomed and given their homes within their fathers domain.

Thus the appointment of Elrond as Warden of the Silmarils was complete. And this as it turns out would be of immense importance in the final war against Melkor, and yet another great change in the history of Arda that came from a most unlikely source - a hobbit.