23

Chapter Text

The next night.

"So, Jon, did you have a bad night?" Asked Robar making fun of Jon's situation after Lord Ulmo left, all the ladies began to pepper him with questions about Middle Earth and about what he spoke to Manwë in his dreams, and although Jon had already told them everything he knew, they did not stop asking him questions about the King of the Valar.

He spent most of the night answering questions and only managed to sleep for a few hours before being awakened by Loras and Robar at sunrise so he could practice and continue loading supplies onto the ship.

"I don't know. Why not answer their questions while I sleep?" Jon asked, growling, to which Robar just shrugged.

"It is not just me who has the interest of the King of the Valar. Clearly, Princess Rhaenys and her grandmother now see you as someone valuable so rejoice now they do not want to kill you." Robar said.

Jon was going to respond when they heard Loras' complaining about loading the ship by himself.

All the ladies of House Targaryen were relaxing in the hot water spring except for Lady Ashara and Shiera Seastar, who were making a small breakfast while also deciding to prepare everything for the journey to middle-earth after the great sea god finished his tale.

Knowing that caused Jon amusement because after hearing the story of the beginning of the world and the evil of Melkor, all misgivings and grievances about the journey seemed to have vanished or at least very well hidden. 

"They may have accepted their situation, but they still don't trust me; I hope that after tonight that starts to change," Jon thought.

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Next night…

Everyone was waiting patiently for Lord Ulmo to return, eager to hear the conclusion to his tale, and this time Arianne was by Jon's side just like Robar and Loras, while Queen Rhaella was in front of her daughter and granddaughter and Ashara Dayne and Shiera Seastar were a bit apart from everyone.

"Why us, Jon? Why the ... Valar?" they called us to this... Middle Earth". Arianne asked, looking at the ocean.

"I don't know, Ari, I don't know… Did you ever think that your life would turn out like this?" Jon said, looking at the ocean when he felt Arianne's intertwine their hands, and Jon turned to see his love smiling at him in amusement.

"Falling in love with a bastard and giving up my birthright to go to a new world while hearing the tale of creation from an ancient Sea god? no." Arianne said with some amusement.

Jon just smiled.

"It's rather exciting", And he kissed her with all the passion he could muster.

Their kiss was observed by the rest of the ladies who had diverse reactions; Queen Rhaella observed them interested since she could not understand how a Princess like Arianne could have left everything behind, including her inheritance to follow Jon Snow on his journey, there was something in that young man that Rhaella was attracted to, when he told her that she and her family were obliged to accompany him on his journey for a few moments she considered letting Rhaenys kill him and return to Myr but instantly something inside her felt Disgusted and alarmed to even consider hurting him, she couldn't explain why she felt that way about that young mercenary from the North. Is it because he reminds her of her son Rhaegar? Rhaella did not know, but she kept thinking about it as she watched them and seeing them kiss with such passion stirred a great deal of resentment in her as she remembered her own story with Bonifer, Bonifer, it was so long since she thought about her old love it seemed a lifetime ago but she had wondered how her life would have turned out had she not married Aerys.

"I hope you are suffering wherever you are, Father; because of you and Aerys, I lost far too much." Rhaella thought with satisfaction

Princess Rhaenys, on the other hand, was upset with the scene, her cousin Arianne in love and turned into the lover of a bastard; she could accept that they were lovers because she knew that in Dornish culture, it is typical for both men and women to have lovers before and after the marriage. So that Rhaenys could accept it even if she had never had a lover since her mentor Jon Connington was careful. 

She knew that when they landed in Westeros, a marriage alliance would be necessary; Rhaenys always knew that either she would end up marrying Willas Tyrell, the heir of Highgarden or her cousin Quentyn it was an essential measure to secure the iron throne as the golden company couldn't conquer a continent, which was hilarious if you thought about it, all plans for her were ruined, so it seems that her years of resentment and jealously over Aegon's destiny were for nothing. Still, Rhaenys could reluctantly understand why Arianne was drawn to the bastard. He is undoubtedly attractive but is that enough to fall in love? No, not at all; maybe Jon Snow has his uses

For Ashara Dayne and Shiera Seastar, the image only brought back memories of melancholy; when Ashara saw Jon Snow for the first time, she felt as if she was at Harrenhal waltzing with the quiet wolf, if only their love had lasted. After the dance, she had been attacked by a drunk Brandon Stark, Ned's older brother the wolf proceeded to abuse her for the remainder of the night; the memory of that day still haunted her, but that was nothing compared to the outrage of the next day when the idiot He came to sense and realized what he had done, he began to weep and beg for forgiveness, he said that he did not know what he had done that he had drunk too much. Still, Ashara is from Dorne, and she learned that being drunk does not change a person only brings his true self to the surface. Ashara understood that Brandon Stark was just stupid, foolhardy, arrogant, pathetic young Lord; the only thing he had going for him was his appearance, charisma, and talent with a sword but little else; at that time, it was said that he was engaged to Catelyn Tully from House Tully. Still, that girl would have to be very foolish if she thought her fiancé was a good match or that she would be happy with him. She told him to leave lest she summons the guards, and the cowardly wolf fled without hesitation. 

Ashara remembers that at that moment, She felt genuine pity for the northern realm, then a weeks later, she discovered that she was pregnant, which dashed her hopes of happiness. Though the child in her womb was not to blame for having come into the world. Although Ashara loved her even though she had not been born yet, she decided to return home where she had to tell her father about her pregnancy; Ashara will never forget that night, the night her father agreed to marry her to her rapist just to enhance the prestige of House Dayne, Ashara had always known that her father was very ambitious. Still, she never imagined to that extent, But it seemed the gods had a sense of justice as Brandon's temper ultimately led to his and his father's death when the Mad King executed them both because Brandon had threatened his son.

Rhaegar had kidnapped Lyanna Stark and started a war that brought an end to three hundred years of Targaryen rule; upon learning of the horrendous and brutal deaths of Brandon and his father, she could not help but be horrified by the madness and cruelty of the King, after a year of war her daughter was born dead causing her terrible pain that however was only the beginning of her misfortune, the Ashara's older brother, Ser Arthur Dayne the Sword of Morning and the pride of his house, had died at the hands of her beloved Ned. Still, shock and horror gave way to disappointment when Ned explained the reason for Arthur's death. Rhaegar had left him, Lord Commander Gerold Hightower, and Oswell Whent in the Tower of Joy guarding Lyanna Stark, even though the war ended and Eddard was Lyanna's brother and wished to take her home, alas, the guard refused and inciting the death of three good men.

Her stubborn and fanatically loyal brother ended up wasting his life in a stupid and unnecessary fight for "loyalty" to Rhaegar. How many times had Ashara told her brother that he should leave the Kingsguard? Not to waste his life and his talent putting them In the service of a mad and cruel King, Ashara like everyone else could not wait for Rhaegar to be crowned King, but after the war that he and his father ended up causing in which Elia and presumably his children died ... She felt nothing but hatred towards the last dragon for his sheer stupidity, but that was not the worst of it ... Ashara asked Ned if it was true that he had married his brother's bride, Catelyn Tully, to which he replied yes, that's when she couldn't resist it anymore, she had lost her honor, her daughter, her brother Arthur and now she lost her love, Ashara tearfully rushed towards Ned and begged him to take her with him to Winterfell did not mind becoming His lover because many Lords had lovers but the honorable Eddard Stark replied that he could not because he was not going to further dishonor his wife, so after a bitter farewell he handed over Arthur's sword and left leaving her heartbroken, that same night Ashara made an extreme decision:

In a moment of madness, she jumped from one of her balconies to end her life when suddenly her fall began to lessen. She heard a gentle voice on the wind, telling her that it was not yet time for her to leave this world, that she would meet two people in the East. The latter would help her find true happiness. After that, Ashara fell asleep on a rock on the shore. When she woke up, she thought it was all a dream and did not know whether to believe it was something else. Still, when she discovered that everyone believed her dead, she decided to take advantage of it to live a life free from the intrigues of Westeros and her ambitious father, so she decided to go looking for those people in the East, in Essos without knowing if the voice was real or a delusion in her moment of madness.

The first months in Essos were lonely and challenging. Still, she ended up arriving in Qarth, where after an incident with the sorcerers of the House of the Eternals and some merchants from Asshai, she ended up finding Shiera Seastar, who was supposed to have lived more than a century, imprisoned in the House of the Undying, after helping her escape from those witches they fled to Pentos as Shiera knew that they would look for her in Lys. They decided to stay together and travel the world; their relationship finally changed after years of travelling. Soon they became lovers; at first, it was strange because Ashara was not used to a woman's touch, but soon she began to enjoy those encounters with Shiera, and in a short time, she felt how the emptiness inside her heart faded. If that voice spoke truly, Ashara still had to find someone else to feel complete. She hoped to find him on this journey.

For Shiera Seastar, observing the love and passion between Jon and Arianne reminded her of her almost forgotten youth, when she was the most beautiful and desired woman in the seven Kingdoms; she never married because she considered marriage a mockery, but she had many lovers, and numerous Duels fought to obtain her favour what a stupid and vain young woman she was it had been a little over a century. However, She still remembered him, her beloved Bryden.

She knew that he loved her and how it amused her to make him jealous Until he was sentenced to the Wall and separated from her forever, Shiera was not in Westeros when the incident with Aenys Blackfyre occurred but was in Lys, the land of her mother and returned four months after Brynden was exiled to the Wall, she went North as fast as her carriage could take her but to her surprise, Brynden always refused to receive her day after day she wanted desperately to see her brother. still, he declined, until after three days of begging, Brynden had agreed to meet her; he had changed a lot in those months he was paler and far grimmer, and her attempts to console and seduce him were met with hostility as Bryden sneered at her saying she was finally free of him and could be the slattern she always confessed to being.

After Bryden's fierce rebuttal, she decided to leave Westeros because she had already lost the only person she would have stayed for, the only one who always loved her unconditionally not for her beauty but for her personage, the only one who was still there for her now he was gone.

She remained in Lys in her mother's old house for some years lamenting her separation from Brynden, as the years went by she realized that she did not seem to age, there were already many rumors in which she supposedly bathed in blood to maintain her beauty and although at first that caused her amusement, now she was intrigued, she decided to investigate the history of her mother's family and ended up discovering the stories about her great-grandfather in which it was stated that she came from the West from an island called Númenor in which the Inhabitants enjoyed almost complete happiness and free from all danger in addition to enjoying a life up five times" that of normal men, intrigued by the story of her great-grandfather, Shiera tried to investigate more but unfortunately the story did not explain much, saved that Númenor was a gift from the "Powers" to the men who aided them in wars against someone they called "The Dark Enemy", which for Shiera was confusing her great-grandfather's diary also described the island as immensely beautiful and exuberant and it was near a place called "The Middle Earth" about which her great-grandfather had left no more information, all this was beginning to make sense, his great-grandfather was branded as crazy from her stories but she herself was verifying that this was not true, she was almost 60 years old and still had the appearance of a young woman of at least twenty name days, so from that moment Shiera focused her efforts on seeking the island of Númenor to gaze upon the island of her kindred.

For this, she began to get maps of the world, but none included The Middle Earth or Númenor, so she began to delve into the Arcane Arts, some too dark but none brought her closer to Númenor and what is worse, her continuous efforts attracted the attention of the inhabitants. Of Lys, who branded her a sorceress and to get rid of her, they called the witches of Qarth who were intrigued by the power she possessed. Although she gave a good fight, in the end, she was captured and taken to the House of the Eternals where she was imprisoned for many years, being subjected to cruel treatment and experiments by those witches who wanted the secret of her youth; fortunately, the abuse of magic left those men without carnal desires, so they did force themselves upon her.

It had been so many years that Shiera had lost hope of being free when she was taken by Qarth, a prized trophy for those damned sorcerers; along the way, she met Ashara, who took pity on her and helped her escape after fleeing the city and evaluating her options Shiera realized that she had nothing left and could no longer return to Lys since it would be the first place where they would look for her, so she decided to accompany Ashara on her trip and see the world, after all, she had a lot of free time, and in one year her relationship with Ashara changed from best friends to lovers, she had not taken a lover since Brynden rejected her, but it had been decades. So although Shiera would treasure the memory of Brynden forever since it was largely her memory that allowed her to endure captivity, she knew it was time to move on.

But thinking about him was still painful, so seeing that kiss between Jon Snow and Arianne Martell brought back the memory of Brynden and with him all her previous life; she knew of Dornish women's reputation, so she hoped Arianne wasn't as silly as she.

For Daenerys, the image confused her; Jon Snow was everything she had expected from a knight, he was courteous, gallant, skilled with the sword and kind ... He was everything she had read that a true knight should be and also he and his Friends saved her from marrying Khal Drogo and yet she had not thanked them directly, in fact, she had not even spoken with them when Princess Arianne told her that their destiny was to accompany Jon to Middle Earth, she had been surprised And scared, she had never heard of that place, Viserys never told her about it, so why now she has to go there with Jon Snow and Arianne Martell? What is there? She had dreamed of a knight with a white wolf and red eyes by her side, and she had no doubt that it was Jon Snow, this gallant knight would save her from a life of misery and bring her happiness but seeing Jon with Arianne, Daenerys began to feel an irritation emerging from her chest, and she began to wish that Jon would leave Arianne and come with her, that thought surprised her.

... What else can I do if he was loved by another? ...

Daenerys Targaryen was jealous of Arianne Martell, which was incredible and amusing, considering that she had not even had a conversation with the object of her affection.

... I must talk to him ....I've waited far too long for this happiness ...

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Jon and Arianne were so close that they hardly noticed that the sea had started to glow again and form a whirlpool.

"Jon, look..." Robar said, pointing to the ocean.

"Now it begins ..." Said Jon

At that moment, the majestic and enormous figure of Ulmo appeared from the sea, and his appearance was the same as they remembered it; this time, the Lord of the Waters approached the travellers of Westeros, and they were not scared.

"Greetings, I hope you have rested; I have come to finish my story so that you can leave."

"As I told you before, Fëanor captured the Light of the Two Trees to make the three Silmarils, when they were destroyed by Melkor and Ungoliant, we quickly realized that with the Two Trees had perished, their Light survived only in the Silmarils so in order to restore the Trees and thwart Melkor's malice, Yavanna asked Fëanor to renounce the Silmarils so that they could break apart and the Light within them would break free and revive them. But Fëanor stated emphatically that he would not give up his Silmarils of his own free will and proclaimed that if the Valar were to force him to do so, we would be no better than Melkor, so the Trees remained dead. "

Ulmo's explanation filled everyone with indignation at Fëanor's enormous selfishness.

"So, he allowed their beauty to be extinguished?" Queen Rhaella asked, annoyed.

"Yes, however, ultimately, Fëanor's selfishness made little difference, as a messenger from Formenos arrived to break the news of King Finwë's death and the theft of the Silmarils."

Hearing that, everyone felt a surge of satisfaction as they tried to imagine Fëanor's frustration.

"At that moment, Fëanor stricken by grief for the murder of his father and the theft of his creations called Melkor" Morgoth, "which means Black Enemy of the World, and from that moment onward none would address him by his true name," Ulmo said.

"Morgoth…" Jon said in a solemn voice.

"The rest, you already know, with the death of Finwë, Fëanor became king and instigated a revolt against us."

"Yes, he came to Aman where the seafaring Teleri lived and demanded the use of their ships. When Teleri refused to give or lend their vessels, Fëanor ordered the Noldor to take the ships. The Teleri resisted, and a battle broke out, in which many of the Teleri were slain "

"While the hosts led by the brothers of Fëanor, Fingolfin and Finarfin were forced to travel the Helkaraxë an ice road, an extremely fragile passage between the Middle Earth and Aman in that journey many Noldor died, but the worst was yet to come"

"Worst?" Princess Rhaenys asked.

"We could not forgive or let the Alqualondë massacre go unpunished, so Namo was in charge of punishing them," Ulmo said with pity.

"Namo?" Jon asked, intrigued.

"He is one of the Valar, he is our Judge, although he assumes that work only by order of Manwë, he is in charged with the judgement of the elven dead, his residence is the Rooms of Command, an immense and underground fortress that it is impossible to escape without his permission. Therefore it also acts as a prison. It is precisely there where Morgoth remained in chains for three ages; the fortress is so feared by both the Ainur and the Elves that no one dares to approach it, such as the fame that most people call him Mandos after his home even though that is not his real name."

"Sounds rather harsh," said Queen Rhaella intrigued.

"It is the punishment of the Noldor is the proof ... While they began to sail on an islet, Mandos appeared and one and said the prophecy that would condemn the Noldor."

"A prophecy?" Shiera asked, intrigued.

"A" curse "is a better term; it was called the Doom of the Noldor or the Curse of Mandos. In it, they were warned that if they continued their violence against their kindred, they would not recover the Silmarils and, furthermore, that they would suffer great pain and tragedy in their fights against Morgoth so that either they returned to Aman to face the judgment of Manwë or suffer a catastrophic defeat. After this, Ulmo raised his trident, and a voice was heard in the minds of the Westeros travels; it was powerful like Manwë and Ulmo, but there was no kindness in it; it was cold, stern, and forceful:

 Tears unnumbered ye shall shed, and the Valar will fence Valinor against you and shut you out so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Fëanor, the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them, it shall be laid also. Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. The Dispossessed shall they be forever.

Ye have spilt the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Aman. For blood, ye shall render blood, and beyond Aman ye shall dwell in death's shadow. For though Eru appointed to you to die not in Eä, and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos. There long shall ye abide and yearn for your bodies and find little pity though all whom ye have slain should entreat for you. And those that endure in Middle-earth and come not to Mandos shall grow weary of the world as with a great burden and shall wane, and become as shadows of regret before the younger race that cometh after. The Valar have spoken.

When they returned to reality, they were all disturbed to hear what the Curse of Mandos was and Jon and Arianne looked worried as if they had been there.

"Before this, some of the Noldor who did not participate in the slaughter repented and returned to Valinor to be judged, among whom was Finarfin who was forgiven and became the new High King of the Noldor of the few who remained in Aman, but Fingolfin and his sons, as well as the sons of Finarfin, decided to continue in the case of the latter because more than anything they were united by a great friendship with the former, but Fëanor and his sons affirmed that even then despite the curse the Noldor would achieve feats in Middle-earth worthy of being sung forever," Ulmo told them.

Hearing that last part, both Daenerys and Ashara gasped in sadness and horror.

"Did they carry on despite being cursed with defeat?" Loras asked in amazement.

"Unfortunately, the pride of Fëanor brought much pain to his people in the following centuries during the battles against Morgoth. However, Fëanor himself met his death shortly after this curse was cast, and his spirit is still imprisoned in the Rooms of Command. where it will be until the world ending." Ulmo said solemnly.

The knowledge of Fëanor's destiny filled everyone with surprise and shock as they tried to imagine such punishment, an eternity of captivity ... Sometimes, death is really the kindest destiny.

"However, we Valar faced a greater problem at that time ... With the destruction of the Two Trees, the world was once again dark and cold and despite the efforts of Yavanna and other Valier the trees could not be healed without However Telperion produced the last silver flower and Laurelin a last fiery golden fruit ... Aulë created a container for each one and Varda consecrated them to be placed respectively in the safekeeping of Tilion and Arien, two of the most powerful Maiar, those containers became the Moon and Sun, "Ulmo said gravely.

Knowing that great truth, they all turned their gaze to the sky and observed the pale and bright full moon, knowing that it was the container of the last that remained of the white tree of Valinor shocked them as Jon regained his composure, he realized that they were leaving something vital aside.

"What happened to Morgoth?" Curious wonder what Ulmo sighed before letting out a slight laugh, and the sea stirred.

"They returned to Middle-earth with Morgoth hoping to escape and leave his promise to feed Ungoliant unfulfilled. However, Ungoliant saw his plan and stopped him before reaching his destination. She demanded that he hand over the treasure of Formenos to satisfy her hunger as he had promised, and Morgoth reluctantly gave her the lesser treasures he had stolen, and the spider took on a monstrous and enormous form so horrible that Morgoth was filled with dread, but still, he did not give him the Silmarils that he had hidden in his right hand. With his refusal to surrender the Silmarils, Ungoliant attacked Morgoth, weaving a dark web around him. Morgoth screamed so loud in pain and anguish he woke up his most deadly servants, The Balrogs. " Ulmo said grimly.

"Balrogs?" Jon asked curiously.

"Renegade Ainur, who decided to serve Morgoth, were corrupted to such an extent that they became demons of fire and shadows wishing to burn the world around them ... But they were not his main servants; that infamous position belonged to another Maia. Traitor, his name is ... Sauron," Ulmo said with repudiation in his voice.

"Sauron?" Princess Rhaenys asked.

"Long before the world began, Sauron's name was originally Mairon. At that time, he was the most potent Maia in the service of Aulë, and he learned much from Aulë in the ways of the forge and goldsmithing, becoming a great craftsman and builder of the students of Aulë. In fact, he was among the most powerful Maiar, if not the most powerful of all.

"During this time, Mairon was as Ilúvatar had created him: good, pure, and uncorrupted. His greatest virtue was his love for order and perfection, his dislike for any disorder. However, this would also turn out to be the cause of his downfall, for Mairon saw in Morgoth the will and power that would help him achieve his own goals and desires faster than if he pursued them alone. However, while Morgoth wanted to control Arda, Marion desired to dominate its inhabitants' minds and wills." Ulmo said with some sadness

After swearing allegiance to Morgoth, Mairon maintained his appearance of being faithful to us but served his master in secret. It was only when Morgoth established his strongholds in Middle-earth that Mairon left Valinor and openly declared his loyalty to him by taking a new name Sauron, then he is a known enemy of ours and the Peoples of Middle-earth. "

"Is he still there ... in Middle Earth?" Jon asked.

"Yes, he is one of the dangers that threaten Middle-earth, but don't think about it now, listen to the end of my story, in the times before Morgoth was defeated and imprisoned, he created in addition to Utumno a second fortress called Angband that was initially intended as a means to protect against a possible attack from us, and put it under the command of Sauron. However, early in the war, we waged to defend the elves; our assault swept through Angband without much difficulty and forced Morgoth to flee to his main stronghold at Utumno." Ulmo said

"But something went awry, yes?" Asked Jon. To which Ulmo nodded.

"The underground vaults and caverns of Angband were left relatively intact after our attack, as we were in a great rush to capture Morgoth to keep the newly awakened elves safe. After Morgoth's defeat at Utumno, the Balrogs reached Angband and went into hibernation on its ruined foundations. Sauron also remained in the ruins of Angband with the Balrogs, having been in command of the fortress when it was attacked. However, we do not know where Sauron lived during Melkor's imprisonment, only that when he was attacked by Ungoliant, his scream brought the Balrogs out of their slumber in the darkest depths of Angband. Like a storm of fire and shadows, they came to their Lord's aid and chased Ungoliant away, but Morgoth called them to his side, and Ungoliant escaped. Then Morgoth encircled the Silmarils in an iron crown that from that moment on was never removed, but the weight of such a lofty prized was crushing him, and he declared himself King of the World and began to rebuild and fortify Angband and Sauron returned to his side as his lieutenant. in the wars of the First Age". Ulmo said, pounding his trident into the beach with some fury causing the tides to stir.

"The First Age?" Arianne asked.

"The First Age of the Sun also called as the Ancient Days, this age began with the first sunrise, in those ancient times a landmass existed in Middle Earth that was called Beleriand, there the elves who did not go to Aman accepted Living under the command of Elwe who was called Thingol, Elwe was one of the ambassadors of the elves who went to Aman and saw with his eyes the Light of the Two Trees and when he returned he managed to convince most of his people to follow him, but on the way to Beleriand, he got lost in a forest, where he met Melian de Los Maia with whom he fell in love and fell into a deep trance enchanted by the beauty of Melian that lasted many years. While Elwë was still bewitched, her people were divided. On the one hand, most took their leader Elwë's younger brother, Olwë, who led them to Aman. But a small part of the Teleri stayed in Beleriand, waiting for their great King Elwe.

After many years Elwe came out of the trance in which he was and, together with Melian, found the rest of his people who still awaited him; Thingol and Melian became the kings of what was called the Gray People, or Gray Elves, the Without giving. They founded their kingdom in the great forest of Doriath, and from there, he became the Lord of Beleriand, and all the elves recognized him as their sovereign; it was during his reign that Morgoth returned to Middle Earth, but the elves were not the only thinking creatures who lived in Beleriand at that time, there were also the Dwarves ".

"Dwarves?" Queen Rhaella asked.

"The adopted sons of Eru, in primaeval times before the elves awakened, Aule in a moment of despair and impatience to have someone to teach his art and unwilling to await the arrival of the Children of Ilúvatar. Thus Aulë made the Dwarves as beings of short stature because the form of the Sons to come was not yet evident in his mind and because the power of Morgoth was still at work in Middle-earth; therefore, he wanted them to be strong and unshakable. But fearing that the other Valar would reprimand him, he worked in secret and first made the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves in a palace under the mountains of Middle-earth, but nothing escaped the eyes of Ilúvatar. When Aulë completed his work and, feeling pleased, began to instruct the Dwarves in the language that he had invented for them, Eru rebuked him and made him realize that in his powers, Aule could not create life, and therefore his creations only lived when he focused his thoughts on them and when he did not they were Simple statues, full of guilt for sinning arrogance Aule offered his dwarves to Eru and tried to destroy his creations only to have them cower and beg for mercy upon seeing Aule's humility, Ilúvatar made his dream come true and gave him to the dwarves a life and a soul of their own ". Ulmo said with some pride.

"However, Ilúvatar was unwilling to allow the Dwarves to come before the Elves and decreed that Aule's creations should sleep beneath the mountains and should not come out until the Firstborn had awakened. This dream ended a century after the elves woke up in Cuiviénen".

"Are dwarves as skilled as elves?" Jon asked.

"They are master craftsmen of unmatched talent, no other race can compete with their prowess in mining and in the forging of steel and iron, except the elves of Valinor who study with Aule but even they cannot surpass them, except Fëanor, when the elves and dwarves met, they quickly made various alliances, and Thingol hired them to build his palace and arm his army, their incomparable skill allowed them to build fortifications of incredible strength and beauty, as well as fierce swords and mail that never rust that way. The Sindar were ready for whatever war had to be fought, and Melian used her power to encircle this dominion with an invisible wall of shadows and bewilderment. The land of Eglador was thereafter called Doriath, the guarded kingdom. it was a fence of enchantment or "the Girdle of Melian" " and thanks to her, they had no threats for a long time. "

"But thanks to Morgoth, they captured her," Jon guessed.

"Yes, in the tragic" War of the Jewels, "also called" The Wars of Beleriand, "Ulmo said with great sadness.

"He talks as if this is his fault" They all thought.

"Morgoth still wanted to conquer and dominate the peoples of Middle Earth, so he sent his armies in the hopes of seizing the territories, but he met the opposition of King Thingol, who was well-armed for war. However, the armies of Morgoth was composed of evil creatures that had multiplied, and although they were repelled, the forces of Thingol suffered great losses; that was the battle of Beleriand, and at the end of it, the Noldor led by Fëanor arrived in Middle Earth, and the Sindar rejoiced believing that they had been sent by us and without knowing the shadow and the weight they were carrying ".

"The Curse of Mandos," Shiera said after a moment.

"Yes, it was during the second battle that the curse began to take effect since in that battle it was where Fëanor met his death at the hands of the Balrogs and this his sons were left to fulfil his oath of vengeance, and his fiery spirit reduced his body to ashes, and he went to the Rooms of command, it was during that great battle amidst the blood and death, that elves, dwarves and even Morgoth himself witnessed the first rising of the moon."

"That would have been quite a show," Robar said with some amusement.

"When the moon passed through the sky a total of seventeen times, Anar, the sun, appeared in the sky for the first time, and it was at that moment that your kindred appeared," Ulmo said solemnly.

"Our people?" Jon asked.

"Men, also known to the elves as the Atani the second people, the followers, The Lesser Sons of Ilúvatar."

Instantly a renewed interest washed over Westeros' travellers as they learned how their race was involved in the wars against Morgoth.

"Men awoke in the far East of Middle-earth called Hildorien. When the Sun first rose in the West, Men began to wander towards it, a journey that culminated with some of them arriving in Beleriand centuries later. "

"Did the sunrise in the West?" Arianne asked, confused, to which Ulmo shrugged.

"Valinor is in the West of the world, so the first sunrise was in the West, not in the east. Originally, Arien should have directed the Sun incessantly from West to East and vice versa, always remaining in the sky, but my servants under the sea liked its Light so much that they tried to snatch the Sun from Arien, so we decided to change this decree, that each night the Sun would descend to the distant seas of the West and would re-emerge each morning in the East so that the world could rest at night."

"OH," Said the Former Princess of Dorne.

"Going back to our history ... When the Sun first rose in the far Western lands, the Men began to wander towards it, a journey that culminated with some of them arriving in Beleriand centuries later ... as with the elves Morgoth approached the Men and incited them to worship him and shun Ilúvatar, and they obeyed. Although all were seduced by Morgoth, some Men repented and escaped; these men were called the Edain, The friends of the elves, and allied with them in the wars against Morgoth; these men were the first to reach Beleriand. "

... This is how it began ... This is the origin of humanity, allies against a common enemy ... Jon asked excitedly.

"The entire First Age practically consisted of the wars of the elves, dwarves, and men against Morgoth and his dark hosts, but due to the Curse of Mandos, everything ended in tragedy; my brothers and sisters were in charge of strengthening the defences against Morgoth but also to ensure that the Noldor could not return to Aman, leaving them to fate, "Ulmo said regretfully.

Jon and the others were surprised to hear it.

"And the men?" Queen Rhaella asked, but Ulmo didn't answer.

"Did they also abandon them?" Ashara Dayne asked in horror.

"To my eternal shame, yes," Ulmo said with genuine remorse.

"But why?" Jon asked.

"After what happened with the Noldor, we did not want to get involved in the development of Ilúvatar's minor children, but for my part, I did not abandon them and try to guide them whenever I could, but those of your race are not like the elves. They cannot understand the designs of the Valar, so their ancestors could not understand me when I spoke to them; however, I managed to convince my brothers to lead various tribes of men to the Outer Lands, the so-called Essos and Sothoyros, to allow them to live free of Morgoth and that men could not reach Valinor. "

"And what happened?" Jon asked.

"They settled in those lands and gave birth to hundreds of different cultures, but immaculate and pure ... Until men corrupted by Morgoth learned to navigate, arrived and enslaved them, those corrupt men brought with them Morgoth's perversions, cruelty, betrayal, mistrust, envy, greed, unbridled ambition, lust, and depravities, once enslaved like a plague, Morgoth's wickedness also spread to the human tribes that we try to preserve starting in Sothoryos then in Essos and from Essos to Westeros ... bringing ruin to Ilúvatar work," Ulmo said sadly.

Hearing that, all the ladies felt genuine regret for knowing the origin of human corruption while Jon, Loras, and Robar clenched their fists in frustration at understanding how the man fell from grace and imagining how great humanity could have been if it were not for Morgoth.

"In Beleriand meanwhile men and elves fought various battles against Morgoth and many notable stories occurred, but the most important were those of" Beren and Lúthien "as well as the" Fall of Gondolin, "now pay close attention as both are the most essential part of the story, "Ulmo said seriously:

"Lúthien was born during the Years of the Trees, at the end of the first age of the Chaining of Melkor. She was born in the Forest of Neldoreth under the stars, and niphredil first grew at the moment of her birth.

She would often dance in the woods while her friend Daeron, the minstrel of Thingol, would play his flute. Daeron came to love her, and while she enjoyed his company, she did not return his love. During such an occasion she was discovered by Beren as he wandered the woods of her father's kingdom and instantly fell in love with her. Daeron chirped out a warning, and she hid. While he searched for her, he accidentally laid his hand on her arm. He caught her alone some months later, and they grew to love one another. When Lúthien took Beren before her father, he was appalled that his royal daughter should wish to wed a mortal, and as is recounted in the Lay of Leithian so set Beren what he thought was an unachievable task, to recover a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth himself. So Beren left Doriath in pursuit of his hopeless quest."

"That King was an ass," Jon thought.

"At the end of many sacrifices in which even Beren witnessed the death of friends who decided to help him in his task, he was saved by Lúthien herself, who escaped from Doriath to provide her love aid. Both defied the horrors of Morgoth in Angband and finally won the Silmaril of his crown and the approval of his marriage by the Father of Lúthien ... Although unfortunately, his actions later resulted in the death of both.

"Why?" Daenerys asked, intrigued.

"Because knowing that one of the Silmarils had been recovered, the children of Fëanor demanded its return, but Thingol refused to do so, involuntarily the king had unleashed the Curse of Mandos on himself and on his kingdom."

Everyone was horrified at Ulmo's words.

"Later Beren died fighting to defend the King from one of Morgoth's creatures and Lúthien, disconsolate, died of sadness a short time later, then she herself went to Mandos where she sang for him, achieving a feat of moving him and he spoke with Manwë who asked his Lord to take pity on the elf he offered Lúthien two options:

Because of his fatigue and pain, he could leave the Rooms of Commands and go to Valinor to dwell there until the end of days. However, Beren would not follow her there. Because the Valar were not allowed to avoid the death that is the gift of Ilúvatar to Men. But the other possible choice was returning to Middle-earth and taking Beren with her to dwell there once again, without any security of life or joy. She would then become mortal and be subjected to a second death, the same as he, and before long, she would leave the world forever, and her beauty would be no more than a memory in song.

"Did she choose to give up her immortality for Beren?" Rhaenys asked, moved.

"Yes, they both had a son named Dior who was the heir of his grandfather and finally Beren and Lúthien, her romance with Beren was one of the great stories of the Elder Days and that continues to be told even now many years after his life," He said Ulmo.

"It's a beautiful story," Daenerys said with tears in her eyes.

"And tragic not only for its end but also for its consequences ... Upon learning of his feat the eldest son of Fëanor, Maedhros proposed a great alliance of men, dwarves and elves against Morgoth which was called the" Union of Maedhros "That union was joined by men who came from the East and who had been corrupted by Morgoth, feigning loyalty, they joined the Union only to betray it in the Fifth Battle of Beleriand, the Nírnaeth Arnoediad," The Battle of Countless Tears "where The peoples of Middle-earth suffered a crushing and catastrophic defeat leaving Morgoth as the undisputed power of Beleriand, in that moment many tried to return to Aman, and they succeeded when they entered the Rooms of Command as all perished drowned. As for the Kingdom of Doriath, it passed into the hands of Dior, who married Nimloth, and together they ruled as Thingol and Melian once did; they had three children, the youngest is Elwing, and they all lived in peace until the children of Fëanor attacked and destroyed the kingdom to recover the Silmaril from Beren and Lúthien, that was the Second Slaughter of Elves against Elves ".

Everyone was silent for a few moments until Shiera turned her gaze to Ulmo.

"Lord Ulmo, a few moments ago in the history of Beren and Lúthien, you said that death is the gift of men, but what do you mean?"

"I am afraid that this answer must be discovered on their journey, and it is vital that they do so, now ... I have one more tale to tell, and then you must continue your journey, and Jon must pay attention to this story."

"This story is about the city of Gondolin, the most beautiful city ever built in Middle-earth, its King was Turgon, son of Fingolfin and grandson of Finwë ... Turgon led a group of elves and formed a coastal city in the region of Nevrast on the shores of Beleriand however I appeared before him and ordered him to build a hidden kingdom like that of Doriath but even more elusive, and for this, I showed him the hidden valley of Tumladen hidden behind some mountains. After fifty-two years of secret labour, Turgon led his people to their new home in Gondolin, where he ruled for over five hundred years, largely ignoring the events of the Wars of Beleriand. "

"Did you help him?" I ask Jon.

"Yes, I knew that hope would come from Turgon to defeat Morgoth, so I set out to help them, but I warned them not to fall in love with their works because Turgon was also under the Curse of Mandos, and I could not delay its effects. " Ulmo said with some sadness.

"But he didn't listen, did he?" I guess Jon.

"About two hundred years after the creation of Gondolin, Turgon's sister, Aredhel the" White Lady of the Noldor "who had been a skilled hunter in Aman felt the longing for the forests and the wide lands asked her brother Turgon for permission. To go out into the wider world. However, Turgon was unwilling at first, fearing for his safety and for the secrecy of his kingdom. Finally, he relented, giving her a small escort of Lords among his people for the protection and made her promise not to search for the sons of Fëanor, but Aredhel ignored her brother's plea and, betraying his trust, went to look for the sons of Fëanor again."

"But what does this story have to do with me?" Jon asked, but Ulmo ignored him.

"Aredhel, who was temporarily separated from the others, ended up getting lost in the Nan Elmoth forest, which was the same forest in which Melian and Thingol met centuries ago, there lived a blacksmith elf of such a capacity that only Fëanor surpassed him, his name It was Eöl, he used his magic to retain Aredhel and managed to convince her to marry him by staying together for many years, leading to a son, Maeglin, "Ulmo said, unable to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Finally, Aredhel wanted to return to Gondolin, so she and her son escaped from Eöl, but he discovered them and began to follow them; they finally reached Gondolin (not realizing that Eöl followed them all the time) and were greeted with glee by everybody. Eöl was also discovered and brought before Turgon, but instead of accepting Turgon's judgment to stay and live in Gondolin, he attempted to kill his son for disobeying him with a poisoned javelin hidden in his cloak. Aredhel stood in front of him and was beaten by him, and due to his poison, she died that night from the wound."

A sound of exaltation was heard on the island as Ulmo recounted Aredhel's fate.

"The next day when Eöl appeared before Turgon, he found no mercy and was thrown from the city walls, before being thrown, however, he cursed his son to share the same fate, and as for Maeglin, he proved to be the son of his father with the passage of time as Maeglin was now an orphan, but Turgon held him in high honour, and in Gondolin, Maeglin learned and taught much he became a highly esteemed elf prince, even founding his own house. " Ulmo said with some pride.

"But one hand does not wash the other," Loras said without thinking, and the Lord of the waters was amused by the comment while Loras was reprimanded by his companions with their eyes.

"No, I suppose not, Maeglin was one of the most powerful Lords in Gondolin, but his greatest wish was to take as his wife Turgon's daughter, his first cousin Idril. But his desire was in vain because Idril was his first cousin, and, as such, the elven society is not like the Valyrian. They considered that the kinship with Maeglin was too close to allow a romantic relationship. Also, Idril was very aware of Maeglin's thoughts about her and despised him for it. "

"But that didn't stop him, did it?" Queen Rhaella asked.

"No, but at that time, I sent to Gondolin a messenger, a son of men named Tuor, whose father died in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad and his home claimed by the traitorous men who took his people as slaves, after he grew older. He managed to escape to the old home of Turgon there; I presented myself before him as I do with you now and sent him a mission to remind Turgon of the Curse of Commands and to warn him that Gondolin's time was over. But, upon arrival, my warning was ignored by a proud Turgon partly on the advice of Maeglin who immediately felt mistrust towards Tuor, that sealed the effect of the Mandos Curse on the city."

A sound of disapproval came from the Westeros travellers.

"Years passed, and Tuor rose rapidly in honour in the city, being of great height both physically and spiritually and having had the privilege of speaking directly with me, many in the city held him in high esteem. Seven years after arriving in Gondolin, Tuor fell in love with King Turgon's daughter, Idril Celebrindal, who loved him too. Turgon, who already regarded Tuor as a close relative, gave the couple his blessing. They were married in a celebration of great happiness, this being the second union of men and elves after Beren and Lúthien and soon after their only son was born ... Eärendil the Blessed ... Better known as Eärendil the Sailor "Ulmo said proudly.

"Eärendil?" Jon asked.

"Yes, sometime after Eärendil's birth, due to his own recklessness, Maeglin was captured by Morgoth's servants while searching for metals outside the City limits, something that Turgon forbade. Maeglin was brought to Angband before Morgoth himself, who knew that Maeglin lived in Gondolin and was eager to know its location. He threatened Maeglin with unimaginable torment, and although Maeglin was not a coward, Morgoth's threats intimidated him, and he betrayed Gondolin's location and weaknesses in exchange for his freedom. Morgoth was delighted to learn this and to further encourage Maeglin and ensure both his silence and further assistance, Morgoth promised him the rule of the city as the hand of Idril and the deaths of Tuor and Eärendil once Turgon was gone. Overthrown. Out of jealousy, Maeglin eagerly agreed to this deal, thereby sealing the worst betrayal of the Elder days. Later, Morgoth released him, and Maeglin returned to Gondolin without arousing suspicion. When the hosts of Morgoth attacked the city a year later, during the sack, Maeglin tried to capture Idril and kill Eärendil but was stopped by Tuor, and the two fought on the walls. But Tuor prevailed and threw Maeglin from the Wall to his death, thus fulfilling the curse that his father cast on him.

"He deserved it," Rhaenys said with satisfaction.

"Rhaenys ..." Queen Rhaella said disapprovingly.

"The survivors of Gondolin went to live in the same place where the survivors of Doriath lived forming a single village under the command of Tuor and Idril, and after some years when Tuor was already old, he felt the longing for the sea he finally built a ship called Eärrámë and sailed west with Idril. Where despite his status as a mortal, when Tuor arrived with Idril in Valinor successfully breaking through the defences, Tuor became the only man to be accepted as one of Ilúvatar's Firstborn, gaining an immortal life in Aman until the world I finished"

Hearing that, everyone was surprised by the story of Tuor and Idril when they learned that a mortal man had gained immortality.

"But in Middle-earth, other problems happened, Eärendil and Elwing, the granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien met, fell in love and married, having two children, the twins Elrond and Elros, when Eärendil got older, he began his journey in search of his parents who had gone to sea earlier. For this, Eärendil built a white ship called Vingilótë, but in his absence, his home was attacked by the sons of Fëanor to recover the Silmaril from Beren and Lúthien, this being the Third Slaughter of Elves against Elves and was by far the most cruel of the three since in that place there were few soldiers and more than anything women and children "Ulmo said with an icy voice.

A sound of rage and outrage came from the Westeros travels, mainly from Rhaenys and Rhaella, who couldn't help but think about King's Landing's sacking by Tywin Lannister.

"Helped Elwing to escape by turning her into a bird and send her with her husband, together they sailed to Valinor, and because Elwing had the Silmaril in his possession, they managed to reach their destination safely once there they were brought before us, and I had to intervene to save them from the wrath of Namo, then Manwë spared their lives but ordered them to remain in Aman and never set foot on mortal lands again, but the most important thing is that by having both the blood of elves and men they were given the opportunity to choose which race they wanted to belong to, elves or men, Eärendil leaves the decision in the hands of his wife, Elwing chose to be one of the Elves, but Eärendil would have preferred to be one of the Men; However, for the sake of his wife, he chose to be one of the Elves. "

"How incredible ..." said Robar, amazed by the story.

"Then, on behalf of the elves and men who suffered in Middle-earth because of Morgoth, Earendil ... And we concede it to him, we assembled a vast army of elves and Maiar and sent him to Middle-earth, where Along with the elves and men who could still fight, the most violent war in the history of the world was fought, The War of Wrath, in which in the end Morgoth was defeated, his hosts swept away like leaves in the wind, still the war it lasted more than forty years, after which all the land of Beleriand was destroyed and devastated ending up sinking into the sea ", said Ulmo with calmness.

A groan of surprise was heard from Jon, Loras, and Robar as despite fighting in the War of the Five Kings, they never imagined a conflict like the War of Wrath.

"What happened to Morgoth?" Arianne asked.

"The Battle was ended and from the ruin of the North great clouds arose and hid the stars, the Valar drew Melkor back to Valinor, bound hand and foot, and blindfold; and he was brought to the Ring of Doom. There he lay upon his face before the feet of Manwë and sued for pardon, but his prayer was denied, and he was cast into prison in the fastness of Mandos, whence none can escape, neither Vala, nor Elf, nor mortal Man. Vast and strong are those halls, and they were built in the West of the land of Aman. So there was Melkor doomed to abide. Although Morgoth was banished from this world, the evil he conceived could never be utterly destroyed and will continue to bear its black fruits until the end of days; thus, the First Age of the Sun ended with the defeat of Morgoth and the destruction of Beleriand together with its descent to the sea and with that my story ends," Ulmo said, clearly weary of recounting such a long tale.

For a few minutes, nobody said anything, and they looked at each other in silence, trying to process the information.

"What happened to the Silmaril?" Shiera asked.

"One of them is carried by Earendil, who crosses the skies in his white boat by order of Manwë and Varda taking care of the Sun and the moon. Thus he became a new star, the star of hope, the brightest star in the firmament. " As soon as Ulmo said this, Jon, Loras, and Robar jumped up and looked towards the sky to the amusement of the Lord of the Waters.

"Jon?" Arianne asked, confused.

"We followed that star, and we got here ... It's that," Jon said, pointing to the star of Earendil, and all the ladies could see it excitedly.

"If the Light of the holy jewel brought you here, but you should not follow it from now on, I will guide your ship; otherwise, you will end up arriving in Valinor in the Blessed Kingdom, and I am afraid you have not been given permission to go there. Ulmo said with authority.

"What happened to the other two Silmarils?" Ashara asked.

"The last two surviving sons of Fëanor Maedhros and Maglor were bound by his Oath to retrieve them. Though heartbroken from the burden of that terrible Oath, they conspired to sneak into the victorious army's camp, where they slaughtered the guard around the Silmarils and led them away. The camp rose up against them, and although they were willing to fight to the death to keep the gems, they were allowed to leave. But they soon discovered that due to the detestable actions they had taken in retrieving the jewels, the first the Kinslayings, they could not hold the Silmarils without suffering terrible pain. And so Maedhros threw himself and the Silmaril that he carried with him into a pit of fire, and Maglor threw his into the sea, being lost until the end of days." Ulmo said.

All the women sighed in frustration upon learning the fate of the Silmarils.

"What should we do now"? Jon asked.

"Jon, just as the birth and the works of Earendil were the climax of the First Age of the Sun, your arrival and that of your companions in Middle Earth is the climax of this Age," Ulmo said with pride.

"This Age?" Jon asked.

"We are in the year 3320 of the Second Age of the Sun, great events are about to occur, and you and your companions will be needed," Ulmo said in a well to do tone.

"What should we do?" Jon asked.

"Cultivate, when you leave this place, you will reach the Gray Havens, a city of elves under the command of Cirdan the Shipbuilder, look for him and ask him to teach you the most essential of Middle Earth, the place you will go may not be Westeros or Essos, but it doesn't mean it doesn't have its own dangers, learn the Quenya and Sindarin elven languages, learn all you can and then look for Elendil "The High One", and you will know what to do," Ulmo said sagely.

Then Ulmo waved his trident, and a small pool of water appeared before Jon. In it were various objects a magnificent golden band the stone upon it was red as fire, a great sword whose blade glittered like ice and battle-axe almost as magnificent its haft was fashioned from heavy oak, and its head was double bladed inscribed with Sindarin runes of wraith and valour and finally a warhorn shaped like a conch with an emerald in the centre.

"What are these things?" Jon asked,

"This is Narya, the red ring forged by Celebrimbor in the foundries of Ost-in-Edil take this ring, young knight," Ulmo said, "for your labours will be heavy, but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it, you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill. 

And this mighty weapon is the sword Ringil blade of Fingolfin whom we loved above all others, and this is Dramborleg that was wielded by Tuor kindred of the great hero Húrin; both are relics of the First Age, when you meet Elendil present him with these heirlooms and deliver a message that all faithful shall be rewarded, as for the conch it is a gift from me to you, Jon, should you need council look for a lake or river and touch the conch. I will appear unless Manwe forbids it, It is time to go, I know we will meet again, and I wish you all luck on your quest, noble heroes, know that Manwë watches over you as he has been doing since you left Essos "After that, Ulmo returned to the depths.

"Why would he and Manwë favour a bastard? What's so exceptional? Who is Jon Snow Really?" Rhaenys thought perplexed.

The following day everyone boarded the ship, and it began sailing towards the Grey Havens.

Notes:

Thanks to great_ red who helped with the chapter