Author's Note:  I'm a bit under the weather this week, so please pardon any slow responses or posts.  Thanks!

IV

Smaller Matters

As they had been drawn into the emotional vortex which had taken them to a meeting with their Father, so they now returned as they had come, swiftly but gently.  The One guided them back along paths singing with the resonance of the Music, beautiful and soothing, so that when He placed them again atop the peak in the southern Pelóri, they were both in a state of magnificent peace.  Very little time had passed, and the westering sun was still riding high in the afternoon skies.

As the bliss of being so near to the One faded, they resumed their incarnate forms.  Olórin still held the circlet in his hands, and was regarding it with an expression of joyous wonder.  

Manwë smiled.  "So, brother, will you reshape it before we return to Valmar?"

The Maia looked up, his smile as bright as his eyes.  "Not yet," he said, settling it once again on his head.  "I haven't reached a decision on the matter, and some might question its sudden apparent disappearance.  While that might cause some of our people to think it proof of the rumors about my imminent change in status, it might also puzzle our Hobbit guests.  They would accept the explanation, of course, but I would rather not draw them into our troubles just yet."

The Vala nodded serenely.  "You are most considerate — which I have always known to be among your virtues."  He swept their surroundings once more with an appreciative glance.  "And I am glad to finally have your report concerning Avathar.  It now warrants a new name, but I will leave it for others to choose."

Olórin agreed.  "Since you mean for the Firstborn to settle here, they deserve the honor of naming it as they see fit.  It will still require considerable effort for these lands to be properly tamed, but it certainly is not beyond Elven skills.  I'm sure they will find the experience exhilarating, and rewarding."  He gave a wistful sigh.  "I will be sorry to lose my private quiet place when they come here, but I will be even more pleased to see what had once been an abode of evil become a home for those who seek to build a life, not to destroy others."

"Indeed.  And there is much still to be discussed and planned before that can begin.  First things first.  The other Valar will come to Ilmarin tonight, and in the meantime, we have guests in Valmar who will soon be wondering where we are.  Let us go."

************

When they returned to the mansion in Valmar, they found Varda and the hobbits in the salon just inside the terrace where they had shared luncheon.  The food and dishes had been cleared away, and they arrived to the startling sight of Varda and Frodo attempting to soothe a weeping Bilbo.  Olórin knew that the elderly hobbit could be rather emotional — something that had annoyed Thorin when it surfaced during the adventure to Erebor — but the Maia could not imagine anything in this house that might have reduced him to tears of what was clearly upset.  Manwë was no less concerned.

"What happened?" the Elder King asked as they entered the room.  Bilbo was seated beside Varda on a couch facing the terrace; Frodo stood beside them, gently patting his kinsman's shoulder.  

The younger halfling looked up at the newcomers, his half-smile apologetic.  "Nothing, really," he assured them.  "He just let his curiosity get the best of him again."

Though Olórin appeared to understand, Manwë remained confused.  Sensing it, Varda elaborated.  "We were watching the songbirds in the garden after the meal," she explained, "and Frodo said that after sharing Olórin's memory of the Timeless Halls, he finally had some inkling of what the Great Music must have been like."

Frodo nodded.  "Which of course made Bilbo regret not taking part in that sharing.  I told him that much of which we saw was quite horrible, but he still felt he'd missed out."

Varda sighed, her arm around the old hobbit's shoulders.  "He seemed so disappointed, I felt it would not violate your trust, Olórin, if I showed him some of your memory of your time with Lord Eru."

The Maia's dark eyes widened.  "And it caused this?" It seemed quite beyond belief.  He knelt before Bilbo, his brow creased with confusion.

He did no more than open his mouth to speak before Bilbo spoke first.  "Oh, Gandalf!" he spluttered even as he sniffed back his tears.  "Can you ever forgive me?"

Olórin's eyes widened all the more.  "Only if you'll be so good as to explain why you feel you need it, old friend."

Bilbo snuffled as he searched his pockets for a kerchief; smiling kindly, Varda proffered one of lovely white silk.  Bilbo accepted it with a word of thanks, then politely made use of it before replying.  "I suppose it's my own fault, really.  After we met Ilúvatar, after a fashion, five years ago, I wondered a great deal about what He really looked like.  After Frodo told me about the things you showed Eönwë yesterday, I asked him if he could tell me more about the Timeless Halls and all, but he said he couldn't really describe it, that it was more of a feeling.  That made me even more curious, so when it came up again after lunch, I... well, I sort of tricked Lady Varda into offering to show me what Frodo couldn't describe."

The twinkle in the Valië's eyes told Olórin that she had been fully aware of Bilbo's motives, and had found them charmingly inoffensive.  "Which she did," the Maia confirmed.  "But why does this require my forgiveness?  I'm sure she showed you nothing other than what you might have seen yesterday, had you wished it."

Bilbo dabbed at his eyes as he loosed a deep sigh.  "I'm sure she didn't," he said, favoring the lady with a shaky smile.  "But what I saw...!"  He shook his head in an peculiar mixture of wonder and shame.  "I understand why Frodo said there were no words that could do it justice.  And I am so sorry that I ever pestered you with my complaints about the way you look here in the West!  You — all of you," he added, gesturing to Manwë and Varda, and by inference all of the Ainur.  "What you are is so very much more than what we see with our paltry eyes!  That you do us the courtesy of appearing to us as you do is... is... well, I might say unbelievable, if I didn't believe it already!  I know that you do this for our sake, out of kindness and affection, and if I had any doubts about that, seeing what Lady Varda showed me took them away.  I never quite understood what it was like to be an Ainu — I don't think I really could have understood it without experiencing it like this.  And that's what moved me so, understanding what that truly means, seeing what you gave up to help save us, and remembering how childishly I'd behaved about you not looking like an old man, here in Aman. Can you ever forgive me for being so abominably silly and selfish?"

Olórin would have laughed, but he did not want Bilbo to think he was being treated dismissively.  Instead, he smiled, and fondly ruffled the hobbit's silvered curls. "If you feel you need to be forgiven, then of course you are, dear Bilbo, but I was never offended, I assure you.  We first met when you were a child, well over a hundred years ago, and only for the last five have you known me in this form.  I'm touched by your appreciation of the effort I and others make to seem as one of the Eruhíni, but in my case, it was only natural for your acceptance of it to take time."

"I tried to tell him that," Frodo chimed in, "but he wouldn't hear of it from me, or even Lady Varda."

"Which troubles me not," the star-queen assured both hobbits.  "Bilbo needed to hear this from Olórin, not I."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Bilbo admitted with another small sigh.  "But I don't want you to think I'm not grateful to you, my lady.  I think Gandalf might not have agreed to do this for me, and in hindsight, I believe I'm better for the experience."  He smiled at the Istar.  "Rather like my adventure with the Dwarves.  I balked at the very idea—"  Frodo snorted at this gross understatement.  "—tried to refuse it again and again, and didn't truly appreciate it until it was all over.  That's often the way of things with mortals, isn't it?"

Manwë came nearer to stand beside Olórin.  "Not only for mortals, Master Baggins, I assure you.  There have been far too many times when it was only by looking back over my own decisions and actions that I could see both their folly, and their unexpected benefits.  It is both the curse and the blessing of having free will."  His smile for the hobbit was warm with fondness.  "Yesterday, I wished to spare you the pain of seeing Olórin's battle with the Balrog through his eyes, for I already knew that it had been terrible.  Had I known that he would also share with us the joy that came after, I might have reconsidered my attitude."

Bilbo shivered.  "I don't regret missing what came first!" he declared most emphatically.  "I'd seen enough of what one dragon could do, and from my studies I know that Smaug was far from the worst of his kind, while the least of the Balrogs were worse than the most terrible of dragons.  No, I'm glad I didn't see any of that, and I don't think there was any way for me to have avoided it, yesterday.  But what Lady Varda showed me makes me wonder how any of you could have left such a wonderful life to come here."

All three of the Ainur smiled.  "For many reasons," Olórin said, "not the least of which was the fact that when Eru Ilúvatar revealed to us a vision of our Music and showed us His Children who would dwell within it, we loved them, and wanted to be a part of their lives.  Oh, there were certainly some who were more enamored with the idea of seeing their own Song become manifest, but they were comparatively few, and none of us were forced to come.  Like you, Bilbo, our hearts were stirred by the vision of the Music so that we wanted to participate in the magnificent adventure it promised.  There have been many pains and sorrows — as you, Frodo, know only too well — but the good has generally outweighed the ill."

Manwë suddenly burst into laughter.  The others, startled by the unexpected reaction, looked up at him with mingled shock and puzzlement.  They saw that though he was smiling broadly, there was a powerful sense of relief in his expression, emphasized by the tears on his cheeks.

Varda regarded her husband with a wry glance of her own.  "Beloved," she said calmly, "have you lost your senses?"

His laughter diminished to a chuckle as he knelt beside Olórin, still smiling.  "Perhaps," he admitted.  "Though I think rather that I have finally come to them."  He draped one arm across the Maia's shoulders to draw him into a companionable embrace.  "Thank you, my brother, for what you just said.  I know that you were speaking in generalities, of things most of our people feel about Eä and our work herein, and it may be that I am reading too much into it.  But I could not help but feel that when you mentioned the good outweighing the ill, you were including the ill that I have done to you, and have forgiven it."

The Istar smiled, a bit crookedly.  "You know that I have, we've spoken of it several times, during the past five years.  Have you never believed me?"

"I have, but it seems that I never felt it as fully as I did just now."  His entire face lit with a joy that outshone the sun.  "Perhaps it is the blessing of hearing this when we are together at last as family."  His gaze and his smile included the two hobbits in that group.  He reached out with his free hand and touched Frodo's where it lay upon Bilbo's shoulder.  "I count both of you as my family as well, in any way you choose to be considered.  Not only because Olórin counts you as kin, but because you have brought to us more delight than we have known in years beyond reckoning."

Varda regarded her spouse fondly even as she nodded to the hobbits.  "Just so," she agreed.  "We had thought that there would be little to come in Arda that would surprise us after the Elves and Men and Dwarves awakened — and then your people appeared."

Bilbo looked up at her, eyes full of curiosity.  "I'd always wondered about that — well, not always, I suppose, but ever since I got to know the Elves, especially after I settled down in Rivendell and had Elrond's lovely library at my disposal.  They never quite knew where Hobbits came into the story of the world.  Gandalf knew more, but even he wasn't certain about the details."  He turned to Manwë.  "Do you know, my lord?"

The Elder King lifted his hand from Bilbo's shoulder and made a vague gesture.  "Not entirely, for I have not had an opportunity to ask the One, who is Father to us all, and all the Children save Aulë's Dwarves were of His Song and His design.  I do know that the first of your ancestors wakened late in the First Age, in regions somewhat apart from those frequented by the other inhabitants of Middle-earth.  They were, of course, mortals, akin to Men, but with their own strengths and talents. Where the Atani sought to expand and explore the wider world, your people sought to know the fullness of those places they made their home, content to remain in the lands they knew so well until circumstances forced them to leave.  Your ancestors had made a good home for themselves in lands well east of those troubled by Morgoth and the wars of that age.  They were unknown to the other races during that era, for they had many other matters of their own survival to deal with.  That early hobbit-folk might have remained there, for it was a temperate and fertile land.  But when my fallen brother's forces scattered after his defeat, far too many of his Orcs and trolls and such fled eastward.  They found the land of your ancient kin and wanted it for their own.  They slew many, and raped the land itself, turning it to barren waste as they despoiled it for their own sustenance.  Your ancestors divided into several groups and fled, each taking a different direction to search for a new home; eventually they all came west again, into what you called the Misty Mountains and the vales of the Anduin. Their full story is quite long, and if you wish, I will have one of my Maiar who knows it best teach it to you."

"Onótilúvë would be more than willing," Olórin suggested.  "It was for good reasons that the Elves believed he remembers everything, and he has told me that he hoped to have a chance to meet our Hobbit guests.  Their origins are a part of the history he loves so well that few in Aman wish to hear about."

Bilbo clapped his hands together even as Manwë nodded his assent.  "Oh, that would be splendid!  I always suspected that someone here in the West knew the whole tale of the Hobbits, but I kept forgetting to ask!"

Frodo smiled at his uncle's delight.  "It's just a shame we came into the world so quietly," he quipped.   "Not like Men, who had the first rising of the sun to mark their entrance."

A mischievous twinkle lit the eyes of all three Ainur.  "Not so, Frodo," Varda corrected amiably.  "There was indeed an event that marked the waking of your folk.  A very appropriate one, as it turned out."

Manwë and Olórin nodded their confirmation; the latter elaborated.  "As Manwë said, the first Hobbits woke late in the First Age. The Sun and Moon had long since risen, of course, but they awoke neither at dawn nor during a night full a stars.  They came at dusk, with the first rising of Eärendil's star:  Gil-estel, the star of high hope.  Your people were Eru's secret hope for the future of Arda, and His sight was of far greater scope than the Elves and Men who saw the star and thought only of their immediate plight."

"Indeed," the wind-lord agreed.  "Even we did not see that potential for far too many years.  We knew of your people's existence, and followed your progress with interest — some of us more than others.  Yavanna and her sister Vána, as well as Oromë and Ulmo, were intrigued by and quite fond of your folk.  They have done what they can to guide and protect you without interfering, mostly in subtle ways, helping your people to learn to love and nurture whatever land they called home.  This suited the nature that all Hobbits have had since the beginning, and it has heartened us to see that with at least one group of the Children, we succeeded as teachers and guides without causing harm.  Even so, it was not until Olórin met your folk in this past age — and in his face to face dealings with all of you perceived the strength that lay hidden within you — that we began to understand some part of Eru Ilúvatar's great purpose in your creation."

Varda's smile brightened.  "Those whom my husband mentioned were not the only Valar who have watched your people closely, and tried to give them aid.  When they first came to our notice, I listened to their longing for guidance, and gave to their paths what light was mine to give.  They were happy and peaceful in their beginnings, much less harmed by Melkor's taints than those who awakened nearer to his abodes.  I have long believed that this gave Hobbits a hidden strength to resist the great corruptions of evil, and that it was a part of Eru's wondrous design.  It nurtured a spirit of stamina and a love for peace within your race, which in turn allowed each of you the capacity to harbor hope when others of what you call the Big Folk might have surrendered to despair."

Manwë nodded.  "When the evil creatures fleeing the rout of their master invaded their land, your forebears did not give up, even when their efforts to turn away the intruders failed terribly.  They understood that fleeing a stronger and more numerous foe was wiser than standing their ground until they were all dead.  They could have despaired, but so long as they had a chance to begin again, they did not.  Onótilúvë can tell you all of the details, which I'm sure you will both find fascinating.  For now, know that we have grown to love both of you for all that you are, most of all the embodiment of fulfilled hope you have become."

Both hobbits blushed at their words, but at the same time they smiled, eyes shining.  "I look forward to hearing the entire story," Frodo said earnestly.  "And now I am all the more grateful for the gift Lady Galadriel gave to me during the quest.  I had thought that it was providential, and it now seems exceptionally appropriate that I was given a phial filled with the light of the very star that rose at the same time we Hobbits rose and wakened in the world." 

He favored the star-queen with an especially warm smile.  "Even more fitting, now that I have become acquainted with you, Lady Varda, since light is your purview, no matter its source.  I won't speak for Bilbo, but for myself, I would be honored to call myself a part of your family."  The shifting of his glance included Manwë.  "I have already come to think of Olórin as a brother, but I don't believe I'm quite ready to think of a king and queen as siblings!"

"Nor I," Bilbo agreed.  "In the Shire, it was something of a tradition for those who had grown close without a connection of blood to call each other cousin.  Would that suit?"

"If that is what you wish, that is how it shall be," Varda declared.  "To follow the Shire custom is, I think, the best choice.  Wouldn't you agree, beloved?"

Manwë inclined his head in gracious assent.  "I do indeed.  Hereafter, you shall be welcome to this house whenever you wish, and those in service to us will honor you as family.  If ever you have need, call upon us, and if we cannot come because of our duties, one of our people will give whatever assistance you desire."

"That's very kind of you," Bilbo said, sniffing back a few tears.

Frodo clicked his tongue, knowing that the elderly hobbit was also deeply touched.  "Don't start up again, Bilbo, or you'll drench our hostess."

"I don't mind," Varda said with a soft chuckle.  "Perhaps you would like to rest for a while, Bilbo.  It's been a full day so far, and as Nárënilda promised to make a proper Shire supper for you, it would be a shame if you were too weary or overwrought to fully enjoy it."

Bilbo dabbed at his eyes with the damp kerchief.  "Yes, of course, that's a very good idea.  And I'm sure you could do with some time to hear what these two have been up to."

Manwë laughed kindly as he and Olórin rose to their feet.  "No doubt she could, though it can wait, if you prefer."

But Bilbo shook his head. "No, no, I'm quite ready for a nap.  Aman has been most kind to these old bones, but I must confess that I've enjoyed an afternoon nap for most of my life."

As he spoke, the Maia who had attended Bilbo that morning entered the salon, bowing to her lord and lady.  "I asked Surëlindë to escort you to your chambers, and see to whatever else you might require," Varda explained as she assisted Bilbo to his feet.

The elder hobbit turned to face her, and bowed deeply.  "Thank you for a most delightful tour, my lady, and for a splendid luncheon."  He began to return her lovely handkerchief, but hesitated when he remembered its condition. 

Varda smiled indulgently.  "You may keep it, Cousin Bilbo, as a memento of this special day.  Rest well."  She leaned forward to kiss his brow before motioning to Surëlindë.  The Maia stepped forward and offered Bilbo her hand.

As he took it, he glanced toward his nephew.  "Are you coming, too, my lad?"

"Perhaps a little later," Frodo replied.  "I wanted to speak with Olórin, and you know I was never fond of naps."

Bilbo chuckled.  "So Cousin Drogo often lamented in his letters when you were but a babe.  Lead on, then, Surëlindë.  I shall welcome a bit of a nap, so long as you make sure I'm awake in time for tea...."

When they were gone, Manwë turned to Frodo.  "Perhaps Varda and I should also take our leave," he began.

But the hobbit stayed him with a shake of his head.  "Oh, no, I didn't mean to imply that I wanted complete privacy.  To be honest, I would like for you to stay, if you can."

The Elder King signaled his acquiescence by taking the seat beside his wife that Bilbo had just vacated.  Olórin drew up a chair so that none of them would stand towering over the halfling.  Manwë gestured, and a chair appeared for Frodo, one that would allow him to sit comfortably and yet be at a proper level to converse with the larger folk.  "This sounds as if you have something rather important on your mind, Frodo," the Maia observed.

"It is, to me," he admitted as he took his own seat.  "After we finished our lunch and Bilbo was asking Lady Varda about all the different birds and flowers in the garden, I excused myself to... well, take care of things we incarnates have to deal with from time to time that don't bother your folk."  He felt faintly foolish, resorting to such silly polite evasions, but the Valar gave no sign of offense or amusement, and Olórin's experiences as Gandalf had made him all too well acquainted with such things to do more than nod his understanding, though he could not entirely keep the twinkle from his eyes.  

Frodo forged ahead, his dignity intact.  "Márandur had come to see if there was anything we needed after the other attendants had cleared things away, and he was good enough to escort me to the proper facilities.  Just as we reached the privy, he was called to deal with something that required his attention, quickly. I told him to go, as I'd have no trouble finding my own way back."  He snorted softly.  "It didn't seem that difficult, since I didn't have much trouble learning my way around Rivendell and Minas Tirith, but I'd forgotten how much help I'd had back then, and how much more time to become familiar with things.  If we'd been on the first floor, I wouldn't have gotten turned around, and all things considered, I didn't do badly.  I only made one wrong turn, and it didn't take but a minute or two before I realized my mistake."

Varda made a soft sound.  "Ah, that explains the delay.  Bilbo said you usually weren't one to dawdle about such matters.  I supposed it was merely a question of distance, since there is only one privy on this floor, and it is not close to this terrace."

Frodo gave her a sheepish smile.  "Well, in a manner of speaking, that was true, since I took a longer route to return.  But there is more to it than that."  He paused to take a deep breath, then continued.  "I'm not quite sure where my wrong turn took me — I think it may have been near your private studies.  When I realized that I was lost, I paused to get my bearings and heard people talking in one of the rooms.  I was going to tap on the door and ask directions, until I realized that whoever was inside was arguing."

"Arguing?" Manwë echoed.  "I trust it wasn't over anything more significant than a disagreement over which linens should be used on the beds."

Frodo was grateful for the attempted levity, but sadly shook his head.  "I wish it were.  I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but whoever was talking spoke so loudly I couldn't avoid hearing."  He paused again, then sighed.  "Are any of you aware that not everyone is delighted by the discovery of your kinship?"

The newfound brothers traded glances; Olórin gestured for Manwë to reply.  "Unfortunately, yes, we know," the Elder King said with sincere regret.  "It was much of what Eönwë came to tell us this morning."

"I suspected it was so, from more than what you have already communicated to me, my husband," Varda sighed.  "They put on polite and cheerful faces for the benefit of our guests, but I could sense that something had occurred to distress our servants.  Did you recognize the voices you heard, Frodo?"

"Not for certain.  I had no idea who were the ones that practically shouted, but I believe the one who answered — much more calmly — was Eönwë."

"That would follow, if he has been able to deliver the news that you requested," Olórin said thoughtfully, addressing Manwë, who inclined his head in agreement.  He turned again to Frodo.  "You were likely near the chamber that Eönwë uses from time to time in carrying out certain aspects of his duties.  After we discussed the news he brought this morning, Lord Manwë asked him to act in his capacity as Herald and announce to the Maiar that a full court of the Ainur will be held two days hence.  It sounds as if you accidentally overheard one or more of them already expressing their displeasure over what they think will be the purpose of the assembly."

The hobbit made a noise of distaste.  "Displeasure, indeed!  'This is an insult!' the one who bellowed first said, and the second shouted, rather nastily, 'None of the rest of us were rewarded so richly for doing our duty!'  Eönwë answered, quite politely, but I couldn't hear what he said.  I was rather shaken, and I hurried away so that I'd have a chance to calm down before I returned to the terrace.  I didn't want to upset anyone.  Perhaps I shouldn't've mentioned it now."

"No, it was the right thing to do," Manwë assured him.  "You accidentally overheard something most distressing, and it is proper for you to unburden yourself to us, as it involves our people.  You are correct in saying that there are some who took yesterday's news badly.  Most are likely cases of simple misunderstanding, but I fear that others are willfully distorting the truth.  Would you be willing to share with me your memory of what you heard — or with Olórin, if that is more agreeable to you?"

Frodo's smile for the Elder King was wry.  "I'm not afraid of you, Cousin Manwë," he replied with grace and humor.  "What I fear is that those who reject your real kinship with Olórin will be angered all the more if they discover that you have taken two Mortals into your family of the heart."

Varda leaned forward to pat the hobbit's hand in sympathy.  "Let us worry about that, dear Frodo.  We will see to it that those who have misunderstood are corrected, and that those who will not understand learn the error of their ways."

Manwë concurred.  "It is not good for any of Eru's Children, of spirit or flesh, to carry grudges and bitterness in their hearts, for it is a terrible poison.  They need healing, and in finding correction rather than punishment, they will find the cure they require."  He reached out to touch the hand from which Varda had just withdrawn her own.  "Concentrate for a moment on the memory of what you heard, please."

Frodo nodded and closed his eyes.  He shivered for a moment at the emotions that had driven those angry shouts, but it passed quickly as the touch of Manwë's own thoughts witnessed the memory, then soothed it.  When the hobbit opened his eyes, they were filled with grateful relief.  "Thank you," he said softly to the Elder King, who smiled and patted his hand before removing his own.

"You're quite welcome.  What you heard was spoken in venomous anger, and you should not have to bear the wounds of it without comforting."  As he spoke, he shared what he had perceived with the others in ósanwë.

Olórin managed to maintain a calm demeanor, though he knew that he was the subject of the anger Frodo had witnessed.  "I'm sure the second voice belonged to Lintamacar, one of Lord Tulkas' people. This is not the first time I have heard him vent his opinion of how he and his fellow servants of the Champion were little thanked for their service in the Wars against Melkor.  Somehow, he has managed to twist the performance of duty into something that should be given without thought for reward, and yet at the same time should be richly praised and rewarded.  I have felt for some years that he would benefit from time spent with Lord Irmo and his siblings, but I could see that Lord Tulkas knew nothing of Lintamacar's feelings and would not understand why such a thing might be needed."

"We will speak to him of this when we meet tonight," Varda promised.  "Tulkas may not be as discerning as others, but I know he would not sanction such an attitude among his people if it were brought to his attention.  It is the other voice that troubles me more."

Manwë nodded.  "Elennúro.  He has always been one of your most faithful and supportive Maiar, beloved, and I have never seen him as anything but friendly toward you, Olórin.  Why would he change so suddenly?"

Frodo saw the answer at once.  "Maybe for the same reason I was concerned about how others would receive the notion of Bilbo and I as your extended family.  Some people consider such things to be demeaning or insulting to one they respect and love.  During my stay in Minas Tirith, one of Queen Arwen's brothers, Elladan, told me that when he'd first heard of her betrothal to Aragorn, he was furious, even though Aragorn had been a beloved brother to him for many years.  He didn't believe that any mortal was worthy of his sister, and that it was not only an insult for Aragorn to ask, but even more of an insult that Elrond was willing to permit it, even conditionally.  Arwen got wind of it before Aragorn heard of his attitude, and she gave Elladan a tongue-lashing that he said still left him stinging, long after he had seen the error of his ways, his unthinking arrogance toward someone he genuinely loved.  If this Elennúro has never been a spiteful sort, I'd be willing to wager that he was simply shocked by something he had never expected, and feared that it might reflect badly on the Lady he loved, lessening her in his eyes, and others'."

"That's an excellent point," Olórin said with approval.  "Elennúro and I have been friends since before the Eldar awakened, and I have never before sensed any hint of resentment toward me.  Much the opposite, in fact.  He was pleased that I was able to complete the mission of the Istari successfully.  He even told me that he had always agreed with Lady Varda's opinion that I should not have been ranked as the third, and had urged you to have me assume Curumo's position as head of the Order after Eru returned me to Valinor.  That hardly sounds as if he resented me, or was angry with me."

"No," Varda concurred.  "But never before has there been a Maia who was brother to a Vala, and though some of the Valar have known or suspected the relationship existed for a very long time, it would seem that it occurred to none of the Maiar."

"If so, that is our own fault," Manwë admitted with great sadness.  When both Olórin and Frodo reacted with shock, he explained.  "We have known from the beginning that we are all of the same kind: Ainur, Children of our Father's thought and spirit.  The Maiar know this as well, but because they were not given the same tasks as we — that we, as the elder children, were meant to be as directors to the realization of the Music in which we all had equal parts — they came to think of themselves as our servants and only as our servants.  But there is no use in having the power of a director without the efforts of gifted musicians to play the symphony.  Each brings to the final work a needed skill, the sound as well as the direction to keep it from falling into cacophony and to bring all to the desired conclusion.  Eru created us out of love, and we should all have worked together out of love, for each other as well as for our Father.  It should not have become such a rigid structure of master and servant.  Music produced in that way is precise, but without color or joy.  We should have corrected this misconception as soon as we recognized it."

"Perhaps, if it had been possible," the Maia agreed.  "But you forget that Melkor made it his purpose to foster disharmony, even before the last note of the Music was sung.  If he could not sway us into his blatant discord, he could achieve something of his aim by making war upon us all once we entered Eä, forcing us into the habits of an army, where a few hold the power of command and many others must submit to that authority and follow obediently.  He could not stop us from loving one another, but he could and did impose strictures upon our actions that would ever after affect the nature of that love.  Is it any wonder, then, that those such as Tulkas's warrior Maiar are the least willing to accept such an unexpected revelation?  More than any, it is the warrior who lives by a proper chain of command and duty, and who views the matter of 'promotion' as something that must be both earned and justified in a proper, proscribed manner."

Frodo turned his surprise to his old friend.  "You talk as if they think you've been turned into one of the Valar."

Both Olórin and Manwë loosed heavy sighs, Olórin's perhaps a bit heavier with the added weight of added exasperation.  "Some do," the Elder King replied, patting the Maia's arm in a comforting way.  "It is not so, and I assure you, it will never be so.  We are content to be brothers as we are, and there is no need to make such a change, even if it is only for appearance's sake.  Because we are spirit and not flesh in our true state of being, there is no reason why any of the Ainur cannot be brethren.  Beyond our roles as those who direct and those who implement, the titles and distinctions were ones we made for our convenience, not because we truly are different.  They suited our appointed roles in Eru's plan, as our individual gifts and powers were given to us for the purpose of fulfilling those roles."  

His face brightened with the warmth of affection.  "One of those roles, for Olórin and I, is to be brothers, and this is the time for us to see that role fulfilled — for ourselves, and for all the inhabitants of Aman. Thank you for telling us of this incident, Cousin Frodo.  It helps make clearer to me a way in which we might resolve the discontent among our people.  Would you be willing to come to our court in two days, if it might aid our plans?"

The hobbit did not hesitate.  "If I can do anything that will help you and Olórin make peace with the others, I shall be honored to help in any way I can."

"I am grateful.  Tonight, the Valar will take counsel on the situation, and I will let you know tomorrow if your presence will be needed at court."  His smile was wistfully gentle.  "My hope is that you will be spared the need, but we must prepare for all contingencies, if these matters are to be resolved without serious conflict.  For now, let us set such worries aside."

He gave the empty serving tables an amusingly mournful look. "Are there even a few crumbs left from the luncheon, my dear, or must we weary travelers wait until tea to refresh ourselves?"

************

Next:

Evening Council

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Another Author's Note:  I know I'm potentially taking liberties as to the timing of when the Hobbits first came into the world, but given the ways in which the reckoning of times is often dependent on perspective in the early ages of Arda, I didn't think I would be sticking my neck out too far by having them appear with the first rising of Eärendil's star.  It seemed entirely too appropriate, given the role Hobbits would have to play in the much bigger picture!