[Finwe]

Finwë's silver eyes narrowed as he looked at the bracelet. He picked it up and studied it closely. As he turned it around in his hands, he lightly ran his fingertips over the fastening of the bracelet. Suddenly, he smiled. Sindahir looked up at him, questioningly. Finwë leaned forward and whispered:

"Come outside with me for a few minutes. This is far too priceless to be shown to the people in here."

Sindahir got up and accompanied Finwë outside. She had to hurry to keep up with his long strides, for he was very tall, even for an Elf. He walked over to a deserted corner and motioned her closer. Sindahir moved closer to look at the bracelet. As Finwë's fingers ran lightly over an almost imperceptible bump on the bracelet, a small hatch sprang open. Sindahir gasped. She could see stones of sapphire and adamant glittering inside, along with stones of a material that she had never seen before, shining with an oddly soothing, silvery-white light. Finwë nodded grimly.

"It is as I thought. This bracelet, along with its brothers, was made in Valinor by none other than the famous craftsman Mahtan. One brother bore gems of the color of the House of Fëanor, rubies, topaz, gold, and garnet. Another, this bracelet, bore the colors of the House of Fingolfin, blue, silver, and white. The last, and youngest, bore jewels of the colors of the House of Finarfin, gold and white. It was written that the Heads of those Houses bore this bracelets, and at their deaths, the bracelets passed on to their offspring. Fingolfin's is now found and Finarfin's is with him, in Valinor. The only bracelet unaccounted for is that of the House of Fëanor, the Dispossessed. I made it my life's work to search for the remaining bracelets, and they have been found now."

Sindahir looked up at him. The rays of the setting sun dyed his alabaster skin with shades of gold, seemingly turning him into a golden statue.

"I thought you said that the bracelet of the House of Fëanor was lost."

Finwë smiled grimly, as was his wont.

"It had been thought lost, but I have found it. It took me a century to find it, a century of searching in some places whose evil you couldn't even imagine."

Sindahir's eyes widened in fear. There was only one place that contained such nameless evil. Even though the Dark Lord had been defeated, Mordor was still a place of great fear. She murmured:

"You...you... went to... Mordor?"

Finwë looked at her and silently pointed to his scarred cheekbone.

"I was physically and emotionally scarred forever. But I did find what I had been searching for. After grievously wounding Fëanor, Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, took the bracelet, and gave it up to his master, Morgoth. Morgoth gave it unto his servant Sauron for safekeeping, and so it remained for two Ages of this world. It goes to show, evil will ultimately be defeated by what is good and right. That bracelet has been recovered."

Sindahir tremulously asked:

"Do you still have the bracelet?"

Finwë flicked back his cloak, undid his bracer, and pushed up his sleeve. The designs on the bracelet sparkled and danced in the light of the setting sun.

"However, my victory came at a price. The taint of the Doom of Mandos, and of the Dark Lords, lay upon this seemingly harmless trinket."

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 4:09 PM January 04, 2004: Message edited by: Finwe ]