[Feanor of the Peredhil]

A heavy silence weighed upon the air of the room. Inzillomí looked at the delicate needle-work in her lap, waiting for her daughter to speak. With Abârpânaru's capture, it was Inzillomí's responsibility to safely remove the Faithful to the East. Now, with the King's Men to return in so few hours, Inzillomí needed one thing she did not have: time. She could not leave her husband to torment and death while she sailed away in safety. She also could not order rescuers to sacrifice themselves in order to save him. As the weight grew heavier, Ziraphel slid quietly out the door. A faint knocking reached Inzillomí's ears. She removed to the front doors, leaving Kâthaanî.

Passing Ziraphel and Marsillion, she motioned for their already given silence. A cautious hand on the razor sharp fan tucked discreetly in her sash, Inzillomí spoke. “Who is there?”

A gently familiar voice met her ears. “Do not fear, my Lady Inzillomí . It is I, the traveler of the seas, Azarmanô. I come with news from your father. I pray that you find it in your heart to let me inside.”

Inzillomí unlatched the door, swinging it open. "Come, friend. You are welcome in the house of Karíbzîr." Taking the captain's arm with the confidence of one who belonged there, she passively led him into her home. "We shall speak more openly where my daughter awaits."

Waving to Ziraphel and Marsillion, Inzillomí led the small group into her private sitting room. When all were seated, Inzillomí looked with expectation at Azarmanô. "What news, traveller, does my father send? I feel that Tiru has already told you some of what you shall soon hear. When you have spoken, you shall hear it afresh."

"My dear friends, I am deeply grieved to hear about the imprisonment of Abârpânarú in Armenelos. I swear to you by the Valar that I will do everything that I can to get him back. However, we must hurry for your father has assembled the rest of the Faithful in Romenna and plans to leave very soon. He sent me to gather up the remainder of the Faithful, but after I learned the news I sent my ship back, for I could not leave while your husband sits in chains. How may I serve you now my lady? I beseech you, act fast, for time is a luxury we do not have."

Inzillomí rose, an aura seeming to grow about her. She spoke with no art but the eloquence of haste. "It is for the ears of all present that I do now speak. My husband has been arrested under orders from the King. My father has sent word for us to travel swiftly to Romenna. The King's Men arrived here only hours ago to award my family and those near and dear to us the honor of relocating. They shall return in the morning, and it is then that I and my household must leave." She looked at her audience, feeling again the weight of her responsibility to them all. Her cheeks, pale as the face of the moon, were flushed.

Kâthaanî, introspective until now, spoke. "Mother, we cannot leave him." She met her mother's eyes, pleading.

With a smile, Inzillomí looked at her daughter. "No indeed, we cannot. But I will order no man to ride in his rescue, nor will I permit haste to overcome rationality. Where time is not, there it must be made. We shall think as though we had all the time in the world, so that when we act, it will not be in vain." A sound startled Inzillomí, although only Kâthaanî noticed it. Azarmanô rose, shifting his weight to his advantage, as the door gently pushed open. Tiru stepped inside as a collective breath was released. Inzillomí spoke again.

"I spoke that no man would be ordered, for I will condemn no man to a fate that he does not choose. Were it possible, I myself would go to my husband, but with the King's Men returning tomorrow, it would be disasterous to even attempt. If a discreet party can be arranged, and discreet it must be, for with lack of discretion comes many sorrows, not least the loss of life... If a party can be found, they shall ride with my blessing."