As they reached the opposite bank, the companions found a strange sight before them. Estë and Lorien stood there, as expected, alongside Manwë, Varda, and Nienna. Immediately they dropped to single knees before Manwë ordered them to rise.

"What is it you desire, lords?" Nerdanel moved forward first, dipping her head to the side in question.

"A... matter has arisen that requires delicate dealings," Manwë told them. "Ilúvatar has done something we do not quite understand."

"What do you mean, my lord?" Kánafinwë looked as confused as the other felt. "What has happened?"

Varda touched her husband's shoulder. She leaned in and spoke quietly. "Perhaps we should show them."

Manwë nodded. He and Varda stepped aside, Lorien and Estë parting from them to the left. Between them the elves saw a woman lying in relaxation, asleep, on the green lawn of Lorellin. Her red hair, barely falling to her shoulders, reminded them all instantly of the strange color that Mahtan had passed down through Nerdanel. She had on a light white dress and her skin was pale.

"Who is that?" Findekáno asked in confusion. "I have not seen her before."

Nienna responded immediately, "That, dear children, is why you are here. We do not fully understand what Ilúvatar has done, but somehow this... child of Ilúvatar has been placed here, by other means than normal life cycle."

"More than that," Varda added. "Her fëa is not of the firstborn, and yet her hröa is."

Nerdanel smiled. "While I do not fully comprehend your meaning, lords, I think I understand why you have brought me here at least. She is in a strange place, in a strange body, and needs care. Is this true?"

"Yes." Manwë smiled at Nerdanel. "That was our thinking. We know you are wise, even among the Eldar, Nerdanel, daughter of Mahtan. We had hoped to place her in your care."

Nelyafinwë cocked his head and looked at her. "She is shorter than the average Elda."

"We do not know, but guess this is because she was not first an Elda," explained Manwë. "We do not know what she was, but we guess of the Second kindred that has been mentioned to you."

"We wished for all four of you to take her into your care," Varda quickly continued. "Nerdanel, be as a mother to her. She appeared terrified upon waking in our presence. We do not wish for her to fear this world."

"I shall do my best, my Queen," Nerdanel agreed.

Varda continued for the other three. "Be brothers to her, friends. She has a great deal to learn about the ways of the Eldar. You will understand why I say such things when Estë wakes her. She spoke of things confusing to the Valar, things we have not seen or heard from Ilúvatar."

"Of course, my queen," Findekáno assured her with a nod.

Káno nodded. "She will want for nothing, not if we can show and give it to her."

"Nelyafinwë, what have you to say?" Nienna looked at the only elf who had yet to speak.

"I will help as I am able. I am merely thinking of how my father shall react," he murmured. "It will certainly take some adjusting to. Where will she live, for one? The Ambarussa are still a hand full despite growing in age. Adding a confused elda to our family might not be the best idea."

"I went and spoke with Fëanáro before sending you your summons," Nienna told them. The elves saw, for the briefest moment, surprise pass over the other Valar's faces, but it vanished in an instant as she continued. "He is willing to give it a try. He assured me that she will be well cared for as well as he is able, if she chooses to stay with Nerdanel and the family that still lives in your first house at Tirion."

Nelyo nodded. "Let us meet the newest member of the Eldar then."

Nienna gestured for all four to approach the sleeping girl, but asked them to give her space. Estë and Lorien went forward then to her, beside Nienna, and Estë touched her forehead. Immediately the young woman began to stir, breathing sharpening and eyes darting to and fro until finally she opened them. They knew she was odd from the moment her mouth opened and she spoke in an accent strange to them, though Quenya words came forth.

"Clothes this time, that's a good thing," she muttered as she looked down at her dress when she sat up. "Still crazy people though. This is not what I thought heaven would be like. Not at all. I mean, like, where's the golden city on a hill or the angels." Then her eyes landed on the elves. "Wow. Angels definitely here. Can check that one off the list."

"Child." Nienna smiled warmly at her. "Would you stand please?"

Eve made a face but nodded, and with Nienna's help, whom she decided she definitely liked, she stood up and straightened her dress. "So are my friends here too? Because they definitely should've followed me to the afterlife."

"Afterlife?" Nelyo finally asked from them, surprise evident on his face at her choice of word. He had not understood 'heaven' but afterlife definitely implied a simple fact. "You think yourself dead?"

A drawn expression passed over her. "Oh I'm definitely dead." Then she paused. "Why, are you not dead?"

Nerdanel smiled and went forward. "We are not, little one."

"How the hell is that possible," Eve muttered. "I'm definitely dead unless I've been whisked away by some kind of anomaly like the Caretaker on Voyager."

The elves and the Valar exchanged confused looks. Finally Nienna spoke again.

"Eve, you are in Arda, in Aman. Here is where we dwell with the Elves, as these four before us are called." She felt Eve tense beneath her warm hand. "Eru, the one we call Ilúvatar, brought you to this place. Perhaps you did die, in your home."

"So I died and what, ended up here?" Eve began to laugh. "This isn't happening. Maybe I just hit my head too hard in that car crash."

Findekáno stepped forward. "You cannot deny that we exist, can you?"

She shut her mouth immediately. "Sorry, what?"

He smirked and stepped forward again. "Come, touch my hand. I definitely exist. I shall prove it to you."

"Okay, sorry to burst your bubble since you seem convinced that you exist." She went forward and slapped him in the face. When her hand met his skin, she stumbled back in shock and held her hand to herself. "Oh my god."

Meanwhile, Nelyo had completely lost his ability to maintain a calm exterior and, alongside his brother, fell to pieces in laughter. The look on their cousin's face was priceless. It was not everyday that someone smacked a royal Noldo in the face, least of all kind Findekáno. Even Nerdanel hid her smile behind her hand.

"What was that for, my lady?" He looked like a kicked puppy. "I told you to touch my hand, not hit me."

"You're real?" was all they got out of Eve for several minutes after that as she began to process her new reality. "This is real, I'm really here, I'm dead but somehow I'm here with these angel elf things and..." Finally she stopped and gasped, tears coming to her eyes again. "That means Sophia and Christopher must be dead too. Oh my god, this is real. They're dead, they're gone.... They're.. No no no."

There were few who understood what death truly meant, and none of them were present. Fëanáro and Finwe alone grasped fully what it meant to leave the living. Yet the sobs wracking the young woman's body was enough to cause all mirth to drain from that place.

Nerdanel stepped forward and, with Nienna's silent permission, took hold of Eve's other hand. "You say your name is Eve? I am Nerdanel. These two are my eldest sons, Nelyo and Káno, and the one you hit is Findekáno."

"Finno is acceptable," he amended for her, holding and massaging his jaw in pain.

"Did you lose someone close to you, darling?" Nerdanel ran a hand down her back. "Someone you loved?"

"My best friends," she coughed out as she struggled to stop the tears. "Sophia and Christopher. We got into an accident, we all died, I guess." She paused and laughed between her tears. "Sort of like the Last Battle. Peter, Edmund, and Lucy all went to Aslan's Country. I always did like those books."

"If you would like, we could take you to our home, and tell you all about our own books we have here in Valinor," Nerdanel asked her with a smile. "I shall keep my sons and nephew out of trouble."

Eve frowned but nodded. Then she looked up at the five Valar around them who remained silent. "Am I now an elf?"

"Your hröa, the physical form you bear, is indeed of the elves," Manwë said with a nod. "But your spirit, your essence, called fëa is of something else. We can only assume it is of Ilúvatar's secondborn."

"Human," she corrected. "I'm human, Mankind, girl, woman." She glanced around. "No 'race of man' here, then?"

"Mankind," Manwë said quietly. "It sounds correct. Almost like what the music first sounded in our song." Then he straightened up. "No, Eve Gallowyn. You are the first, even to be half of the Secondborn."

"Great," she murmured as Nerdanel urged her forward. Nienna gave her the great silver blanket she'd had and Eve wrapped it around her shoulders. "I'm alone then."

"No, you are not." Káno smiled to her and shook his head. "The Valar have placed you in our care. We shall help you learn of the Eldar."

She smiled at him gratefully and turned to Finno. "Sorry about hitting you."

Findekáno shrugged. "I am sure many have wished to do so, and you were frightened. I do not hold it against you."

She thanked him and together they left Lorien behind. The Valar bid them farewell then, and Nienna assured Eve she would often check in on her progress. But all the Valar agreed she would only heal her soul if she stayed around beings like her, even if only in body. And so they left, Nerdanel sharing her horse for the journey back. By the time they reached Tirion, Telperion fully bloomed, and even began to wane with Laurelin shining to replace him. They slipped into the city unnoticed, and Eve, fast asleep in front of Nerdanel, did not witness the beginning of the day, nor her arrival at the house of Fëanáro.