Chapter Three
Seven Sons

When Eve came out of slumber, the first thing she noticed was just how soft the bed she occupied felt. Her body sunk into it, and yet it felt firm too, an odd contrast that seemed strangely fitting for her current circumstances. She did not rise immediately. Instead she let her mind wander to the facts she had gleaned over her two recent encounters.

There were two possibilities, as she saw it then. Either she had hit her head and fallen into a coma, her mind making up this world to cope, or she had been transported to this world for real. Neither choice was particularly soothing. Based on the evidence she had gotten from hitting one of the angel-faced elves, she decided the latter choice was more likely. Even more unsettling.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the wooden door to her bedroom creak open. She first pretended to play asleep, but cracked open her left eye and tried to spy who had intruded. What she saw surprised her.

Two identical faces, about four feet off the ground, peered into her room. They had red hair down to their shoulders, neatly combed, and grey eyes that sparkled with mischief. The one that stood above the other had hair slightly darker than his twin.

Eve found herself fully awake now, and pushed herself into a higher sitting position. But at that moment a familiar voice sounded through the hallway and the twins ducked away.

"We instructed you to let her sleep!" Nerdanel scolded them quietly outside the now-closed door.

"She was already awake, mother," came an indignant voice, clearly one of the children.

A second voice joined the first. "Yes, already awake. We didn't wake her."

Nerdanel sighed. With a knock on Eve's door, she spoke to the young woman. "May I come in, Eve?"

Eve took just a moment to decide before sitting up fully and nodding to herself. "Yes."

After a short discussion with her twin boys, Nerdanel opened the door and smiled at Eve. Eve smiled back.

"Good morning. I hope you found this room comfortable?" Nerdanel physically blocked the door as if worried her young children would try to burst in.

Eve nodded. "Very. It's amazing. This bed is crazy soft."

Nerdanel chuckled lightly. "If you are up to it, there are a few people downstairs who would like to meet you."

Eve's face dropped for a moment. But she decided that if this was indeed a new world she had magically been transported to, she would have to play along. Everyone so far had seemed nice, but she knew there were bad people everywhere.

"Alright," she agreed.

Nerdanel clasped her hands together excitedly. "I will lend you one of my dresses. I only ever had boys, so I hope mine will fit you. We will have the seamstresses make you your own soon."

"You're awesome. Thanks!" Eve smiled wide as Nerdanel nodded, though the look on her face showed how confused with Eve's speech she felt.

Disappearing, Nerdanel went to her own bedroom and took a simple red dress from her wardrobe. She was a little taller than Eve, but hoped it would still fit well enough. And so she returned, knocking. She went in as Eve invited her once more.

She left Eve to dress and stood outside the door. When almost fully changed, but unable to do the back lacing, the young woman invited her new friend back in.

"I don't wear dresses like this at home," she muttered. "Could you help?"

Nerdanel nodded. "Of course! What do you wear, then?"

"Most of the time? Pants and a shirt. Dresses are for formal occasions," she explained. "Do women always wear dresses here?"

"Not all the time, no. But certainly most of the time." Nerdanel finished with the ties and showed Eve to the mirror. "You look splendid."

Eve beamed. "Thank you!"

"Now, downstairs are my sons and my husband. You've already met two of them, remember?" She took Eve by the hand and led her to the hallway. "I have seven sons."

"Wow," Eve gaped. "Seven?"

Nerdanel chuckled. "I see that is odd even in your home. Few have that many here, either. But I love each of them with all my heart."

They walked out into the hallway and past several doors. Talking could be heard as they got closer to wherever Nerdanel led her. She heard the voices of the twins, and recognized one from the night before. The others were strange to her, though not unpleasant.

Finally, the voices became people as they turned a last corner. Everyone fell silent upon seeing the two women. Eve shrunk back. Eight men sat or stood in a large kitchen. Three with auburn hair, one with blonde, the rest dark. One from the day before, the redhead, stood talking quietly to an elf who watched Eve with sharp eyes.

"This is Eve." Nerdanel never moved her hand from her charge. "She is the elleth who will be staying with us." After a brief silence, she continued. "Eve, these are my sons. As our names are longer than what you are used to, let us stick to short ones. Nelyo and Káno you met yesterday."

Both elves smiled at her softly. Eve waved back and then decided that to be a very stupid reaction and put her hand down.

"Next is Tyelko." She pointed out the blonde elf who sat at the table. His face was even more fair than the others. Then she moved to an elf who stood leaning against a wall. "Moryo is there." When Nerdanel was sure Eve followed, she continued by gesturing to a slightly shorter elf beside Tyelko. "Curvo is over here."

One of the twins ran over to her. He came to above her waist and grinned. "I am Ambarussa!"

"I am Ambarussa!" said the other one, standing next to his brother.

Eve raised an eyebrow and looked at Nerdanel. "What? Both?"

Snickering came from the other brothers, but Nerdanel merely sighed. "It is a long story. You may call them Telvo and Pityo."

Finally the elf who stood beside Nelyo came forward and looked Eve over carefully. She suddenly felt exposed, but she did not feel malice from the man. Instead, curiosity radiated off him like warmth.

"Fëanáro, Prince of the Noldor," he nodded to her in greeting. "These are my sons."

"Prince?!" Eve gasped audibly and glanced at Nerdanel almost in accusation. "You guys are, like, royalty?"

Tyelko and Curvo both laughed, causing Eve to blush. But Nerdanel smiled warmly at her. "Yes, child. We are, but do not let that change any feelings you may have. I have explained to my family what has happened to you. And though like the Valar we do not understand it, we promise to help as best we can."

"Trust me, I don't get it either. One minute I was dying, the next minute I'm here. I thought..." she fell quiet and shook her head.

"Nerdanel smiled softly and encouraged her. "What did you think?"

"I thought I'd be able to see my mother again, in heaven." Eve felt tears stinging her eyes but did not let them fall.

Káno nodded. "You used that word last night. Is that your name for what happens after death?"

"Yeah. It's supposed to be beautiful and eternal. And nothing bad happens there." Eve frowned. "But now I'm here."

Fëanáro's face grew hard as he wrestled with his own grief. "And here you must stay, if what the Valar told me and my wife is correct."

"I don't even understand where the hell "here" is," Eve frowned.

Nerdanel led her to the table. She sat across from Tyelko and Curvo, and beside a now-seated Nelyo. Nerdanel told one of her youngest sons to fetch a map. When he returned, she laid it out before Eve.

"This is Valinor, the fullness of the Blessed Realm. We are here." She pointed to a marker called 'Tirion'. "This is the city of the Noldor."

Nelyo, sitting beside her, smiled. "Would you like to see Tirion?"

"You mean go outside?" Eve looked skeptical. "People will stare."

Káno laughed. "Let them stare. They can do nothing."

"You can tell strangers that you are a cousin of Nerdanel's. Your hair fits the story well," Fëanáro assured her. "And you are visiting after a long life away."

"Sketchy. But fine." She looked around. "Should I go alone? You guys are probably pretty busy."

Fëanáro shook his head. "I need to take some of my sons to the forge today, but my eldest are free." He saw the hopefully looks of the Ambarussa and shook his head. "Not you. You have lessons today."

"Don't worry, guys," Eve laughed, "I did my time too."

Nelyo and Káno stood them their seats and gestured for her to follow. She stood as well and turned to Nerdanel, thanking her profusely.

"Where will you take her?" Nerdanel asked her sons.

Nelyo replied. "I thought to show her the palace. Findekáno is there watching Iríssë and Artanis while Eärwen and Anairë spend time at Alqualondë."

"A good plan." Nerdanel agreed. "Keep out of trouble."

"We aren't taking Moryo," Káno teased, sending a glance at his middle brother. "That would be trouble."

"Hilarious," the other elf deadpanned.

And so Eve followed Nelyo and Káno out into the great city of the Noldor. Their house, close to the tower palace, stood at the peak of the city. As she walked into the golden light of Laurelin, she gasped and stood still. The white marble glowed from the splashing light and suddenly a single thought entered her mind. "City on a hill. So this is heaven."