I don't believe I have the context necessary to understand why that's meaningful.

My father had a really hard time after his father was murdered - was murdered basically to get his attention - and he needed us and I do not regret being what he needed and I am happy that he could accept our help in that way but we all bindingly swore to retrieve his greatest creation from the Enemy and anyone else who withheld them.

And this necessarily involves killing them?

Oath is to kill anyone who knowingly withholds a Silmaril. If we can get the Silmaril back then they're no longer technically withholding it and we don't have to kill them, though.

I trust you won't actually object if she retrieves one of these without killing the relevant person.

When we swore it the Enemy held them all and he still does. I doubt anyone'll get a hold of them before we pry them out of his metaphorically cold dead hands, but it's only him we want dead.

The Enemy?

Deserves it.

Because he murdered your grandfather?

That's not even really where I'd start, but yes, he did in fact do that.

Where would you start, then?

Elves get to choose what form our bodies take. We look like this because we want to. The Enemy, ah, wondered what would happen if you forced Elves to bear him children and then raised the children in constant physical and psychological torment and forced them to swear loyalty to him as soon as they were old enough to talk. That's how he got orcs. Then he bred a million of them, all sworn to serve him and hate Elves and kill us or, if they can, take us alive and as prisoners back to Angband.

He does not quite seem to know how to respond to this.

Not sure that's the best place to start either but it's a little closer.

It seems. Unambiguously sufficient. Revenge is understandable but not optimal; this is...something else entirely.

Odette is going to end him.

Of course she is. Odette isn't exactly the same person as his Edie, but she's certainly close enough that he feels entitled to be proud of her.

We've been trying for four hundred fifty years but with her magic it really can be done.

Under other circumstances, I might offer to help.

Yeah, we don't take risks when we've got young kids either. I think Odette'll be more than sufficient, though. We can stay here until she gets strong enough.

He smiles. Odette being more than sufficient is also one of the circumstances.

I think she's looking forward to it. Has been from the minute she met my brother.

Her magic is painful to do, see. But he spent fifty years in Angband and barely even notices being in pain. He asked her when it'd start.

I can certainly understand why a version of my daughter would look forward to destroying someone like that.

I tried explaining to your daughter that she really shouldn't try reading my brother's mind.

He gives a mental sigh. I hope she listened. Do you think she's likely to get the chance?