It is your personal life and really none of my business, my earlier comments were assuming it was common knowledge. I'm sorry.

There are, whatever the gods think, worse things that could be said of me.   

If Thingol gets a Silmaril I could probably preempt the civil war by executing a couple hundred carefully selected people but I really do not want to do that.

Assuming that Beren has no chance of success unless he tries shortly after I kill Melkor it's not something to worry about. This particular mess would be entirely Thingol's fault, as far as I know I could just take it from him and kill him so that he doesn't go to war for it.

Oh, speaking of, if we win this war, there are a lot of people who I would like to try for war crimes when it's done. Do you think it might be feasible to convince them to agree to accept the verdict of such a trial?

...depends who, and what sort of verdicts you'd be handing down.

I would not be handing down any verdicts. Panel of judges, supposedly dwarves are reasonable. I'd make sure there aren't verdicts like "Fine: one silmaril" but death sentences are possibly on the table. 'Who' is mostly the Fëanorians and Thingol and Melian, but really I'm thinking "Anyone in a position of power who someone wants to bring charges against."

Death sentences would be less problematic than imprisoning people. I cannot imagine how you'd get Thingol and Melian to play along; Maedhros would but probably on the condition that any charges against anyone under his command be answered by him instead, with immunity for all of them.

How noble of him. That would probably be acceptable. I do not have a very good read on Thingol and Melian yet, I am guessing they don't hate your cousins enough to agree to a trial conditional on the cousins also being brought to trial? Is there anyone else still living who committed a bunch of atrocities that I haven't been told about?

I participated in the Kinslaying, if that failed to come up in whatever summary of it you received. Thingol and Melian wouldn't risk their own lives to see justice done and, to be fair, Melian personally sustains the ecosystem of Doriath and would be wronging her people if she did. 

I heard about your role in the Kinslaying, I suppose we could try you but if I heard correctly you would probably be acquitted. I don't suppose I could put the Valar on trial.

That would be interesting. I do not see how you would achieve it. Eru either. 

True. A person can dream, though.

Indeed. If Dwarves are drafted to arbitrate your court they might be poorly positioned to bring their own grievances.

Yes, a dwarven panel was my idea before I learned that the Thindar used to hunt them. I am rather cross with Lúthien for neglecting to mention that. A mixed pool of judges might be best, and select the ones that would be unbiased for each particular case...

We may be getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. I will need to meet with Maedhros at some point, for a second opinion on your trustworthiness and the wisdom of teaching your people.

He's an interesting choice for a second opinion on that, but by all means. How long are you planning to be around?

Do you have someone conveniently at hand who would be less biased? I'll probably stay long enough to teach people, at least. A month or two. Then probably to Doriath on the off chance they'll let me in to talk, then to Beren to reassure him that there's no need to charge Angband just yet. Then maybe I'll come back here, it would be good to be near at least one of the groups of people doing spell research and I make people uncomfortable in Nargothrond so here seems as good as anywhere.

I can recommend you plenty of people to talk to but my recommendation would make them less than a reliable source on my trustworthiness - unless I'm unclear on what it is you're worried about? 

I'm reluctant to give out powerful new magic to people who I haven't had a chance to verify are the sorts of people I want to give out powerful new magic to. I gave it to Curufin without checking because I was not exactly in my right mind at the time.

I'll probably give it to your people just because I don't want the Fëanorians to be the only ones with it, that seems politically unbalancing. But if I can verify that you're a more-or-less-decent ruler first I'll be a lot happier about it.

Which is very reasonable and probably not best achieved by asking people I pick out for you.

Yes. Maedhros and Celegorm and hopefully they will point me to others. Thus far everyone I have talked to has praised you, if faintly.

I'll arrange you a meeting with Maedhros.

Thank you.

Waiting! Presumably not in the King's office.

Nope! The nice guest suite has a little study. After a while there's a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

"Talrod? I heard you'd arrived and had to stop by, it's been the better part of a century. How have you been?"

Door closes. And a pleasure to meet you.

They laugh with joy. "Maedhros! Of course you would hear so quickly, I haven't even been here a day!" Likewise. How much do you know?