Devastating was the full realization that I was no longer among the living. I barely remember it, but there was a point when I was dying, when I felt all my pain begin to fade away, until there was nothing. And then I opened my eyes and all was bright and no longer did I feel the cold that comes from bleeding to death. Whoever it was that said you see your life flash before your eyes in your final moments was terribly wrong. You feel nothing but your life slipping away�until it�s over, and you are dead. And you are standing, clad in white, in a great and glowing hall, lined with tapestries and filled with people.
I looked around for a moment in perplexity, not being fully aware of where I was. I think I still looked the same, but there was a difference in me now, a slight transparency to my flesh that I could not quite describe. It was then that I was shoved out of my wonderment, and most literally at that. I found myself wrapped up in a strong yet tender embrace with some unknown white-clad figure. Pushing myself away, I saw, much to my amazement, that it was Mallor who stood before me now.
�Mallor?� I asked hesitantly. He smiled and hugged me once more before letting go of me. �You are dead too, then?�
�Aye!� he said with an enthusiasm that frightened me.
�I did not think that was something you would be terribly happy about,� I commented wryly.
�I cannot say I am so glad to be dead as I am to see you here. I feared that you might go where I could not follow,� he said, his mood darkening slightly. �I am sorry I failed to protect you, to see you safely to Bree as we had intended.�
�Do not say such things,� I tried to assure him. �You did more for me than you were ever called to do, my dearest friend, and for that I am eternally in your debt. You are free now of whatever obligations Aratan placed on you when we left Minas Tirith.�
�I shall watch over you for the rest of this time without end. I do this because you are closer than a sister to me, and because I need something to keep me preoccupied for the rest of forever,� he laughed lightly. I shoved him with a smirk and then turned to examine the tapestries on the walls. They were beautiful; they depicted events with people and great battles.
�Who makes these, Mallor?� I asked curiously, reaching out to touch one of them gently.
�They are made by Vair�, spouse of the great Mandos, after whom these halls are named. She crafts them to cover these walls, so that those who wait here might look upon them. It is said that she weaves them to show the events as history unfolds,� he explained, filled with nearly as much wonderment as me.
�We are in the Halls of Mandos?� I asked him, finally turning around with my back now to the wall.
�Of course we are. We shall wait here for Mandos�s judgment, and then be sped on our way wherever he wishes us to go,� explained Mallor. �Elves and Men have different fates, you see. Elves are bound to this earth, and may someday be re-embodied and rejoin their kin in Valinor.�
�Is it true, Mallor, that some Elves sail there from time to time?� I asked, not entirely sure if it did happen at this point in history.
�I have heard it said that some do, but I have never seen it for my own. I suppose we shall not, especially not now.�
�What of Men? Do they stay here as well?� I asked.
�It is said that long ago the race of Men was gifted with death, that someday, being mortal, we may depart from this earth entirely. No one knows where we go, as it is a secret only shared between Mandos and Manw�,� he told me. �Or at least, that is how the stories go.�
I shrugged, figuring that I would find out soon enough anyway. I turned and looked about me, seeing Men and Elves walking and talking throughout the great hall. All were clad in white as Mallor and I were, save for one. There was one, robed in grey, which caught my eye on one far end of the hall. I turned back to Mallor for a moment, and then directed his attention towards the figure.
�Who is that?� I asked.
�That must be Nienna, I think. She is sister to Mandos, the keeper of these halls. She mourns for all the sufferings of this world. I have heard it told in tales that she comes to the halls of her brother to counsel and comfort those who wait here,� he replied thoughtfully. �I suppose they were right after all.�
I stared in her direction for a while, intrigued by the presence of one of the Valar. After a few moments of thinking about it, I decided that I wanted to talk to her. I grabbed Mallor�s hand and started pulling him along with me towards her direction.
�What do you think you are doing?� he hissed at me, pulling back his arm to stop me.
�I want to talk to her, is all. Now come on,� I ordered, letting go of his arm and continuing in her direction. Mallor followed me hesitantly, obviously unsure if it was wise or proper to approach one of the Queens of the Valar. I didn�t really care; I was going to do it anyway. We had to have been maybe two dozen paces away from her when she turned to gaze at us.
She smiled slightly as her sorrowful eyes locked with mine.
