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In Middle-earth, behind the Elven City, a newly built castle stood tall and proud.
This castle, constructed under George's guidance and through the collaboration of humans and elves, was modeled after Hogwarts Castle and served as the foundation of a new academy.
George himself was the headmaster of this academy.
At this moment, inside the headmaster's office—
"It's a pity that Thingol still refuses to dispatch troops, nor is he willing to send any Grey Elves here to guide or participate in exchanges,"
Crown Prince Finrod let out a sigh as he addressed his human friend, George.
So far, most of their plans had gone smoothly. Scattered humans from across the lands had mostly gathered to live in the Elven City, answering the call of King Barahir and the Kingdom of Bree.
The central defensive line blocking Angband had also been rebuilt.
The Firebeard and Broadbeam Dwarf clans of the Blue Mountains had sent representatives, intending to cooperate with the elves in creating magical equipment capable of resisting Balrog fire.
This way, humans, elves, and dwarves would no longer be helpless when facing the army of Balrogs—or even the possible reappearance of dragons.
Unfortunately, the Grey Elves—who currently made up the largest population of elves on the continent and counted a powerful Maia among them—flatly refused to cooperate. This was the branch led by Thingol, George's granduncle.
The reason was simple: they were still deeply resentful over the slaying of the Sea Elves, and they could not forgive the past incident in which one of Fëanor's seven sons had kidnapped Thingol's daughter, Lúthien.
They had no intention of assisting the Noldor in their war against Morgoth, nor in helping the sons of Fëanor reclaim the Silmarils.
"If the mountain won't come to me, then I shall go to the mountain."
Hearing Finrod's sigh, George pondered briefly and then said,
"Finrod, I want to visit the Kingdom of the Grey Elves and pay Thingol a visit."
He hadn't been idle during this time. He had continued studying and exchanging magical knowledge with the Noldor, gradually gaining deeper insight into their magical system.
Unlike the Vanyar, the Noldor, having largely studied under Aulë—the god of forge and earth—were not as proficient in pure magic. Instead, they excelled at embedding magical power into forged objects, crafting them into enchanted items.
The strength of the Noldor primarily came from the divine light absorbed into their very bodies under the radiance of the Two Trees.
Dwarves, also created by Aulë, were equally skilled in craftsmanship—some even superior to the elves—but they lacked the Noldor's natural affinity for infusing magic into their creations.
Lately, George had been studying alchemy, and the elven method of enchanted forging had proven very helpful. Still, he longed to gain an even deeper understanding of the magical systems of this world.
The Kingdom of the Grey Elves, in particular, was crucial to his research.
There were three individuals there whose knowledge could greatly benefit his studies.
The first was the future Elven Queen, Galadriel, who carried Vanyar blood and had studied the Vanyar's magic in Valinor.
The second was Lúthien, said to be the most beautiful of all elves. Her sleep magic was so powerful it had once put Morgoth himself into slumber.
And the third—and most important—was Melian, the Maia. Unable to travel to Valinor himself, George saw her as his only accessible deity.
Using her divine power, Melian had laid down the Girdle of Melian—an alternate-dimensional enchantment that protected the Grey Elves' kingdom from Morgoth's invasion. Her power was second only to that of the Valar.
"George, are you really planning to visit Thingol?"
Upon hearing George's declaration, Crown Prince Finrod was momentarily stunned.
From his perspective, even when his two younger brothers had gone to plead with Thingol—bringing along their sister Galadriel, who had lived there for some time—they still hadn't been able to sway him. What could George possibly achieve?
George smiled faintly.
"To be honest, I don't think the reasons you just mentioned are the main ones behind Thingol's refusal."
"Oh? Go on, I'm listening."
Finrod's expression immediately lit up with interest.
George explained:
"You have to understand, we're only asking Thingol to help defend and drive away the Balrog army that's rampaging across Beleriand. We're not asking him to launch a counterattack on Angband or to reclaim the Silmarils on behalf of Fëanor.
Besides, Fëanor's seven sons have already fallen apart in the east. They're scattered and on the run."
"So what you're saying is…"
A look of realization slowly spread across Finrod's face.
George continued:
"The Kingdom of the Grey Elves has been established for nearly four thousand years now.
During all that time, under Melian's protection, the Grey Elves have lived in peace and safety.
Now asking them to help deal with the Balrog army means there will be casualties—something Thingol, as their king, clearly wants to avoid.
Even if they manage to drive the Balrogs back to Angband, what benefit would that bring to the Grey Elves?
And as for coming to Dorthonion's Elven City for a magical exchange—well, from their perspective, that's completely unnecessary.
Thingol has never seen my magic. He likely assumes that the magic we humans—who've only recently appeared—can't possibly be powerful or meaningful. To the Grey Elves, it seems of no value, so naturally, he's unwilling to send anyone."
Elves are intelligent beings. And with intelligence comes emotions and desires. Even the Valar and Maiar are no exception to this.
As king, Thingol naturally prioritizes the safety of his people. Refusing to join the fight against Morgoth is entirely reasonable from his standpoint.
But it's precisely because the Grey Elves stayed detached from the war and relied too heavily on Melian's Girdle that Morgoth was able to grow ever stronger—eventually leading to the near annihilation of their race.
Melian's protection over the Grey Elves existed solely because of her love for her husband and daughter.
Later, Thingol was killed by dwarves over a necklace embedded with a Silmaril. His daughter died and was reborn as a human, and Melian, grief-stricken, returned to Valinor. With that, the Grey Elves lost their divine protection.
Despite being the most populous elven kingdom on the continent, the Grey Elves, having lived in long-term peace, were caught completely off guard and slaughtered by a dwarven army from the Blue Mountains. If not for Beren—nearly seventy years old at the time—rushing to their aid, they would've been completely wiped out.
Even then, they were eventually massacred by Maedhros and his brothers, who were driven mad by the oath of the Silmarils, leaving only a handful of survivors.
If Thingol had joined the fight back when Morgoth first began his counterattack and helped defend the frontlines, the Grey Elves might've suffered some losses—but they would've gained valuable combat experience. Their kingdom wouldn't have been so easily overrun by dwarves later on."
"So you're planning to show Thingol your magic?"
This time, Crown Prince Finrod fully understood.
George nodded.
"Exactly. If I can show Thingol the true power of human magic, he'll surely be moved.
And even if he still refuses to send troops, he might at least agree to send someone to the Elven City for magical exchange."
"Alright, I'll send word to my sister right away. She can meet you at the edge of the forests of Doriath and escort you into the Kingdom of the Grey Elves."
Finrod made the decision without hesitation.
The Kingdom of the Grey Elves was closed to outsiders, but since Thingol was their great-uncle, bringing a few guests in wasn't much of a problem.
(End of Chapter)