19 | Saving the Sons of Durin

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Location: Dale, Middle Earth

Time: November 2941 T.A

Tomorrow morning, it would be exactly nine months since she had arrived in Middle Earth. Rather daunting to imagine for her considering how much had happened during that time, making those nine months hardly the time worth its length. It had almost felt like it had been the longest week she had endured, filled with times where she wanted to die whilst the rest made her wish she were truly already dead and living in heaven that was her own imagination.

Not that Illyria thought she was having the worst time possible right now. Well...ignoring the fact that tomorrow morning could be the deaths of countless lives that shouldn't be gone. The Valar must be seething at her (and especially Mandos) for intervening like any sorcerer would be, for just existing in this world. She can imagine Vairë, the weaver of the fate of Arda, re-patching several parts of the story just to keep up with the unknown future they would be going through. [1]

Yeah, she was fucking up their song alright. And Illyria Strange should feel bad.

However, proud to be a badass motherfucker and had encountered a purple alien wanting to rid half of the universe as well as break all laws of sorcery before the age of twenty-one – Illyria just didn't give a shit anymore.

She was going to go through with her plan whether Gandalf the Grey deemed it wrong for his Valar. Somehow, the maia hadn't even batted an eye as she was continuously putting shields around the city with the aid of her children. (Which was still really weird to say in her head because yes, she was only twenty and she'd hardly even gotten through some sort of midlife crisis yet. And her children were 2000 or so older than her.)

Once Dale seemed to quieten down, her plan was on the go. Illyria had spoken to both Elrond and Glorfindel of her plan with Bilbo, taking about ten minutes trying to persuade her brother and husband (still can't believe that as well) to head off to Erebor to try and change Thorin Oakenshield's mind.

Good thing she didn't elaborate on that account or else they'll definitely won't allow her to go.

Thranduil, the lovely blonde prick, had done all he could to prevent anyone from leaving the city. Especially her and any of Noldorin elves, which slightly pissed Elrond off: who insisted on healing the rest of those citizens from Esgaroth after their meeting.

With now her satchel and a spare sword she gained from Elrohir, she placed the hood over her head, Elrond's scent lingering around her nose with a comforting feeling before heading down towards the Northern side of Dale. She was expecting to meet a certain hobbit down there so they could sneak out.

But who also stood idling in the shadows had been her daughter. Illyria spotted her and approached her with a questioning glance. She spoke, "Arwen, I spoke to Elrond and Glorfindel already. They'll notice that Bilbo and I are gone along with Thranduil and Gandalf."

Her daughter had a determined look in her eyes as she said, "I will come with you."

Illyria took a second to think about it, but in the end, shook her head. "No, I want you to protect the women and children here. Ease them from fear." She told her, "I'm going with Bilbo to sort Thorin out."

Her daughter didn't seem convinced by her decision, who would when she was about to take the risk. Arwen seemed to have already known her decision, and she felt a little guilty for not informing either of her children about it. Illyria assured her through her mind that she will be alright and that she'll be back in a couple of hours, hopefully just in time before sunrise.

Arwen eyed the pendant on her neck and her eyes were filled with happiness. 'You are wearing Ada's courting gift to you again.'

As her hand rose to the pendant on her neck, Illyria gave it a look and gawked. It would seem Elrond was being subtle and asking Estel to hand it back to her as a gift. In the end, Illyria felt her cheeks warm as she smiled at the memory of seeing it months ago. 'I guess even after all this time, he still looked out for me.' Illyria looked at her daughter with a sad smile.

Her eyes glistened with tears before Arwen threw her hands around her shoulders, nuzzling her head over her shoulder. "Please stay safe, Naneth," Arwen murmured in her ear.

Illyria turned her head, pressing a gentle kiss over her forehead. 'I will, my Evenstar.'

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"Are you sure this will work?" Bilbo looked up to her as he asked.

They continued to wade through the hidden alleyways of Dale until they arrived at the Northern gates. She made a grim face. "It has to." Illyria exhaled. "Or else we'll be dead by the morning."

Okay, that sounded rather morbid. But was she wrong?

Bilbo grumbled under his breath, "You could have told me more."

Stopping her tracks, she flicked her head down to her hobbit friend and questioned, "And if I did? What would have happened?"

"We would have waited for you and Gandalf. And then Smaug wouldn't have escaped to Laketown and burn it all!" He exclaimed, a tint of irritation.

Illyria tried to suppress the guilt again in her chest. She had been thinking of it again and again after having to help the citizens of Esgaroth prepare themselves for both the winter and the battle ahead.

In the end, she let out a deep breath and watched the cloud of smoke exit into the air around them. "No...some things must stay the same. We call them key points in time. No matter what, the dragon needed to be dead." She quietened afterwards, trying to maintain the confidence in her voice. "I just wished I were there to help them. They didn't deserve that fate in any reality of this world."

The hobbit rose his eyebrows slightly as he responded, "You're here now. You've been able to protect the city with the shields."

Illyria told him, "It will not be enough; Arwen and the twins are inexperienced with only perhaps a couple days' worth of lessons, and the barrier will only stay if energy is kept up." Instead of making Bilbo worry more, she changed the subject and asked him: "How's Thorin? And the Company?"

"Not himself. It is the gold. It changed him." Bilbo gulped, "They call it the gold sickness."

When that question rose, Bilbo immediately looked rugged and worn. The protective and confident face he worse when he arrived her with Arkenstone/Silmaril in hand had fallen and here she was seeing the truth in her friend's mind. He was lost and hurt by everything around him. The elves, the men, the dwarves and even the wizard who brought him here in the first place. Bilbo was doubting his place and beginning to sense how much Thorin meant to him. How the Company meant to him.

Illyria wanted to stop and squeeze him into a tight hug. To tell him that everything would be alright and that the sun will come up once more.

Nine months ago, she had promised him that if he wanted to be gone she would portal him back to Bag-End no matter the consequence. She expected him at some points in the journey that he would finally crack and beg her – she would be proud either way for it meant that he knew his limits.

But someone once told her that love was limitless. It will transcend through time and worlds and realities, more than you can imagine. Illyria saw it in Bilbo, his love for the dwarves – for Thorin. And she saw it in Elrond and Glorfindel as well.

This curse. The gold sickness. Illyria had encountered several curses and spells such as that and knew to an extent how it could possibly be overcome.

"Yeah, I know. We'll just have to try," Illyria gave an encouraging look to which Bilbo silently prayed to. She will do what she can. For Bilbo and for Thorin. And for the Company.

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They snuck around Thranduil's guards before using the sling ring to portal closer to Erebor's main doors. When gazing up to the doors of Erebor at the closest she'd ever been to, Illyria couldn't help but be amazed at the structures. She'd seen it in the movies, hell she's seen people build it in Minecraft – having watched a ton of videos of communities building these from the ground up. [2]

Seeing it, in reality, was a whole other level. The geometric patterns and intricate designs gave it an entirely different atmosphere to what the elves drew in as their architecture. She would imagine someone like Harley would appreciate something like this, even though he was mostly a Star Wars fan. [3] (They usually did a marathon once in a while of all the episodes during the holidays. They invited Peter one time but after summer, he hadn't replied to any of their texts or Snapchat at all.) [4]

As they arrived at the main doors, Bilbo told her that he escaped abseiling down the main balcony, and she gave the hobbit a look that said: 'you really think I'm going to climb up?'. The hobbit snorted and pointed at her hand and she did all she could not stick her tongue out before creating a portal to the top.

Once they were inside, Illyria could sense something uncomfortable around her. Yes, it was dark and gloomy and yet hauntingly beautiful with the large, cavernous pillars and overhangs and bridges. But the aura around her made it felt as if she was wading through mud and marshes. Something was causing this unwanted magic around here and despite Bilbo not sensing it like her, he must have already seen it in the other dwarves when they arrived here.

'The gold must be affecting them,' She deduced. 'Smaug must have cursed it during the last two hundred years.' She knew that dragons in this world must have some magical powers that could affect others, according to the books and all the websites she's briefly skimmed through. Like the great wingless dragons that overrun Gondolin – Elemmírë previous home – as well as Ancalagon, the big ass dragon that could probably make Daenerys Targaryen jealous of Melkor. [5]

However, she had yet to tackle curses such as these. The gold she spotted amongst the hoard was creating a stench that made Illyria swallowed the bile down her throat until all she did was continue following Bilbo to where the others were.

When they did arrive at one of the halls, she found Kili and Fili with Bofur and Ori. The four dwarves were scavenging the pile of gold and jewels (possibly for the Arkenstone), wearing already their armour for tomorrow morning.

Ori spotted her, a genuine smile on the young dwarf's face since many moons ago. She missed Ori's conversations about their culture, though knew from his eyes he was terrified for tomorrow. Kili on the other hand was a little calmer and more worried, trying to search for someone else behind her and Bilbo.

Tauriel. She must exist in this world if Illyria can deduce from the longing gaze beyond him. And the fact that he had those lovey-dovey eyes which she'd seen in both her dad and Darcy and with Bilbo and Thorin.

Oh good lord, was she like this with Elrond as well? She bet Gandalf and Glorfindel and her children were having a right old laugh about them.

However, it was Fili who was the first to greet them, "Illyria? What are you doing here?"

Bilbo and she arrived at the bottom of the board. "I came here to make sure you were all okay." She answered, remaining her calm demeanour.

It was there she told them what Bilbo told her about Thorin. The dwarves didn't deny it; Thorin had acted different ever since they arrived, staying awake all day and night and never leaving the treasury. He would sit in the gold for days on end, mumbling to himself and losing his thoughts to his own mind.

Illyria thinned her lips at that and thought carefully. The curse seemed to throw people's minds to the worse of their abilities, but why had Thorin been the most affected? Even both Kili and Fili, the closest related to Thorin didn't seem affected as badly as their uncle. Yes, they were a little obsessed, but they knew the gold was bad the moment she told them. (Kili even tossed the jewel he was fiddling with in his hands the moment she said it will rot their brain.)

She asked how old Thorin had been when the dragon arrived, and Ori had told her that he was only around his thirties when Smaug decimated Dale and Erebor. And that Thror already had the gold sickness already. So, it wasn't entirely the gold. The gold was just cursed and enhanced most of the sickness there. Illyria wished that Elrond was here; he was the healer person and he probably knew how to solve this.

Illyria interrogated them some more, their time getting closer as she rushed them through. She needed enough information to tackle Thorin and push his mind back to the surface, but she couldn't come in blindsided.

It was suddenly when she remembered Thorin's father, Thrain, which she realised something. The rings.

No, not the one ring (which Bilbo possessed in his pocket) but one of the Dwarven rings. Sauron had made them for the dwarves hoping to control them, but due to their resistance, it only heightened their personalities of greed and hoarding.

Thror and Thrain had the ring all their lives.

And not only the ring, but the Arkenstone as well. The Silmaril was even more powerful than she had imagined it to be. The dwarves were not affected by it such as humans and elves, but it was enough to even enhance the same traits.

Illyria finally knew how to process this all and suggested her plan to the rest of the dwarves.

The other dwarves gave each other glances of concern. "Thorin won't like this." Bofur frowned.

She inhaled slowly and replied, "No, he won't. But Thorin needs to be back to normal before all things go down."

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The five eventually agreed with her idea and guided her down to where Thorin was usually wandering about talking to himself.

It was the great royal hall, the same golden-floored hall Illyria had once seen on the screen. As Elemmírë, she had no recollection of Erebor coming into her head, so she assumed Erebor was founded after her death. No artificial light was needed to brighten the room for the gold already did so.

A figure was pacing back and forth until they stopped and spotted her, forgetting the other five around her. The Company must be somewhere else in the city doing Thorin's bidding.

His eyes flashed into defence as he hissed, "You! Why are you here!"

Illyria continued to walk towards him, replying. "Hello to you too." She eyed him up and down and sarcastically added, "You seem fucking draped. Guess you're in for the next season of RuPaul's drag race?" [6]

"I do not care about what you say. Get out of my sight!" He roared, stalking towards her.

She made a grim look before she replied, "I'm sorry Thorin, I need to do this." Illyria ordered, "Boys, now!"

Kili and Fili restrained their Uncle from the side, keeping him secure as Illyria bend down and grabbed his hand – pressing it against her chest. With one swift movement, she rose her hand towards his chest before sensing her mind leave her body.

Her surroundings changed and she spotted her and Thorin's physical bodies slump to the ground whilst Thorin's astral body floated just a few feet from her. There was a panicked expression on him, as he began to look at his hands.

"...Where...where am I?" Thorin's voice trembled.

It wasn't what surprised Illyria by a dwarf in his astral body but the fact that his astral body was glitching, fazing in and out like an old television screen. The curse must be doing this to his astral form.

"Jesus Christ, you are really not doing well." Illyria breathed through her teeth as she floated down onto the ground and waited for him.

Though, Thorin was still in his panic zone – just like most people who experience the Astral dimension for the first time. Her dad panicked just like this before, hearing from Mordo how his heart rate almost caused him to have a heart attack.

He demanded, "What is this? What is this witchcraft!" Thorin's eyes flicked to hers as he pointed. "You!"

Charging towards her, he tried to throw a fist, but she used her energy to dematerialise her body. His body went through her, stumbling forwards before glitching again. She turned around and kept her cool.

"You cannot harm me, Thorin." She explained to him thoroughly, "You are in the Astral Dimension. And right now, we are going to sort out your gold sickness problem."

He floated down onto the ground, grumbling back: "I am not sick!"

She did all her best not to roll her eyes back. Illyria couldn't fuel his anger anymore; she needed him to be at her side.

"Maybe not how you think it is. But you are sick, mentally." Illyria gestured to him. "There is a curse in that gold, I can sense it and it's been corrupting you as well as the exposure to both the Arkenstone and one of the Dwarven rings."

Thorin stopped for that moment and questioned, "What? Why?"

Illyria decided to explain as simply as possible about her deductions. "Firstly, your family held one of the rings which Sauron gave you, which had never been able to control your kind but has left you to enhance your worse traits such as the greediness of jewels and metal."

Perhaps Sauron knew that Thorin would fall under the curse as he did expose himself to it since his younger years. He would either die due to it or cause more turmoil for the other realms.

The next bit, Illyria had to bite the dust and reveal to him the truth.

Taking a deep breath, Illyria continued. "The Arkenstone on the other hand...is a Silmaril. One of the three jewels Fëanor created in Valinor. It holds the light of the trees, which brings out the most to those surrounding it." She saw his eyes widen as the familiar words entered his mind. "And with your gold and your culture, it heightened your greed and along with some weird-ass curse around the gold which Smaug created."

She watched him ponder for a moment, patiently keeping an eye on his fazing. His astral form was becoming more stable, though with the erratic glitching.

Thorin slowly spoke, "So, you are saying that it is evil. That I cannot have what is rightfully mine?" His voice was growing frustrated, which almost threw Illyria to an exasperated sigh.

Which somehow did happen as she stomped over to him. "This is the very reason you are not okay! That Silmaril can't be 'wielded' willy-nilly or paraded about. It practically has the same power as the sun!" Illyria waved her hand as she continued. "Look, jewels and gold: those things are not worth equivalent to anything out there. Do you know what is?"

There was a moment of silence between them.

"No." He answered.

Illyria's eyebrows creased as she stressed out, "Your family. Your people. They are worth more than gold and a fucking jewel! They are the treasure. Like Bilbo too! They've been at your side, trusting you, following you." She gestured over to the "You are not defined by the Arkenstone, Thorin. You are Thorin, King under the Mountain. Not the King of the Arkenstone."

His head shook, glitching slightly. "If I do not have it, none of the clans will follow me."

Illyria scoffed inwardly. Honestly, what was it with jewels and stones and everything? Her entire time in this world, she had realised that jewellery and trinkets have somehow brought the best and worst out of people. Like the Silmarils and the rings. All ended up somewhere that should not be in anyone's hands other than the earth itself.

"Then it's their loss. A stone can't give you loyalty, people's trust and kindness and strength can. But you, you're one the fucking best characters I have yet met." Illyria sighed and admitted. "Yes, you can be an asshole sometimes-"

Thorin gave her a narrowed gaze which she wasn't affected anymore.

Her face relaxed then and smiled, "But you've stuck to your word. You brought your people here to give them a home." Illyria walked over to him and carefully took his hand, gazing down at him. "You are a good person, Thorin. I know you are, deep down there: better than anyone, stronger than what you believe yourself to be." She carefully took one last breath and allowed light to emit from her palms.

She had never tried to heal anyone through the Astral Dimension, and she was surprised that after allowing her energy flow through him, Thorin's form had stopped fazing.

Illyria took a step back and waited for him to speak. He had been staring at his hands, looking at his unconscious form.

Silence ensued.

Then, she heard quiet whimpers as Thorin whispered, "What have I done? I should never have done this."

For once, Thorin Oakenshield broke down. She floated back to him, placing her hand atop his shoulder as she quietly allowed him to weep through his guilt. Sometimes there needed a time for someone like him to realise his mistakes, and Illyria allowed him the time in the Astral form to do so.

Illyria sadly smiled down at him and murmured, "I know, Thorin. It's okay. It's okay."

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Bilbo pulled her up as he exclaimed, "You're back! What happened?"

She didn't respond any time soon as Illyria waited for Thorin to get up. Illyria continued to walk forward as Bilbo rushed after her.

Kili warned her, "Illyria stand back, he might-"

He staggered upwards, holding his head with his hands as he groaned. When he took a step forward, his nephews held him back a bit. Though Thorin pushed them slightly, hinting for him to give him some space.

Illyria spoke softly, "No, it's alright." She asked the dwarven king. "Thorin, you good?"

When his head rose, Illyria held her breath for a moment – her heart racing as she mentally crossed her fingers. When his eyes looked into hers, she could sense a calmness in them.

None of the curses lingered in his heart and mind.

Thorin nodded at her and solemnly spoke, "I am alright." He continued, "Thank you very much, Illyria Ettelea."

She watched him carefully at her spot, relieved to find the Thorin she knew before to have finally been back to normal self. Kili and Fili were happy and relieved, giving him each a tight hug before Thorin turned over to the hobbit in front of her. Thorin had approached Bilbo, eyes glazed over with tears.

At last, he had embraced Bilbo, brushing his hair before placing a gentle kiss atop his forehead. "And thank you, Bilbo."

"What for?" Bilbo glanced up to Thorin to ask.

His expression returned to shame as he answered, "For staying." Thorin muttered, "I am sorry, Amrâlimê." [7]

Illyria's heart thumped at the sight of the two, but inside she was crying with happy tears. Those two had been dancing around each other for months and she was glad that they've finally had the guts to show their affection to one another.

She telepathically told the other four to give them space for a minute, their eyes and ears lingering away before Bilbo awkwardly pulled away and stood back at her side.

Man, she was so proud of her friend. The twins are going to be ecstatic when they hear about this.

Once Thorin seemed well enough, he called the rest of the Company together who also was surprised to find her. Balin has spotted her first and noticed the change of Thorin's demeanour had changed from when they first entered the mountain. Illyria bowed her head in respect to the elderly dwarf who insisted she become one of the first dwarf friends of the company along with Bilbo.

Though with what Bilbo and Thorin were going, it seemed it might be more than friends.

After that, Illyria sadly had to cut the party and had the Company bring their attention to her. She shuddered out a large breath and plopped herself onto the ground, making them all sit around her. "So, the Silmaril is back with my brother. And the elves are coming. I need to tell you everything. The Battle. And the truth."

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Elrond was losing his patience.

Thranduil was not compromising on any of his or Glorfindel's suggestions whilst Mithrandir was on the verge of perhaps hitting his staff where Thranduil's head should be.

They had been stalling Thranduil for two hours since Illyria had left with Bilbo Baggins. The Sindarin elf already assumed that she had left to defend her 'precious dwarves' and from Elrond's place, he was rather displeased at what the king was thinking of his wife. (Elladan and Elrohir were maintaining their composure through their body, but their minds have been reacting to what Thranduil had been thinking.)

Glorfindel somehow did not need any telepathic reading to know the tension was high in the tent. Arwen was sitting beside him, not even affected by the pacing Mithrandir was doing or the awkward shuffling Bard of Esgaroth was doing.

He glanced down at the table and spotted Thranduil pouring the last bit of the bottle, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Elrond could've sworn it was full half an hour ago.

Taking a sip, Thranduil placed his glass down and questioned, "Where is Elanor?"

The moment he spoke of Illyria's Sindarin name, Elrond knew the consequences. He knew Elemmírë had no love of that name and passed on the notion to everyone – especially the twins. It was exactly the reason why they were almost banned from Thranduil's halls just several hundreds of years back. Almost.

If they decided to prank Thranduil guards by replacing their arrows with kitchen utensils Elrond wouldn't be surprised that he would find the king pulling his sons by the ears all the way back to Imladris himself. If Thranduil could.

It would be a feat to test two half-elves with the blood of The Eternal running through their veins.

He heard his son, Elladan, tightly replied, "Her name is Illyria. And she will come."

Thranduil peered his eyes at his son before flashing a warning look back at him. Elrond kept his composure; he was used to Thranduil's coldness and dislike of Noldorin elves, especially those who associated with the Fëanorians.

The Sindarin king was about to speak until there was the sound of a spark.

Elrond immediately remembered the familiar hiss and glanced over to his right. Right in the middle of the room, a golden circular gateway opened. He heard several gasps around the room until his heart was relieved to see three figures exit.

Illyria came through first, her arms still out along with her special ring in her hand. Then came behind her had been the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins along with someone else he had been surprised to spot.

The Ithron stalked over first at the same time as the tallest figure shut the portal behind them. Mithrandir cried, "Lady Illyria, Bilbo Baggins!" His eyes darted over to the dark-clothed dwarf and added, "...Thorin Oakenshield?"

When he noticed the dwarven king's face, there was somehow a sense of calmness and relief in his heart. Elrond hovered his eyes over to Illyria, who found him and quirked her lips before spotting the twins and Arwen next to him.

Whilst Illyria walked over to him and stood between her and Arwen, she placed a hand onto their daughter's shoulder who gazed up with a small smile. Elrond turned back to the scene before them.

"Hello. Glad I wasn't missed." Illyria gazed her eyes back to Thranduil and calmly added, "Now, I think someone has got something to give to you."

Thranduil's eyes darted to hers before he turned and glared at the dwarven king across the small round table. Elrond noticed the small wooden box in Thorin's hands which he placed onto the table and opened it.

Gleaming brightly was a small pile of white crystals. On top was a necklace to which had last seen on the neck of a certain Silvan queen.

More specifically the Queen of the Greenwood Realm.

Thorin declared, "The White Gems of Lasgalen." The dwarf flickered back to Bard and continued, "And a word of promise for your share for Dale, Master Bard."

Both the Elven king and the new King of Dale were gawking at Thorin Oakenshield and he felt Illyria hold her smirk.

Elrond murmured to her, "What did you do?"

Her eyes cast upwards, a little glint that he had yet to get used to. "Gave a little nudge to the right direction," Illyria airily answered, the mysterious cheekiness she had always had.

Returning his focus, Elrond had waited for Thranduil to cautiously hold the necklace before placing it back down into the box. He inhaled sharply, before waiting for the elven king to finally respond with a gaze that wasn't dangerously cold.

Luckily, Mithrandir spoke, "I am glad that you are well, Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarven king bowed his head before gesturing, "You will have to thank Illyria Strange and Bilbo Baggins."

Elrond found his children and Glorfindel to smile secretly at his wife before the sorceress quirked her brow at everyone and clasped her hands together.

"Now, I think we have some planning to do." She spoke.

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It took them an hour to sort through their plans, with several moments that either Illyria and Thranduil would snap or Thorin and Thranduil would.

Illyria had told them about how the battle would commence, along with the goblins entering the north of the mountain as well as the bats from Gundabad. What concerned them had been the were-worms [8], creatures that were a myth to that west of Middle Earth. Even Glorfindel pursed his lips and doubted his sister, but the serious expression his wife wore already told them all she was not joking anymore.

Elrond would say it's an understatement that he was worried. He was terrified of the battle that will occur in several hours. His children: their children were with them. And despite their years of extensive practice and skill of fighting, they have yet to fight with their magic. He had forbidden them, especially Arwen, to use their magic in fights at risk of their own health. Losing his wife during battle was enough for the twins to understand how their magic was unlike anything the elves had, but his daughter was clearly the mind of her mother's.

The Evenstar had been the most affected by Elemmírë's death and had almost caused the entire house and valley to be encased in light hadn't Glorfindel brought her to sleep. That was the first time Arwen had lost control of her magic, and Elrond immediately made sure she and his sons stayed in Imladris until they were alright.

Both him and Glorfindel along with Galadriel agreed for Arwen to learn to control her magic a century later. He hated for her to leave, wanting his daughter to be close to him at such a time. They were mourning for their mother, but Elrond knew that it was best for his daughter to get better. He didn't want to lose her daughter as well.

Almost a millennia later and the presence of Elemmírë Oialëa returning, Elrond had seen the light return in Arwen's eyes. He should have spotted it already, the dynamic between mother and daughter as they spoke to each other during their month in Lothlorien, exchanging stories and magical lessons.

He hated that after bringing his family back together again: war would arrive along with it.

Come to think of it, Elrond now thought this was his curse.

He had been fitting his armour before he found Arwen striding into their tent. He sheathed his sword before passing his daughter's one to her. "You and your brothers have excelled," Elrond stated.

Arwen smiled kindly back, taking the sword before placing it in her belt. "Only with the aid of Nana." She thinned her lips. "A day to only learn how to create a barrier will only last us some time against the enemy."

"And yet it will change the course of this battle," He mentioned, a grim look overrunning his face.

Elrond had believed that Illyria's role in uniting the three races of Middle Earth may have given their chance to come out of this alive. However, the days running up to the present had filled him with similar visions. The same one he had seen back in Imladris, of the mountain and the frozen lake fight with two other races of men.

He had realised then that they could possibly be the same sorcerers as Illyria.

A hand took his own as he glanced up to his daughter's grey eyes, slightly bluer than his own under the sun though dulled by the shade.

She spoke to him, "I know what future you think of Ada. Do not believe it."

He understood that she was trying to lessen his worry, but Elrond only replied: "It is difficult not to when it has been with me for months on end." He whispered, "I promised your naneth, and it is getting harder not to believe it."

Arwen, his darling Evenstar, smiled through her heartbreak. "Then be happy for the time you have left with her. Speak of how you truly feel." She held his hand over her cheek. "I cannot watch you both leave yourselves without any consolidation between the two of you."

"You are so very brave, my Evenstar. I don't understand how you could put a brave face." Elrond said with a tone of pride, leaning down to press a kiss on her temple.

She leaned back afterwards, a small encouraging smile on her lips. "I have learnt from the two best people I could ever ask to share my name. You and Nana are so much more than you think."

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[1] - Vairë: Was a Valie and the wife of Mandos, responsible for weaving the story of the World.
[2] - Minecraft: A game created by a Swedish gaming company called Mojang. It's an open survival world made up of blocks.
[3] - Star Wars: A Sci-fi franchise first being movies. Owned again by big boy Disney.
[4] - Snapchat: A social-media platform where you can send pictures and videos to friends.
[5] - Daenerys Targaryen: A character with a Song of Ice and Fire as well the TV series Game of Thrones. Mother of dragons and the longest name ever.
[6] - RuPaul's Drag Race: A TV reality contest where several drag queens are put up to the test.
[7] - Amrâlimê: It means 'my love' in Khuzdul.
[8] - Were-worms: A mythical creature related to dragons that dig under the ground to travel.

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A/N: I was supposed to post this a few days I've been trying to chug through writing and editing that I completely forgot. But here it is and I guess here comes the canon divergence which isn't entirely too large.

But yeah, I just had to do this and felt pleased with the idea of Illyria helping Thorin through Astral Projection. Who knows it might help in the future ;)

Thank you once again. <3

Edited: 11/10/2021