My name is Aeyera Greenleaf. Also Celebhiril: Silver Lady, and Tindómiel: Daughter of Twilight. I was born a princess of a land once called the Greenwood. What once was good and pure has since become sick and foul, and is now known as Mirkwood. When I was very young, my mother was murdered by orcs in an attempt to save my brother and I. Since then, my father has hated me and sought an opportunity to be rid of me.
Two decades later, the dragon Smaug attacked the dwarf kingdom of Erebor. When I heard, I rushed to the aid of the dwarves, unknowingly leading many of my father's soldiers as well. My brother, Legolas, caught me and carried me away, preventing me from helping them. Before he did, Thorin Oakenshield—known then only as Prince Thorin, son of Thrain—saw me. Thinking I was leaving him, thinking that it was I leading the army—an absurd notion yes, but a notion all the same—and that I was refusing to come to his aid… Well, darkness grew in his heart. Hatred for all elves, but especially towards the King and I.
I was exiled for my crime against the elf king Thranduil. I and those who followed me were banished on pain of death from ever returning to the Greenwood. I parted ways with my brother and soon after was taken prisoner by the evil that dwells in Dol Guldur. For twenty years I was tortured—for what end, I do not know—until one day the guards were sloppy. I know now that they were preparing for the battle of Azanulbizar—the battle for Moria. The pale orc, Azog the Defiler, ran me through with a Morgul blade and left me for dead.
The skin changer Beorn found me and took me to his home, where I was found and healed by the rangers, the Dúnedain. Once I was able to fight, I joined the rangers in their quest of the defense of Middle Earth. For over one hundred years I fought and lived with them. I made dear, dear friends and experienced loss. Not for the first time, of course, but it was the first time one of those who were dear to me died of old age. First it was Argonui, son of Aragorn. Then came Arador, his son. Arador's son, Arathorn, was a dear friend of mine. He passed away a decade before I joined the quest for the Lonely Mountain, though I did not find out until the day I pledged myself to the quest. His child, Aragorn, I never met. All these are the chieftains of the Dúnedain I knew.
The magic in the Morgul blade, coupled with the experienced I had, began to drive me towards insanity. Darkness began to encroach on my mind, twisting my thoughts. I left the rangers and began to travel west, to the sea. If I had had my way, I would be in the Undying Lands. As it turned out I was confronted by Mithrandir, the Grey Wizard, who convinced me to travel with Thorin Oakenshield on the quest to reclaim Erebor. I did, and became close friends to the Princes Fili and Kili. I did not know of their lineage when we met, only that they were kind. We grew very close, and we saved each other more times than I am able to remember. All the while Thorin hated me, until I saved his own life. Only then did he forgive me.
We travelled on to the home of Beorn, and it was on that month-long journey that I realized that I cared for Kili, son of Dís as more than both a brother and a friend. I… carried a torch for him. Soon after this realization, we came to the borders of Mirkwood. We became lost, and were captured by my brother and his soldiers. My father beat me when he saw me, and I spent my time as his prisoner mending. I shared a cell with Kili, and we discovered something beautiful we each held for each other in the darkness of my father's halls: love.
My brother freed me from the dungeon and allowed me to run. I have been given the gift of foresight, in a way. It has happened only a few times, but a brief glimpse of the future is shown me, with a rhyme, or poem—a prophecy—to go with it. I had one as I fled, and I awoke as the company was attacked by orcs. Kili, the one I loved, was wounded by a Morgul shaft as he fought to save his family. We escaped to Lake Town, where a bargeman by the name of Bard took us in and protected us. When Thorin grew greedy, we were found. Using bribery and the promise of gold, Thorin convinced the people of Esgaroth to provide for us. He left the following morning, taking all but five of his fourteen companions. I was left behind, as were his nephews and two others. The anniversary of the day I received my Morgul wound fell on Durin's day, and I was unable to fulfill my duty to the King.
That night, the wound possessed me. I was knocked unconscious, and I experienced a strange thing: I saw my mother, dead for centuries, and she healed me. When I awoke, my wound was but a scar. However, Kili was dying. The Valar spared his life and healed him, though why, I do not know. He asked me a question, and… my mind still spins as I think on it. My pulse races, and my cheeks stretch so wide with grinning that my face begins to ache. "'Do you think she could have loved me?'... 'Do you think she would have married me?'"
The dragon draws ever nearer, bring pain and suffering in its wake. There is nothing that can prevent it, and I dread its coming. I can sense it, and he is so close that my very bones tremble as my smile fades. The others cannot hear him yet, but I heard his voice as it echoed through the valleys and across the lake. "I am fire. I am DEATH."
I leaned forward and rested my face in my hands, exhausted. Dark, messy curls and small, intricate braids hung about my face like a curtain. The dragon's voice continued to echo through my head, driving away all the happiness that had flooded through me just moments before. The bells of the town began to ring, softly first, then frantically. The sound resonated through the town and on into the night as the dwarves and children within the small house began to rush around frantically. The scent of smoke and sulfur began to fill the air.
Unbidden, the memory of mine and Thorin's first true fight came to mind, where he had snuck up behind me and had tried to cut me down. I remembered how his hatred for me had caused him to nearly kill me, and how I would have died had Kili and Fili not intervened. It was at that point I had truly realized how much he hated me. I thought for a long moment, going over every conversation we had shared. I remembered the kind version of the dwarf king I had seen at Beorn's home, where he told me of his One, Nadaí, and of his family. When had he stopped hating me? It must have been after I saved his life, and his nephews' lives. He owed me a debt. Was that the only reason he had stopped trying to kill me? Because he owed me his life? His family's lives?
My thoughts took on an even darker turn. I remembered the cloud of darkness that seemed to hover around the dwarf king Thror like a cloud when we first met. I remembered the anger than filled his eyes at the thought of giving up his treasure, and the rage that had crossed Thorin's eyes when my father had suggested it. Suddenly I grew afraid, and I wondered what would happen if Thorin entered the hoard. Gold sickness. Icy terror flooded my veins. If Thorin were to be overcome, then all would be lost. I doubted that either Kili or Fili could be taken in, but Thorin? I did not want to find out. If he becomes lost, my life will be forfeit. I swore on my life to protect the line of Durin, if the king falls—
I shook my head, wincing as my nails dug into my temples. I couldn't afford to think that way. Not now. I made a promise to protect the king and his kin, and I could not allow doubt to overtake me now. Not now that I was free.
A burst of elation swept through me. I was free. Free of the wound I had carried for so long. Free of the burden that had been forced upon me so many decades ago. Free.
Fili came and pulled me to my feet, his sharp eyes taking in my ashen face and the fingernail marks on my skin. He took my hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "We'll be alright," he said, pulling me over to where Kili was struggling to his feet.
"I'm fine," Kili snapped, giving Bofur the cold shoulder as the miner tried to help the prince stand. I placed my shaking hands on his, and the prince's dark eyes softened as they met mine. He turned his hand over and held mine tightly. They were ice cold.
"Let me help you," I whispered, closing my eyes. He stood finally and leaned heavily on me, avoiding placing weight on his injured leg. He pressed his forehead to mine. His skin was sweaty from fever, and his countenance was ashen. I remembered the terror that had enveloped me when his heart had stopped, and I began to shake. "Please." One of his large hands enveloped both my small ones, and the other gently touched my face, resting on my cheek. "I don't want to lose you again."
I opened my eyes, staring into his as tears stung my eyes. His face had regained some color, and his eyes were alive once more, filled with love. A slight smile curled his lips. "I'll never leave you," he whispered. He pressed something cold into my hands. "I promise."
The people below and all around us began to shriek, and as everyone in the home began to rush for the door, I looked down. A small, blue-black stone lay nestled in my hands, runes shining in the firelight. His runestone. The sounds surrounding me faded.
I looked up into his eyes, my mouth opening in shock. "Kili?"
He leaned forward, pressing his lips to my forehead. The stubble coating his cheeks tickled the skin surrounding the spot, and I smiled as tears of joy ran down my face. He pulled away, his expression now urgent. "We have to go now, alright?"
He pulled me out the door and into the once-peaceful night, now stained by fire and death. The stars were veiled by a red-orange glow emanating from the mountain, and a horrible thought struck me. What if the others were dead? That would make Fili the king, and Kili the crown prince—one glance as Fili's ashen face proved that the same thought had visited his mind as well. If the same fear haunted Kili, he didn't let it show.
He kept a tight grip on my wrist as he pulled me along towards the boat where the others already sat, ready to cast off, waving frantically for us to hurry. I kept a death grip on the stone clutched in my right hand as Kili tugged me along by my left. Shadows darted and danced across the splintered planks as men, women, and children rushed to and fro searching for safety that no longer existed. "Stay with me," I panted, helping Kili as he limped forward.
As the dragon let loose a bone-chilling shriek and unleashed his first wave of flames, the dwarf beside me breathed out a single word that caught on the wind and made my broken spirit soar. "Always."
We reached the boat just as it cast off, and we crouched down as the people of Laketown began to scream. The odor of scorched flesh filled the air, mingling with the sulfur and smoke that already filled our lungs. Bard's children huddled together in the middle of the craft, shaking. I pushed the stone into a pocket sewn into the inside of my tunic, where it would be sure to stay safe. I drew my bow, waiting for the dragon to pass overhead. Whenever it did, I let loose an arrow, trying to bring it down, but every arrow simply rebounded off its hide.
The row of houses to my left burst into flames. At the same moment, a large barge weighed down with gold slammed into us, nearly tipping our smaller vessel over. The master and his men yelled and ran this way and that, trying desperately to escape, and a wave of hatred rolled over me. I saw the master's right hand man, Alfrid, scrambling around like a rat, fingering coins and earrings as his bulging eyes took in the hellish scene around him. Kili took my hand as I tensed, fingers unconsciously reaching for my bow. I turned and met his eyes, my own widening in fear at the realization at what I had almost done.
"Bain!"
We turned in time to see Bard's only son leap from the raft into the water and make his way through the frigid water onto the docks. I grabbed Tilda's tiny waist as she tried to leap after her brother, and I could see Bofur struggling with Sigrid. "No, girls!" The looks I was met with cut my heart. Their blue eyes were wide with hurt and confusion and anger.
"Aeyera, look!" I turned to see Kili pointing to a lone figure atop one of the only buildings not yet burning, pulling back his bow to take aim at the dragon still wreaking havoc on the town.
"Da!" The smallest girl's frantic cry brought tears to my eyes. In the red light, I saw Bain pull a heavy metal arrow from the confines of a nearby vessel. He looked over and met my eyes, nodded once, and took off towards his father.
I immediately took up a paddle and began rowing the boat as quickly as possible towards the edge of town. If Bard's aim was true—and I had seen him in action, I knew it was—then the dragon would come down, and when it did, we had best not be anywhere near it.
Bodies choked the waterways. Some floated facedown in the water, while others still struggled and squirmed in the freezing lake. Many men, women, and—most horrifically—children lay on the planks surrounding us. Some moaned in pain, blisters and burns covering their bodies. Other lay still, frozen eyes staring blankly at the sky. The screams that still echoed through the air drilled into my mind, inviting madness back. I wondered for a horrifying moment if I really was free—maybe madness couldn't be healed.
The other dwarves had picked up their own paddles by now, and together we made it out of the wooden confines of the city. I looked back, my heart heavy, and took in the horrific sight of the city on fire. Sparks flew up into the air, and the red glow lit up the sky, obscuring the stars. Other boats joined our own, but they were few compared to the number I had seen the day before. A horrible shriek cut through the air, and I doubled over, covering my ears, unable to believe my eyes. The dragon flew high, so high he looked small, and then the most miraculous thing happened. The glow that had surrounded him faded, and then disappeared. He paused midair and hung suspended for a moment. As I watched, he began to fall, slowly at first, and then quickly. The serpent dropped like a stone, and as I stood up in elation, my heart thudded to a halt. He landed on the city, and nearly a quarter of it was crushed under his body, including the tower Bard had stood upon. Tilda and Sigrid began to cry out, screaming, but I couldn't make out their words. It wasn't until Kili and Fili grabbed my hands and forced me to sit down that I realized something else was wrong. A wave, no doubt caused by the dragon's fall, surged out from where it had landed. It reached our craft, towering over it, and our boat buckled and tipped, spilling each of us into the pitch-black lake.
The water was ice cold, and I stopped moving for a moment in shock. The energy from the wave spun me around, sending me deeper into the water. The first thing I did was to check for my stone, my hand darting to the pocket where it resided. It still sat safe in my pocket, and relief flooded my heart. I kicked up, pushing with my arms and legs over and over again, and my head broke the surface of the water.
I gasped for breath, shaking and sputtering. "K-Kili? Kil-li?! F-Fili?! W-where are y-you?" I swung my head around, shaking the soaked braids out of my face. Sigrid and Tilda gripped the underside of the boat, and Oin floated nearby, sputtering. Bofur broke the surface, coughing and retching. "Kili! Fili, where are you!" My voice grew more frantic, and I kicked around, trying to turn. My foot hit something, hard, and I shrieked with shock.
Two moments later, Fili appeared, sported a bloody nose. "Mahal, woman!" he yelled, sputtering on the scarlet blood coating his face. He cupped his nose in his hands, and I would have laughed at his expression had I not been so terrified. "Watch where you're kicking!"
"Where's Kili?! Kili!" My voice reached an almost unnatural pitch, and I began to choke on the water and my own sobs. "Kili!"
I took a deep breath and dove down, kicking upwards and propelling my body down. It was dark, so dark, and I could just barely make out shadows within the murky water. One shadow in particular caught my eye, and I grabbed it. Its face came into focus, and I made out Kili's panicked face and wide eyes. Pulling as hard as I could, I began to lift us up back into the air. The prince kicked weakly with his good leg and pushed with his free arm, trying to help, but we weren't making good progress. Just as I feared we both would be lost, a hard tug on my cloak yanked me upward. My head broke the water, then Kili's, and I gasped for air, my aching lungs filling gratefully. I drank in the smoky air, coughing every few seconds as the lake water fought its way out of my lungs.
Fili, nose still dripping blood, pulled both of us to the boat, which we clung to, shivering and coughing, while we regained our breath. We flipped the boat and climbed into it one by one, hauling each other into it and gathering the supplies that had fallen out. Once that was done, we headed for shore. By the time we neared it, the braids and strands of hair surrounding my face had frozen, and my whole body was numb. Fili kept his free arm wrapped around his brother, no longer paying attention to his nose. It didn't look broken, thank goodness, but blood still dripped off the end of it.
When we reached the shore, Bofur and Fili leapt off into the knee-deep water and pulled the craft up onto the rocky beach. We all unloaded, and while other survivors from Esgaroth came and crawled onto the rocks, the princes and I stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the city burn with the same horror and certainty in our hearts. We had caused this.
A separate, darker though grew in my mind. Thorin had angered the dragon, which meant that he may or might not be alive. I had seen a glimpse of what the gold sickness could do. If it was as bad as I feared, Thorin could lose sight of who he was completely. If he grew angry with Fili or Kili, angry to the point of madness—and tried to kill them—my breath hitched in my throat. To save the one I loved and fulfill my vow to protect the line of Durin—I looked over to Kili, standing upright and strong even as his face twisted in pain over his leg, and at Fili, who stood with the poise and grace of a king—what would I do? My heart skipped a beat. Would I kill the king to protect the princes? Would I kill Thorin if it meant that Fili and Kili would be safe?
