It seems I've lost my train of thought when it comes to this story.


It was dark. There wasn't a single thing in sight. No Orcs, no Morgoth, no Glorfindel; nothing, noone. Was it odd that she couldn't exactly feel anything either? She was alive, she knew that much, but she wasn't entirely sure of whether or not she was awake. This feeling, it was strange and also familiar; it felt weightless, peaceful, dreamlike… yes, that's it. Dreamlike!

Lorien was here!

"Loteriel." The young Ainur startled awake- or un-awake? She wasn't entirely sure. Despite her consistent badgering, Lorien had not yet fully explained to her the ways of his powers. Was she in a waking dream? A sleeping dream? Was she really dreaming at all?

That was all irrelevant, of course. Or at least, it was in the moment.

Opening her eyes, Loteriel found herself among the stars. Familiar stars. She knew these stars well, she'd lied on the ground gazing up at them for hours at a time when she had been younger... and, in fact, she still often did.

She was on the highest peak, on Taniquetil, in the garden grounds of Ilmarin… the palace, the watchtower of Manwe and Varda. It was the absolute perfect place to watch the twinkling lights of stars high above. Of course it would, it was the home of the Queen of the Stars.

"Loteriel." Tearing her eyes away from the gleaming stars, Loteriel turned and found herself faced with the Valar; every last one of them. Her family. Her eyes fell on the utterly stunning Ainur only a few feet in front of her. Her long hair flowed down below her hips in a waterfall of molten gold, her tender golden eyes were filled with a warm, loving light… and her features, they were incredibly similar to her own. The same lean, petite frame. The same molten gold hair. The same fine jawline and slim nose.

"Mother!" Loteriel cried out and ran into her mother's open arms. Oh how real it felt! She could feel the warmth of her mother's touch as if she were truly standing with her atop Taniquetil!

"My darling girl." The radiant Ainur whispered, pain in her tone as she held onto her daughter like a lifeline. She looked up when her husband, Orome, approached them, his deep green eyes locked on his daughters slim frame. There were patches of healing bruises and thin lashes all over her smooth, fair skin. And her aura… it was fading. A subtle light of fear filled his gaze and he looked to his wife, the same look of fear in her eyes as she held on tightly to their daughter.

For a moment, just for a brief moment, Loteriel allowed herself to burrow into the warmth and safety of her mother's arms. Allowed herself to forget and return to a time, not long ago at all, when she had never felt the lash of a blade or whip or venom. Just for a moment.

But then the dark words of Morgoth found their way to the forefront of her mind, and Loteriel pulled away from her mother and father to look to her King and Queen, her eyes wide and solemn.

"It was Morgoth." She said urgently as she approached the ethereal beings that stood before her among the rest of her kin. "The Dark Lord has found a way to slip a- a metaphysical form of his mind through the doors and into Middle Earth." The Queen of the Stars stepped forth and set a gentle hand upon the young Ainur's shoulder, a feeling of soothing calm immediately resting over Loteriel like a blanket.

"We know this, young one." Varda said kindly, her thin fingers reaching out to calmly, softly caress Loteriel's hair as her eyes widened ever so slightly with surprise and confusion. Manwe stepped to his wife's side before Loteriel, the difference between husband and wife almost literally like day and night. While her husband held incredible fair hair, like a light ray of golden sun, and blue eyes like the color of a cloudless sky; Varda held the night sky for hair, a midnight black, with eyes the eerie silvery color of the moon and stars.

"It was not long after you were taken that your father discovered it was he." The King said gently, his gaze briefly roaming the injured state of the young Ainur, but his eyes gave little away of displeasure he felt at knowing she had suffered.

"I should have known the moment we encountered him." Orome growled lowly, his green eyes blazing with rage as he and his wife stepped up to stand by their daughter's sides. Loteriel looked up to her father, frowning when he would not look her in the eyes in return. Knowing very well the dark, and self faulting, thoughts that would be coursing through her father's mind, Loteriel lifted her foot and brought it down forcefully upon the booted foot of the Lord of Forests. Orome's eyes widened ever so slightly in astonishment as he looked down toward his daughter and lifted a questioning brow, a look on his face that silently asked: "Did you really just stomp on my foot?"

"Yes, I did just do that." Loteriel said boldly, momentarily forgetting her "manners" as she looked up at her father boldly, her wild and brilliant green eyes, much like his own, holding his gaze. "You will not blame yourself." She said, her voice strong, almost commandingly firm. "You will be angry, you will be resolute, you will fight this darkness… but you will not blame yourself."

For a moment, there was only silence as Orome stared back at his daughter, both Ainur were strong willed enough to not want to look away until they made sure they understood each other. Loteriel was right, he would be angry, resolute, and he most definitely would destroy he who dared lay a harming hand on his daughter… He would also blame himself. He, a mighty Valar, a powerful warrior, and a protective father, should have been able to stop her from feeling such pain. But she, his mighty, strong daughter, would not allow him to place the blame on himself. She would not allow it...

The staring match between father a daughter continued, until finally Orome- much to everyone's surprise and very silent amusement- nodded once, a smile pulling on the corner of the powerful Lord's mouth. Temporarily reassured, Loteriel turned to look at her King and Queen once again, a little surprised to see soft smiles on their mouths and kind sparkles in their eyes.

"Your young one speaks wisely, Orome." Varda said with a tenderness in her silvery gaze.

"Loteriel." The young Ainur lifted her eyes to the King of the Valar. "What can you tell us? What is this darkness planning?" Manwe asked gently, unwilling to force her to remember her pains but needing to be aware of what was to come. The King was pleasantly surprised when Loteriel's green gaze flashed with fierce determination and anger, though he did not miss the fear that touched her eyes upon his questions.

"He plans for me to die a slow, agonizing death, and in doing so he hopes to weaken the united power of the Valar." The stunned silence was palpable.

"So he has discovered the vulnerability." Lorien said calmly as he stepped closer, a troubled look deep in his eyes.

"It was not until Tulkas descended into Arda and united his power with our own that we were able to finally lock Morgoth in his lonely prison." Vairë said softly, drawing the attention of her fellow Ainur. "Were one of us to fall, our collective power would be thrown out of balance. The act would weaken that power just enough that... if he were to make his escape, it would allow him to deal a dangerous blow to us... His power would once again enter Arda."

"His power has already entered Arda, he was able to take Nielíqui with these powers." Mandos said candidly.

"No, it was not his power that took me, my lord." Loteriel said, only a tiny bit irked by the use of her proper name. "Morgoth has somehow found a way to speak to Sauron through their dark connections. I believe he's discovered a way to merge his inner mind to that of Sauron's. It is Sauron's power that allows Morgoth to create his shadowy form, but Morgoth's mere thoughts somehow… strengthens it. Though not enough to make his form solid for long, he could not do me bodily harm even once in the time he held me. He relied entirely on the power he holds over shadow."

"Yes." Estë suddenly said as she stepped forward, her gentle gaze intent on Loteriel as she approached the young Ainur and pressed a fair hand against her cheek. "Though it was enough to tie you to it." Loteriel shouldn't have been surprised, but she was nonetheless.

"Tie her?" Vana asked, a panic rising in her voice. "Tie her to what?" It was not the gentle healer, but her husband, the Master of Visions, who answered his fellow Ainur's question.

"To the fate of Middle Earth, and the darkness that threatens it now." He said as, he too, stepped toward Loteriel, standing beside his wife as she searched the young Ainur thoroughly with her penetrating bluish-grey eyes.

"There is a darkness in your veins. Almost like a venom. It is meant to grow stronger within you and overcome you as the dark forces in Middle-Earth grow in power. Should this darkness prevail… I fear it will mean your death, Loteriel." Estë said, her knowing gaze rising to meet Loteriel's green eyes. The young Ainur was unsurprised, Morgoth had told her as much during his sessions of torment. Her mother and father, however, were not very happy to discover this.

"Her fate, her life, is tied to the fate of the darkness in Middle-Earth?" Vana asked, her golden eyes wide with a deep, unimaginable fear for her only daughter.

"I must go to Middle-Earth and destroy this darkness." Orome said darkly, decidedly. Three no's responded to his exclamation, one from Manwe, one from Varda, and one from his own daughter.

"You cannot go to Middle-Earth, father. He's expecting you to do exactly that." Loteriel cried.

"Now, more than ever, we must remain united, Orome." Manwe said.

"Manwe is right, Orome. With Loteriel's powers weakened, we cannot allow for another to be risked. And your daughter is right, as well, Orome." Varda agreed.

"No doubt he chose to target Loteriel so that he could do most harm. With her life in danger, it would mean that both you and Vana would be affected, and in doing so he also must hope to affect Yavanna and myself." Aulë, Loteriel's uncle, said from beside his wife, both standing close to her parent's sides.

"She is my daughter." Orome said lowly, a dangerous edge to his tone. "I will do whatever I must to save her." Loteriel looked at her father, his bright green eyes flashing wildly with temper and violence as he glowered at the ground… Yes, he would do whatever it took to save her. He'd risk himself and, in doing so, would risk so much more. He was her father, and he loved her very much… As she loved him and her mother. And all of their kin. The Valar were not cold, not in the slightest, Loteriel could see it, she could feel it… they were not happy to see one of their own in such danger. They all also understood however. They understood that, should anything happen to Orome, they're strength would take a very dangerous blow, and Morgoth, with his terrible darkness, would have an even better opportunity to escape a wreak havoc upon Arda.

"No, father." Loteriel said, drawing Orome's stunned gaze to her. "I will do whatever I must to save myself."

"You cannot stay on Middle-Earth, Loteriel!" Vana exclaimed, understanding what her daughter intended to do immediately. "You must return. Home. To me and to your father." Turning away from her father, who was still rather stunned at having been stood up to by his sweet little daughter, Loteriel looked at her mother directly.

"I will, mother. I will return to you and father… but first, I must save myself. I must save you. All of you." Eyes wide, Vana stared back at her young daughter. At the fierceness and strength in her vibrant green eyes. She had only ever seen utter happiness and youthful innocence in Loteriel, she had never had to worry about much else in her sheltered life. She'd often spend her days dancing in her father's gardens, smiling and laughing with her friends- animal or not- and pestering her kin to no end. Yes, she had always had a certain boldness, a certain rebelliousness to her… but now it was utterly clear.

"You cannot ask me to leave my fate in the hands of others. Others that I do not know and that do not know me. And I will not allow you or father to risk your fates in the process of saving mine."

"Allow?" Orome suddenly asked in a dangerously low tone, the word pulling him from his momentary stunned silence. His daughter would not allow him to save her?! Vana ignored the ire in her husband's voice and looked into her daughter eyes. She was not being rebellious now. She was truly trying to protect her mother, father, and all of her kin. She was trying to save them all, and herself.

Oh, her sweet darling little girl... She was so strong.

"Your daughter is trying to protect us, Orome." Vana said quietly, a subtle quiver in her tone. "She's trying to do the right thing for us all. She's trying to save herself and all of us with her… You should be proud." Loteriel, very surprised, blinked twice in bewilderment before suddenly being pulled into an air constricting hug.

When she was released from her hug, Loteriel turned to the King and Queen, a solemn look on her face. "I must do this. I will do this." She said, her resolve clear in her very tone. Manwe and Varda were silent for a moment, both pleased and proud at the young Ainur's strength, then Manwe looked to the Lord of Forests, who did not look quite as pleased and proud in the moment.

"She will not be alone in her quest, Orome. The darkness in Middle-Earth has become great, Glorfindel himself has been sent to assist in this battle. He will be with Loteriel." The words had been meant to comfort, but they seemed to accomplish quite the opposite effect.

"Father." Orome met his daughter's determined gaze. He'd always been proud of his little daughter's strength… but now he felt almost as if her strength was shutting him out. Keeping him from taking care of her as he should, as he wanted. "Please. Have faith in me. Let me face this darkness. Let me save myself. Let me protect you, like you have always protected me." Orome did not move or speak or even react, he simply stared back at his young daughter unmovingly. Until she touched him. He would have been able to maintain his composure, had she not reached out to take his hand. Before he could stop himself, he was pulling her into a tight, warm embrace. He did not speak, not a single word, he simply held onto Loteriel as if he would never let her go again.

Whether it was an agreement or not, was left unanswered. Loteriel, and the Valar, knew better than to expect an outright approval from the Lord of Forests.


I had a little bit of trouble with this chapter. I had to do some thorough research on the characteristics of the Valar so that I could try to do them justice.