The Dwarves of Erebor were within the depths of the Misty Mountains, trapped in the clutches of goblins, and now Moria was back in the Undying Lands, as far away from them as possible - that was all she could think of as she stared at her mother and father. She was so far, far away from them, and they were in trouble, and she wasn't there to help them. "What have you done?!"

Her mother waved her off, half dismissive, half in a sort of assuring way as she explained, still a lingering hardness in her tone, "You are done now."

"Wh-," Moria stammered, could barely muster enough power to make her mouth form words (the fatigue that came with travelling such a vast distance in such a brief blink of time was catching up to her) "What?"

"You are finished with this ridiculous journey," Yavanna reiterated, turning her back to Aüle and folding her arms over her chest, a well known position that spelled the Vala's decision was final.

"Amil!" Moria practically shrieked causing both of her parents to jump, she was usually so soft spoken, but apparently even with her short time spent among dwarves her voice adapted to be loud like theirs, to be able to be heard among them. Even with her short time spent with them her heart pounded just as frantically as it had the day Aüle banished her to make this journey - only this time she wasn't frightened for herself, not at all, rather she was frightened for her companions. What Yavanna had mistaken for a shriek of joy in releasing her from her quest was quite the opposite, turning to see the desperate fear in her daughter's eyes, her brows drew together in concern and confusion before Moria shouted, "Your response surpasses what is needed!" she pounded a closed fist against the stone arch way, but quickly splayed her palm flat again, groping for a hand hold before she collapsed.

Moria did collapse though, when her mother's face twisted into an expression of rage she had never seen before. Moria slid down the doorway with wide eyes as her mother advanced her on, "Those wretched creatures of Morgoth took you once, I will not let it happen again!"

"Tarínya, she is right," Aüle intervened gently, and Yavanna glared at her husband posing as a barrier between her and Moria, as if she needed protection from her. Yavanna had already protected her, plucking her out from that situation before it was too late again, before she disappeared farther than their sight could reach. Aüle's left hand was held out in front of him in a placating gesture toward his wife, while his right stuck out behind him in offering to Moria to help her up from the floor, he didn't dare take his eyes away from Yavanna though, especially when she was in such a state. The tree roots surged with Yavanna's anger making the ground outside tremble, and the house itself quiver. He continued in that soft, level voice, "She was doing well on her own -"

"Do not speak to me about the welfare of our child!" Yavanna shouted above Aüle, the stone floor beneath her feet split loudly, spindly cracks raced toward her husband and daughter. Moria climbed to her feet with her father's aid, evading the cracks as they circled tightly around her and her father's feet, she clutched tightly onto his arm, and startled with a small yelp when the floor cracked again under his Valar power.

"This was all your idea! Putting her in harms way like this, just to prove a point! To teach a lesson that needn't be learned!"

"You know as well as I that this was the only option to save Moria from execution!"

"Though we do not even know if she will be allowed to live if she survives!"

"It is your doubt in her that guides her surely toward the path of death!"

"NO!" The ground quaked with Yavanna's bellow, vines sprang through the thick split beneath her feet and shot toward Aüle and Moria. The arm his daughter clutched onto made sure she was fully shielded by his body before his foot stomped down into the floor, dislodging a thick piece of stone, his placating hand flitted in seemingly simple motion and the slab of stone raised in front of him like a floating shield, a moment later the slab was completely ensnared by the vines.

"Go to Lórellin, you'll be safe there," Aüle assured Moria.

But she was very far from assured, she had never seen her mother act in such a manner, never seen her full encompassed by rage, her power exploding from her so violently, seemingly uncontrollable. "Atar-"

"Just go. It will be all right, I promise," he glanced over his shoulder, offering her a small smile, and slowly she retracted her hold on his arm, nodding shortly.

She left her home that shook and seemed to be falling apart with each passing second, outside she could see the trees roots breaking through the earth, branches extended toward the windows. Even the grass blades and flowers were reaching toward her feet and ankles, but to entrap her or urge her along to leave, she wasn't quite sure. She didn't run, she walked. From the Mansions to the Lake. Estë wouldn't mind, in fact she was probably still asleep, or hopefully still asleep, unless the rumbling ground from her parents fight was enough to rouse her on her island. Running from her home seemed wrong and would imply she was she scared of something or someone. She wasn't scared of her mother or her father. Their immense power was fright inducing, yes, more often she was awe-inspired by it. But seeing them use their power against each other, well... that was a memory she hoped would not repeat in her dreams too much in the future.

If she has a future...

She had wondered whose memory that was, or it was someone's memory of a nightmare. But with their shouted words there was no question. Eru planned to obliterate her if she didn't become the guardian she was supposed to be. He had already planned to kill her anyway for a supposed darkness instilled within her, if it weren't for Aüle's ploy for this journey to prove herself she would have been dead already.

Through the Gardens of Lórien she finally reached the lake, and plopped down onto the soft shore, immersing her tired feet into the warm water, staring blankly toward the Isle of Estë.

A reluctant, bitter guardian with an inflicted darkness. She understood it. She didn't like it, but she understood it. They all played a part, just as her father said. But she was playing her part now, she was doing what she was supposed to... Until her mother pulled her away from that goblin trap door. Surely Eru would get wind of this. Surely he would erase her existence from Arda as soon as possible. Surely he would - she couldn't bear to think it - punish her mother and father as well for creating such a deplorable being.

Moria pulled her feet from the lake water and drew her knees closer, wrapping her arms around her legs, she hid her face away as she cursed harshly in the Khuzdul tongue.

"My, are filthy words the only thing that rowdy bunch has taught you?"

Her head snapped up and she saw her father approaching. He looked unscathed, though his usually charming smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

"You taught me that," she responded tonelessly, resting her forehead against her kneecap again.

"Oh..." Aüle halted, "Oh that's right," he chuckled and took a seat on the ground next to her. His skin adapted to the earth he was settled on, the brown sand appeared lazily crawl up his legs and arms. He brought arm (not at all textured like the coarse and soft sand beneath them) around her and could've enveloped her twice, she was so small. He was still baffled by how small she was, and seeing how small she was in comparison to the beings of Middle Earth; even Yavanna towered over the elves. It mattered not, though.

He pulled her closer, but she didn't raise her face up again as she muttered, "It's all my fault."

"Now, now," he sighed, rubbing his large hand over her shoulder, "There's no need to blame yourself. If anyone's at fault it is Morgoth, you know that."

"He made me this way. That's what Eru means about the darkness within."

Aüle went rigid for a moment, sharply peeking down to her, "How did you-"

"Someone's projecting memories."

"Oh..." he murmured, it very well could've been either he or Yavanna since Moria began her journey, but as it was more likely, "Your mother's been worried terribly. As you beared witness," he nodded in the direction of the Mansions, sighing softly. "She doesn't want to lose you again. But she doesn't want to resort to the necessary measures we must take to ensure we won't lose you again," Aüle explained.

"Maybe ensure," Moria mumbled, very aware that her life was still on the line.

Aüle was quiet for a few moments before he quietly agreed, "Yes... maybe."

"I'm not immortal." Her words were posed as neither a question nor a statement as she stared into the distance, not even taking the beauty and comfort of her homeland.

Her father answered regardless of her lack of inflection, "No. All I've given you is your Valar power."

"Hm, and I don't even know how to use it."

"It's like a muscle, you've just got to work at it."

"That's what Gandalf said, er, I mean, Mithran- no. Blast, all these names!" Aüle laughed and tucked her closer to him, very nearly drawing her into his lap to encompass her completely, but he refrained. For a while they were quiet, until Moria broke the silence, wondering in a small voice, "Is she okay?"

"Hm? Your mother? Of course! Of course, she's fine. She's gone off to the Pastures, she'll calm down soon enough."

Moria hummed and the quiet settled around them again, until once again she spoke, raising her head from her arms, "They've taught me so much... So much in so little time. So much more than I thought I could-" the words halted on her tongue, and she felt her eyes sting with tears. "You must let me go back to them, atad!" She finally glanced up to her father and nearly startled when she was met with a truly prideful grinning expression, his own eyes gleaming shiny with tears.

"I would love nothing more than to let you return to them, but it is your mother's power that is tethering you here. You must convince her to let you go then I will be able send you back as closely as I can."

Moria's head tilted slightly with question, "You couldn't put me where they are exactly?"

"Dark creatures and places of Morgoth," Aüle explained, "It is hard for us to see. Your mother was lucky and quick enough to get you when she did."

"Right," Moria nodded, idly wondering if the darkness within her meant it would be just as hard for her to stretch her sight or was she exempt, would she be able to see where her friends were held captive, would she be able to transport herself there, did she have enough power? Those were questions for after she was allowed back to Middle Earth, if she was allowed, if she was alive within the next hour. "So, what should we do now?"

"For now..." Aüle let out a long sigh, "We'll stay here a little while longer before we head home. I'll need your help fixing up what's broken, there are a few extra trees inside the house that should not be there."

Moria's head tilted again, brows knitted together in confusion, "My help?"

"Sure! Your Valar power is solely based on light. Controlling light is your gift, special to you. But you come from my eternal blood and your mother's."

"Which means..." Moria urged for him to continue.

"Which means - my dear girl - the trees aid you and the animals of Arda are inclined to listen to you by your mother's heritance. And from me you possess a mastery of the earth."

"What..." Moria gaped, "You're serious? All this time-!"

"Of course, I'm serious! How'd you think you made all those friends with animals when you were small? Or the plant life guiding you both here and in Middle Earth? You haven't even had a chance to try anything with earth," Aüle practically pouted for a moment before his expression brightened, "OHH! You did wonderfully with the light, bending not only the light but things that hinder the light to your will, that was lovely, dear! Oh, and you nearly charmed a warg, my darling! That was stupendously impressive!"

"Wait, hang on!" Moria untangled herself from her father's hold to stand before him, appearing almost anxiously excited, "Now I'm curious about this additional power over the earth! I always thought it was Amil doing all those things with the guiding trees, come on!" she urged and pulled on his hands in a struggle to raise him from the ground.

After another minute of Aüle laughing heartily at Moria's struggle to pull his enormous form from the sandy lakeside - and a moment to just enjoy the company of his daughter, as she truly was, no longer the disdainful girl hidden away in her room - they returned to the Mansions.

As far as fixing the house went, Moria first had to shoo away the trees that had broken through the walls and the floor. It was a simple enough task, but next was mending the cracks - numerous, huge and tiny littered their home - and the fallen walls. She found it was a lot like controlling the light - concentration, while not focusing too much on it at all was the way it worked best. Sort of like breathing.

She had witnessed her father rend a chunk of stone from the floor with what seemed like a jab of his heel and wave of his hands, it looked so easy. But at the moment dismantling the house was not on the agenda. A brush of fingers on the wall, a slide of feet along the floor, and the cracks sealed up. Moria left the figuratively heavy lifting to her father, and soon enough the house was as good as new. Just as Moria was whispering to the last bits of any damaged earthen structure around them, Yavanna walked in, looking - as someone as divine a being as she was could look - somewhat sheepish.

Aüle gave Moria a nudge, and she smiled at him before approaching Yavanna. Yes, they needed to talk, but first thing was first, she missed her mother just as much as her mother missed her. She wrapped her arms around her mother, hugging her with all her might. Yavanna didn't hesitate to return the gesture, holding on as tight as she could without hurting her daughter.

"My actions were not extravagant," Yavanna murmured into the top of Moria's head, and the girl laughed, the sound muffled in the cloth of her mother's dress.

"You set the whole world into slumber after I was returned from the cavern of Khazad-dum, you do have a tendency to over exert your power in response to worry," Moria murmured back, a chuckle still in her voice.

"They took you from us. Our child, our special one. Plucked you straight from your bed and took you to the land across the sea and lost you in the deepest, darkest hole of the earth. My little eternal light..." Yavanna mumbled as her hands clutched tighter and pulled closer, consciously or unconsciously. She reeled back after a few quiet moments, holding her daughter by her shoulders at arms length, "And you believe I react in an overt manner? After having my child stolen from me and thankfully returned? Far worse could have befell you." She tugged Moria back to her, petting her head as she continued to mumble, "I needed to protect you, protect all of us. And I did just that, until the Sun rose."

"Yes," Moria agreed, managing to put some space between them, enough so she could look up and met her mother's eyes, "You did protect me... But..." she couldn't find the words for a moment, not when her mother's eyes - that changed colours like the leaves with the seasons - looked so sad and scared. But then she felt that heavy paw of her father's hand on her shoulder, and with renewed strength she surely met her mother's eyes again. "But it was my job to be a protector. Of Middle Earth. Of Arda. To protect the good beings and creatures from the darkness that nearly claimed me. It's the part that I am seeing fulfilled now. You must let me continue to prove to Eru that I can do this, though I was late in taking my place, I can be the protector I am supposed to be, I can and will continue if he let's me live." She paused, gasping in a breath after her rush of words. "Please, amil... Please let me return to my friends. Let me save them. Let me prove my worth so I can come back to you without the fear of death... Please..."

A tear slipped down Yavanna's cheek, and a few more before she murmured through trembling lips, "You're right. Of course you're right. I just-," she let out a watery laugh and brought her hands up to cup Moria's cheeks, framing her face. Moria's hands instantly rose to rest atop her mother's, her own eyes wide and glimmering with tears, fighting back from letting them spill over. "I just love you so much."

"I love you, too! But you've got to let me to do this, or else I'll be-," Moria's throat choked up for a moment and she squeezed her fingers around Yavanna's, "I won't be around for you to protect and love if you don't let me go."

Each passing second away from her company of dwarves was taking away from her journey, from her task of proving herself. Yavanna was silently crying, but nodding along. If she kept her here any longer she would become witness to her daughter's execution, or worse, have to take the position as her executioner. "I know. I know."

"Let me go, amil."

"I will... I..."

"It will be alright, my love. She'll be alright," Aüle spoke softly, gently easing Moria from Yavanna's hold, putting just enough distance between them so Yavanna wouldn't be swept away when Aüle sent Moria away again. He looked down to his girl, his eternally little girl; so different from the last time he saw her, willing to return to Middle Earth, worried for her friends, desperate to save them. He grinned, though his eyes were stinging with tears again as well, saddened and bursting with pride, "Show them you're one light that will not be so easily snuffed out."

Moria matched his grin, and couldn't even grimace when he captured her cheek between his thumb and forefinger knuckle in a short pinch before stepping away from her.

Aüle's power encompassed her, she could feel it just like last time; she wasn't sure how to brace herself, perhaps lowering herself to one knee would lessen the impact.

"You come back to me!" Yavanna sobbed, latching herself onto Aüle so she wouldn't rush toward her daughter, "Promise me!"

Moria looked up, knelt down, she nodded, a smile tilting her mouth, "I will come back to you, amme." And in the next moment it took her to blink, she felt the floor beneath her disappear, and before she could panic and flail in search of solid ground she was settled on the earth again.

Her head spun, but from the air alone she knew she was back in Middle Earth. Her heart began to race again, her hands shaking with the weapons clutched in her grip. Her weapons? She looked down and found herself outfitted in her ill-fitting armour and boots. The staff engraved with her name held tightly in her right hand, and one of the Laiquendi knives in her left. All she was missing was her pack, that was likely lost in the mines ruled by goblins, but that didn't matter, she was grateful to her father's seemingly boundless divine Valar power for at least regaining her weapons for her.

Before she could think anymore on if her own power could be so great, she heard someone or something approaching. She remained crouched as the being drew closer, then raised herself to stand when she recognized the huff and puff of breath and the three paced gait. The grey figure was hurrying as fast as he could manage with his own two legs and staff, agitatedly muttering under his breath.

"Gandalf!" Moria rushed to him, her mind belatedly putting the pieces together that her father must have locked on the wizard to place her there. Glancing around them she saw they weren't even slightly close to the part of the Misty Mountains in the cave in which a goblin trap door had swallowed up their companions. Though there wasn't any time to spare to think on it, she was going to do her best to put her questionable power into practice. "We haven't a moment to lose!" Aüle had said she came from both his and her mother's Valar blood, surely she could transport herself and Gandalf as well. She could feel the power surging within her, similar to the way her father's power had surrounded her, but this was all her own.

The Grey Wizard startled, "Moria! My dear, what are you doing here? Where are the-"

"They're in trouble, we must help them! Tether yourself to me, I know where to go!" She was from two Valar, she was a special being all her own, the first and only of her kind, and she had an added darkness within her. Along with her anxiety, a tinge of rage came along too, and with it she tapped into that darkness to search where her parents' all seeing Valar eyes could not, to find their company within the Misty Mountains.

A ghastly, tuneless song permeated her mind, making her wince slightly, but she pressed on. Flashes of memory of the darkness came before her closed eyes, trying to make her retreat, but she kept on.

Slash them! Beat them! Kill them!

She could see it, the dagger raised, and then a similar image, the blade of an ax raised, both images fought for dominance in her mind's eye, the ax was raised above her in her memory, but the other raised above Thorin. At that very moment.

Kill them all! Cut off his head!

Moria gasped aloud, her eyes flew open. There was a shift in her, the anxiety was gone, completely overtaken by the rage. And in just half the moment it took to exhale, she and Gandalf stood in the center of darkness. A circle of bodies were crumbled in piles on the stone floor a few feet from them as if they were flung away by a shockwave, a blast of light. In the center of muted chaos, they glowed like a sudden beacon, not only because of Gandalf's staff and Glamdring as well as Moria's twin blades, but because of Moria herself. Like a spark quickly catching to tinder, her light was growing brighter in the darkness, fighting against it, her rage slowing mounting to illuminate her, emulating the fiery light of the sun.

The goblins hissed and weakly scrambled and recoiled while the dwarves were still recovering from the shock, but they knew that light, they knew that presence. Their wizard and lady warrior. But no, they were far different from before. They stared disbelieving at their powerful wizard savior and Lukhudel herself come to rescue them.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!"

.

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Note: So during the Yavanna and Aüle confrontation, I sort of envisioned it like... the way Poison Ivy controls plants, and the way Toph earth bends? Ya know what I mean? Badass, basically. What else. Uhh, I mean teleportation, that's gotta be draining right? The first time she just passed out, but this time with enough adrenaline and focus she managed to stay conscious, so that's... progressive. Also expanding Valar powers, that's cool. Um. Teleportation again, and again, it's probably super draining, but yooo ain't no time to faint!

I don't want to say this was a fillery chapter, but it sort of was. But at the same time we got to see a sort of closer look at the family unit, and how much Moria has changed in her short time with the dwarves and Bilbo. She's leveled up like three times now. Nothing like the threat of impending death to help you get your shit together!

Okay, so quick explanation. I started a certificate program about a month ago, so I've become ACTUALLY too busy (aside from the lack of inspiration) to write. But since the DOS: Extended Edition is coming out the day after my birthday I'm super excited and will likely get back into the writing mood when I have time between endless homework (the same goes for my Thranduil story as well, hopefully). I'm sorry I suck. But I'm really glad that those of you that like this story have stuck around, as well as the new readers beginning to follow. Thanks!

And as always, I do not own the rights to anything except my OC(s).