A/N: Well folks, this is it, the final chapter of the story. Hopefully I have managed to round it up in a manner befitting what has been written so far. It has been a great pleasure writing this story. I've learned a great deal from this. Those who followed, favorited, liked, left kudos and commented, this is a big shoutout and thank you to all of you. Thank you so much for your love and support, I could not have done this without you guys. I will be writing more stories, so keep an eye out.
A gigantic thank you to NixNox and Tyren, without whom I could not have made this happen, so thank you! :D
Without further ado, I present the final chapter of Dance Of Darkness And Light. Enjoy!
The courtyard looked so different from what she remembered. Ruin upon ruin, more devastation caused by herself and the Sith when they had fought there six years past. It wasn't just the courtyard though. As she pulled her hair back and wrapped it in a shawl to hide her noticeable golden locks, Linshara made her way into the newly rebuilt Dale and was amazed.
The city was alive, bustling with people, stalls, colours. It was a true trade hub. She could see the occasional dwarf, even an elf and a hobbit or two as she passed the circling streets. Linshara wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, or whom she was looking for, being overwhelmed with the sensations of life around her. It was for the lack of a better word, utterly enchanting. It filled her with happiness and brought a smile to her face as she slowly climbed up, towards the top of the city.
There was a grand building behind a more lavish gate and a large courtyard across from it. As she walked up she remembered the old wall, how broken and decrepit it had been, the building now luxurious once condemned to disappear with the dusts of time. The guards had tried to stop her from approach but with a wave of her hand and some soothing words, they went about their business, forgetting that she had passed through all the sentry points.
Now she stood in that damned courtyard. Except that it looked more like shrine, or a memory lane, rather than a depressing reminder. To one side, it was open so it looked down into the mountain entrance, on the other, what seemed like a memorial spire.
Curiously, light breeze dancing through her clothes, her coat billowing about her, she stepped over to the memorial. The inscription was written in a language unknown to her. There was a stylized silhouette of two people fighting with swords etched above the writing, both vague enough not to be able to discern identity. Linshara wondered whose idea it had been and felt oddly flattered by the gesture.
Reaching out with her gloved hand she touched the image when a sharp, oh so familiar pang echoed in her head.
/FLASHBACK/
Falling through the air she extended her weapon and shifted her weight to her legs, gathering the Force within her.
~Oh Living Force, flow through me, use me as your vessel,~ she called out mentally as she slammed into the ground feet first, the rest of her body leaning over the crouch, her left hand touching the ground and emitting a circular push through the Force in every direction around her, as strong as she could muster.
Everyone fell back and to the ground in various states of injury. Slowly, Linshara looked up, then at Bard. "Run!"
Before anyone else the orcs and goblins moved. Linshara moved at the same time, executing a flurry of motion, grabbing pieces of stone and rock around her with the Force and hurling them at the enemy. The orcs and goblins stood no chance against the forceful impacts of heavy objects the Jedi hurled at them.
She remembered the weight of the debris she hurled at those vile creatures. The power of Kallus Ruun had been nearly overwhelming.
"Well, well…" Kallus slowly got to his feet, theatrically wiping his robes of dirt. He'd done some work on them. If Linshara was honest they were quite regal and impressive, even if they were black and red and entirely sinister looking. "The little Jedi schutta returns." He chuckled, seeming ignoring the scarpering humans.
Linshara felt Bard hesitate, "go, see to your people. You still have a battle to win. Go!" The Jedi gently pushed Bard through the Force. "This is my fight."
"You should listen to her, Bard of a failed bloodline. After I deal with this annoyance, I will come and find you and tear you and your family bloodvessel from bloodvessel until you beg for death and I will keep you alive long enough for several repeats." The red skinned man grinned ferally at Bard.
She knew he'd not wanted to leave her to fight the red warrior alone, but he had done the right thing. There was no way for him to survive the onslaught.
"I am going to enjoy breaking you, little girl." He growled into her ear as he pulled her close against him.
She would not be swayed however, she used her free hand to touch his face, imprinting a sense of immense pain into his head.
"Aaaargh!" He growled and grabbed at his head.
Seizing the opportunity, Linshara turned on the spot, dropping her blade and forming an U-shaped pose with her palms and releasing a bright golden ball of energy at him. The impact pushed him away onto his knees. He did manage to pull up a barrier of his own so her attack was only half effective.
For every action, a counter reaction.
Kallus growled and extended his arm towards the Jedi, palm open then his fingers curled menacingly toward her. She could feel the ever so familiar drain inflicted on her and grunted, deflecting his blow but staggering a little. The life drain slowly ticked away inside her, draining energy and focus. It was not something she could remove only ride it through and hope what strength and healing ability she had left would help her ride it through.
He intensified his attack, his bladework revealing the traits of makashi and djem-so. Linshara knew her only hope was her own proficiency in soresu, its impregnable defence. If she could spend herself so much while riding out the life drain that is. For every swing she deflected. Every thrust she parried, every lounge side stepped.
His hatred and fury were so overwhelming, they powered each and every move of his blade, whereas she grew progressively weaker and more tired as she waited for that one opening she needed to turn the battle.
Until finally an opening, a resolution.
Seizing the opportunity she reached out for her blade through the force and swung at him, cutting deeply at his closest shoulder. The advantage though was short lived as he quickly rolled away.
The pain that seared through her arms was so intense she felt as if her every nerve was on fire. His lightning had grown stronger since the last time they'd fought. Gritting her teeth together, almost gnashing then she rode out the pain as her arms absorbed the destructive energy. Cuts and gashes began to form on her arms, her body starting to singe.
She could feel it, the rage was building, threatening to overwhelm her. She focused all her strength and mind on reversing the lightning into him. Once he was drained out and she had absorbed it, she extended her arms towards him, fingers extended and growled angrily, a stream of lightning now leaving her fingers. It had caught him by surprise.
He fell to the ground, writhing and roaring in pain as his skin split open and began singing. Linshara channeled all her pain and rage into the lightning, almost willing him to stay locked on the ground as she advanced on him.
Reaching out with both hands, both her own blade and his light saber propelled through the air to her hands.
"There is no grey, there is only the dark and those fools who think the light will do them any good." He chuckled and released a single, strong, thick strand of lightning at her.
She easily caught it with his saber and reflected it back at him, never halting her advance. He tried again to unbalance her with yet another release but she deflected that one at him too. His red skin by now was marred and burned, his clothes burned into the destroyed skin.
Reaching out with the hand that held the elvish blade, she reached out through the Force and grasped his throat, lifting him up into the air. His hands grasped at his throat, unable to breathe or fight back with the wounds he sustained.
"This is the end of the road for you, Kallus Ruun." She said quietly and swung both blades towards his neck, effectively severing his head from his shoulders and the body fell to the floor.
Blood sprayed her, making her injured arms sting, her torso ached with the beating it had taken. Blades fell to the ground as she watched the lifeless red body beneath her feet. The battle thundered around her yet she heard nor felt anything.
/END FLASHBACK/
For every success, a price had to be paid. This one had been been paid in the blood of dwarves, elves, men. In the lives of a king, an archer prince and the golden haired heir, the first person Linshara had genuinely, loved. The loss of the Durin heirs had been devastating on everyone, yet, with time, everyone seemed to recover, even her. Yes, she still dearly missed them but she found herself able to continue on, making this world a home for herself, as she had no other option really.
"You never did tell me who exactly you were, my Lady." A familiar voice albeit a bit more gravelly than last they spoke announced his presence.
So engrossed was she in the memory brought on by the memorial that she failed to notice Bard's arrival behind her.
She recovered in time however to sense two arrows fired in her direction. Confused by his intent, she turned quickly, hand extended. Grappling the arrows through the Force, she changed their direction to one of trees on the other side of the courtyard, in which they ended up embedding themselves. Lowering her hand and straightening up she cocked her head to the left.
"My Lord Bard have we fallen out of sorts since we last saw each other that you would loose arrows at me?" Linshara asked before she could stop herself, hands open outward at her sides.
He lowered his bow, his expression moving from grim to a light smile, his grey-blue eyes softening. "It was not wild imaginings of a man fraught with worry and danger, was it?"
The woman chuckled softly as she approached him. "I'm afraid not, Master Bard. I can still do the same things I could do before, more so even."
"That is no wizard magic however, is it?" He asked with a growing smile as he leaned on his bow, waiting for her to approach him.
"We do have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Linshara said fondly as she curtsied before him, "King, Master, My Lord?" While the question was real she could not help a good natured tease, he felt in a similar mood to her.
Excited yet tempered, curious yet cautious.
He bowed gallantly in return. "My son is King and Master these days, he has taken to the throne well, I am Bard again, though some still insist that I am Lord." Bard replied with a fond smile of his own.
Linshara smiled at him brightly, "it is good to see you again, Bard. How are you?"
He stepped closer to the smaller woman, opening his arms and gently wrapping them around her. "I have been well, rebuilding has taken so much of my time in the past few years. Bain is married, a son on the way, Sigrid is being courted by the son of Lossoth Chieftain and Tilda is blossoming into a wonderful young woman."
The Jedi embraced him warmly, "and you, my friend. Have you not found yourself a companion to fill your days since you are no longer King?"
He looked down at her with an unusual look, and smiled. His mind was guarded as was his heart and she found herself loathe to pry. "Let us have an evening meal, I shall make sure we can speak alone. You can regale me of tales of your exploits since we last saw each other and explain your skills. I will tell you why I am quite content to watch my people and children flourish and prosper."
Linshara nodded, "very well then." He'd motioned for her to follow him, but she stood there for a moment, looking at the courtyard again.
"It was the children's thought, to commemorate your efforts towards us, yet not directly unveil you to everyone. We all saw your desire to remain unknown, though I cannot fathom why." He said as he stepped up behind her, his breath slightly grazing her ear from above.
A strangely pleasant shudder coursed through her at the sensation. Gulping and hoping he didn't notice, she nodded, "thank you. I shall explain, it...involves everything else."
"Well, then let us dine, My Lady. You are free to commandeer a room in my house for as long as you wish. I insist. I owe you decent lodging after what you had to suffer through in Laketown." He said with mock grandeur, offering her his arm.
"Thank you, my friend." The blonde smiled kindly as he lead her away across the plateau and towards one of the big houses, not the grandest one, but a smaller one behind it, one she didn't quite notice when she was climbing up.
The evening lead to another and another. Slowly months went by with Linshara visiting with the dwarves, enjoying Balin and Bofur's company, she spent time with the Dale guard, teaching them, observing, helping with tactics within as non intrusive a manner as possible. She spent a lot of time with Bard's daughters, the girls having started to look up to her, though she strongly discouraged it the two young women would hardly sway.
She'd gone to visit with the elves in Mirkwood for a time, which didn't sit well with Bard when she returned to Dale, she could tell. He'd hidden his displeasure well, but she could feel it in his presence in the Force. Though when she returned and resumed spending evenings with him, his displeasure simmered down and gave way to a different feeling. A feeling she'd almost forgotten.
At first she'd been apprehensive about telling him the truth about herself. What offered her courage and peace was the fact he'd seen them in use, used to defend and aid. He seemed accepting of them in any case. So one evening after some months, after they were both plied with enough wine and ale she opened up fully to him, taking care and time to explain in as simplest a manner as possible of her origin, her abilities, the Sith, the ancient struggle of the followers of Ashla and Bogan, the Light and the Dark Side of the Force.
To say that he was overwhelmed was a sad understatement. They parted that evening under a gloomy cloud and didn't speak for a few days.
Linshara found that she liked to practice with her saber and her martial arts in the memorial courtyard, there was a presence of the Force there that gave her a kind of peace, as long as she didn't touch the memorial. For some reason, memories hit her like a hammer when she did. What had her more occupied of late were her burgeoning feelings for Bard.
They had history, they fought together, helped each other, they were good company to each other. He was charming, caring, warm, brave, wise. Epithets could go on and on. So his escape from her that night left her reeling a bit. When she thought on it however, the answer was clear. How could she expect him to do anything else but reel? The story was incredible, hard to believe and even a little ludicrous. He had every right to need time to process. She would accept whatever resolution he came to. She could do no less.
More to the point however, what did she herself want? True enough she had come to care for him a great deal in the past few months and they had bonded over each other's loss, the battle and the assistance she provided to him and his children on several occasions. He made her feel in a way, whole again. She didn't know how that could be, how one person could be the completion of another, yet, with him she had felt it. Was it a re-emergence of love within her? Had she truly moved on? Often times she had felt so, then something would remind her of Fili and she would be thrown back into memories, feelings. Yet, eversince she'd left Lothlorien for the Shire, that feeling dimmed and dimmed.
Practicing with her blade, seemingly fighting an unknown enemy, she practiced like so one day, completely focused on her inner self while her body danced, twirled, swished and slashed, her golden hair, partly braided danced in the light morning breeze. Being here near the Mountain was good for her. She had come to feel whole again, even if Bard still refused to see her after near a week. His children visited with her in particular that week, insisting Bard would come around from this strange feeling.
He hadn't told them, she realized.
It was the sound of arrows again that brought her out of her inner world, this time just as she turned, the blade hoisted up behind her back, one hand extended towards the incoming arrows, legs spread, sweaty and heated from her workout.
This time however the arrows stopped in mid air, two of them again. Linshara focused her eyes beyond the arrows, feeling the presence she'd missed so the last week. He stood there on the far side, his expression one of wonder and admiration as she still held the arrows in front of her, in the air, milimeters away from her.
"You would loose arrows at my heart, My Lord?" She called with a schooled look.
He nodded, stepping closer, throwing his bow to the stone floor, "aye, to take something of you, My Lady Jedaii."
There was a playful hint to his tone and to his presence. There was also what she found she'd longed for more than anything. Acceptance.
"And what is it that you wish to take, Lord Bard?" A smirk etched itself into her features as she straightened out, arm still up and out.
He came to a stop on the other side of the arrows, his smirk a mirror of hers. "Your heart, Lady Linshara, for you have stolen mine."
The arrows dropped to the ground below them as she sheathed her sword and stepped closer to him. Looking up at him, green eyes searched blue grey, soul searched soul and found no deception.
"You see the truth of my words?" She asked softly, feeling overwhelmed by his presence and her own reaction to it.
He nodded slowly, stepping a little closer to her. "I believe you, Lin. I needed to make peace with it and with the desires of my heart."
He took her hands in his and lifted them up, placing a kiss to the back of each, "I stand behind my words, Lin. You have my heart, you have had it for a long time." His expression softened as he noticed the myriad of emotion on her own face. "I would gladly be the keeper of yours, if you feel that you can give your heart to someone again." Therein also lay understanding.
She couldn't help but smile fondly at him, untangling one hand from his and placing it on his bearded cheek, gently rubbing with her thumb. "You already hold it." Linshara stepped flush against him, nudging him with her palm.
Slowly, hesitantly their lips met. It was a meeting of two people who have lived through a lot, sacrificed a lot, lost even more during their fight for the Light. His arms wrapped around her waist, hers around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, pulling her tight against him, one hand burrowing into her golden locks.
As air finally became a necessity, they separated a fraction, his forehead leaning against hers, both breathing deeply.
"Forgive me for leaving you waiting for a week, wondering, love." He said, his voice somewhat gravelly.
Linshara chuckled, enjoying being wrapped in his arms. "There is nothing to forgive Bard."
Lightly they embraced, before turning to head over to the open overlook, hands intertwined. Ontop of her own buzzing feeling, she felt his own as well. She could do this again. With wisdom instead of fear.
"You can truly become the Sith if your darkness consumes you?" He asked quietly.
Linshara nodded, "if I lose the battle and cannot control my rage, my fear, my hate."
He squeezed her hand gently, nodding as they looked out onto the mountain. "I will not let you fall."
~Finis~