Chapter 25 ended with:

"She probably believes she could have fought more strongly against the darkness. But we know she could not have won against Sauron. What was done to her can be undone, but it will take a lot of patience. A lot of love," he replied, speaking to them all. "For decades, she was the sun in my darkness. The pillar of our family. I can return the favor. So can you."

They all nodded in agreement, yet many were wondering how long it would take...

Chapter 26 - Victories

"My Lord, your mate has taken three baths today. She keeps asking for water and soap, each time requesting the water to be hotter. She will burn her skin if I bring water any hotter than this!"

The servant was truly distressed by Valerie's behavior and demands. Glorfindel had heard that some mortal women were washing themselves frantically after a sexual assault. What had happened to Valerie for her try to clean herself so much? Since her conversation with Phoebe, she had spent many days in her talan, refusing to see anyone else but the servant and her daughter. And she bathed, over and over again.

"Let me speak to her," Glorfindel decided. The servant sighed in relief and led him to the talan. He stood in front of the door for a few minutes, trying to hear any noise indicating what Valerie was doing inside. It was completely silent. Maybe she was asleep? He gently opened the door of the talan. "Valerie?" he called, informing her of his presence.

"Go away!" she cried from the bedroom, definitely not asleep.

"Are you decent?" he asked respectfully, knowing she was trying to keep him away as if he was a stranger instead of her mate.

"No! No! I am not!" He heard the soft noise of fabric on her skin. She was putting a robe on. "Do not come in!"

He knew she was simply hiding from him and the rest of their family. He had enough of this. He opened the door of her bedroom and saw her bolt to the corner of the room. She looked like a wild animal cornered by a hunter without a hope of escaping. He closed the door behind him and sat on the floor in the opposite corner. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

He could hear her ragged breathing, but it started slowing down when she realized he was not planning to come anywhere near her. She slowly sat down on the floor, and waited in silence. He knew she was watching him, reacquainting herself with his appearance, his essence, with the feel of his presence around her. They remained silent for almost an hour before she eventually broke the silence.

"You look tired. Are you still having nightmares?" she asked, worried.

He resisted to smile in triumph. She still cared for him. Even if she felt she was undeserving of him, that she was now a dark being, she still cared and wanted him to be well. He simply nodded to answer her question.

"Are you sleeping?"

"Sometimes. Rarely."

"The sleeping draughts they have here are very potent. You should try some."

"You know that only one thing helps. I haven't had it in 8 years."

"The bed is big enough for two..." she replied, looking out the window. "That is, if you can stand it."

"Stop it!" he cried, making her start. When she looked at him, frightened, he glared at her. "Stop demeaning yourself. You are my mate. I promised to love you until the end of times. I am planning to keep that promise!"

"You have no idea what I did! You would spit on me if you knew!"

"Then tell me. Tell me what you did that is so terrible that I would want to spit on you!"

And she did. She described what had happened to her in the past 8 years, omitting no detail. She even told him about Sauron, in the form of a mist, visiting her once in a while, and the pleasure it had given her. She was talking with a victorious sparkle in her eyes, certain that he would reject her after hearing this. When she stopped, she looked at him expectantly.

He had managed to keep his expression neutral the whole time. A briefing from Lady Galadriel had prepared him, after she had read some of this in Valerie's mind.

"What happened to you is horrible," he replied carefully. "I know not how you will forgive me for not protecting you as I should have. Your safety was my responsibility, and I failed miserably. Because of me, your suffering was great and your pain is still present, even after we took you from Sauron. Will you ever forgive me? I have very little hope."

"Did you even listen to what I said?"

"Yes, I did. I have perfect elven hearing."

"I do not think so. You should send me away. Or you should leave, whichever is easier for you."

"I will never do that. Actually, I believe I will accept your invitation and sleep here tonight rather than at the door of your talan. The flet is not comfortable."

"You are insane," she said, quite speechless. She stared at him with disbelief and he held her gaze, daring her to share his bed while he rested. She stood and went to lie on the very edge of her bed, her back to him, clearly expressing that she did not want him to touch her.

He sighed and went to lie on the other side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her recovery would not be easy. But he would be patient. He closed his eyes...

...and jerked out of sleep hours later, his mind full of images of the Balrog, of burnt flesh, of pain, excruciating pain.

She had turned to face him and was watching him with weary eyes. "It is only a nightmare," she murmured. "It is not real. Look at your hands," she insisted. He observed the perfect skin of his hands, moving the fingers tentatively. He put his hands back down, but left one close to her, palm up, hoping she would put her hand in his.

She did not.

Later that day, the melodious voices of a choir were heard, and she turned to him questioningly. She had spent hours lost in her thoughts, not even looking at him while he sat in his corner of the room.

"What is that?" she asked.

"A song?" he said, wondering if she truly had no recollection of music.

She turned her head to the window, as if she wanted to get closer to the voices. "I have not heard someone sing in so long... The voices... they are beautiful. So peaceful."

"Do you want to go sit on the bench outside? You would be closer to the voices." She shook her head.

"No one would see you," he added, knowing she was so ashamed that she did not want people to see her. It was particularly difficult for their children, who were spending their days around the talan in the hope of seeing their naneth.

"Are you sure?"

He stood and extended his hand. She did not take it, but she followed him outside. He noticed, and she did not, that their children had moved in the trees around to be able to observe them without being seen by her. She followed him to the bench and sat as far away from him as possible. She closed her eyes and listened to the songs. He was wondering what she was thinking about when he saw the tears rolling on her cheeks.

"Glorfindel... how many children do we have?"

"We had eight children, seven are still alive. Three daughters and four sons. And there was a mortal child, which you always considered as your own. A Dunedain."

"Why do I feel like some of them are my children, while they are not at the same time?"

The reborn elflings concept would spook her out, he knew that much. A little lie by omission would not hurt anyone. "They are your children," he said forcefully. "You carried them, gave birth to them, raised them, loved them. They are yours."

"I can pictures some of them in my mind, but I get all their names mixed up. The last one I remember seeing before… in the mountains... he was a white-haired ellon, calling my name as I was being taken away by an orc."

"That was Gil-galad." Glorfindel stopped when he saw three of their sons standing nearby. Valerie followed his stare and recoiled closer to him, frightened by the sudden appearance of the three warriors beside the bench. Shocked by her reaction, the three ellyn went down on their knees in front of her, in a non-threatening and pleading pose.

"Naneth," one of them said, "forgive us for failing you that day. Our guard was down, we were not expecting that orcs would dare attack our escort. And then, we did not think they would be cunning enough to take you away."

"We kept searching the mountains while we should have realized that they had taken you south. We could have caught up with them... and none of this would have happened."

"It is not your fault," she said, "it is Sauron's fault."

"Many things are Sauron's fault, and Sauron's only," Glorfindel whispered for her ears only. She looked at him, but soon turned back to the three ellyn who were still on their knees in front of her. Her sons. She knew they were. She slowly stood and knelt in front of the one to her right.

It was the white-haired one, the one Glorfindel had said was called Gil-galad. She touched his face with a cautious hand, getting familiar again with his features. Memories of him as a child flooded her mind, and a name came to her from deep into her memories. "Ereinion," she said, calling him by his birth name rather than the nickname he had received as king.

"Naneth," he replied, leaning his head in her palm.

She turned to the next ellon and brushed his cheek while her other hand was still touching Gil-galad's face.

This one looked like a vague memory of an ellon always standing beside her daughter Phoebe, with his crown full of flowers and berries. He also looked like another ellon who was bound to one of her daughters, what was her name? Mithrellas, yes, sweet-tempered Mithrellas, all blondness and gentleness. The ellon in front of her looked like these two ellyn who had married her daughters.

"Oropher," she said, and he very gently pulled her into a hug. "Forgive me, Naneth, forgive me," he pleaded against her neck.

She caressed his hair for a while, unable to speak. But there was a third ellon, still waiting for her attention. His name came up to her lips in a rush. "Turgon!"

The ellon came closer and hugged her back while she was still leaning against Oropher, in a tight three-way hug that lasted a long time.

Galadhon and Phoebe could be seen in a tree but stayed away, Glorfindel having made a gesture asking them to stay put, to ensure Valerie would not react badly to being surrounded by more people. She was now crying, being supported by Oropher and Turgon, but she extended her hand to touch Gil-galad too.

What was she thinking? Was she crying in happiness or sadness? Glorfindel could no longer tell. His mate was changed, going from an impulsive, energetic spitfire to a taciturn, tormented elleth. He had to get to know her all over again, unless this was only a temporary phase. He cared not. She was his love, his fëa-mate, whether she remained like this or not, he would adapt.

"Where is Galadhon? I believe it was him, in Ithilien, and I have not seen him yet here." Valerie was looking at Glorfindel with a questioning look, wondering if she had properly identified the ellon she had seen when they had rescued her. Celeborn's adar jumped down the branch he had been sitting on, and joined them on the flet.

"It was me, Naneth." He just stood there, uncomfortable. Galadhon had been in Lothlorien with Nimrodel when their mother had been abducted. Although he was not feeling as guilty as his three brothers, he had always wondered what would have happened if he had been with them on this horrible day. Would he have been able to make a difference and save her? They would never know.

Valerie moved away from her other three sons and stood to face him. She opened her arms and Galadhon embraced her with relief.

Phoebe silently moved in the trees and soon stood beside her adar.

"Should we ask Nimrodel and Mithrellas to come here to be reunited with her?" she whispered to him.

"The roads have become too dangerous. We will not risk their safety. Furthermore, Lady Galadriel told me that before leaving Imladris, Legolas had sent Mithrellas back to Greenwood. He thought she would be safer in the fortress, under your mate's protection. Nimrodel is still in Imladris."

"Celeborn says there is a lot of activity in Dol Guldur. A Nazgul is there. They will certainly attack Lothlorien and Greenwood soon. I have to go back to Greenwood to protect my people. They need their queen. I can no longer extend my visit. You think you can handle Mother without me?"

Glorfindel glared and Phoebe just grinned sarcastically. "Make love to her," she whispered. "It used to fix all your quarrels."

"This is more than a mere quarrel."

"Ada, listen to me. You feel guilty, she feels guilty, this is the best guilt party I have ever attended. It feels exactly as when Thranduil had kept me locked in my apartment for weeks after I had inadvertently helped the dwarves escape from our dungeons and that I had run away from Greenwood. But in the end, all you truly need to do is show her that you are not disgusted by what happened to her."

"She will not even let me touch her!"

"And you will let that stop you? Touch her!" she whispered-cried with impatience. "Valar, do I have to tell you everything?! Do you need an instruction manual?"

"It is time that you return to your mate. You need to be with him and stop talking about these things with your adar. This is disturbing."

"I will not leave until the deed is done. So get her in bed and fuck her already!"

She had jumped off the flet before he could hit her. Phoebe was getting worse with each passing year. He wondered if Thranduil liked her dirty mouth. He probably did, the bugger. His only comfort was that his daughter acted as a queen should when she was in public. Only her close family knew of her lack of brain to mouth filter.

In the course of the following days, their children were finally allowed in the talan, but they were doing all the talking. Valerie simply explained that she had lost the habit of conversing during her captivity. Remembering the name, Phoebe asked who the Mouth was and Valerie laconically answered that he had been her black speech teacher and Sauron's messenger. They did not insist. What could she tell them about him that would not horrify them? That despite everything, this gruesome being had almost been a friend to her?

Between her and her family, there was an immense abyss that no one quite knew how to bridge.

OoOoO

Lothlorien

February 3019 of the Third Age

"She does not look as well as she used to when we first arrived," Legolas remarked.

The fellowship had arrived in Lothlorien a few weeks before, Mithrandir no longer with them, lost in the darkness of Moria. The hobbits, men and dwarf had rested for a few weeks and still had to decide what their next move would be, now that they had lost their leader. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel had told them that they could no longer tolerate the presence of the Ring in their realm.

"Legolas is right," Aragorn agreed, turning to his adoptive father. "Glorfindel, what more can be done to help her through this?"

"I have done all I could. Lady Galadriel says there is a part of Sauron still in her fëa. I can feel it there, profoundly anchored in her soul. She refuses to let me approach her… Until she does, I cannot renew our bond and try to get rid of him in her soul. He is waiting, bidding his time. He wants her back."

Aragorn shivered. "How can we protect her?"

"Neither of you can do anything. You will leave in a few days," Galadhon remarked. Only Turgon and Gil-galad had remained with their brother. Oropher and Phoebe had traveled back to Greenwood, convinced that an attack from Dol-Guldur was imminent. It had taken precedence on Phoebe's desire to see her parents back together.

"We can destroy the ring," Legolas replied tersely. "This is our objective. This would permanently free Valerie from his hold."

"You are right. Forgive my words," Galadhon apologized. "We have been helpless for many weeks now. We had thought our naneth was free, but our joy was short-lived. Her captivity is no longer physical, but her mind is still there… She is haunted by memories of her time in Mordor."

"Not only do we think there will be an attack against Greenwood, but we also anticipate an attack from Dol Guldur here too, in Lothlorien," Turgon added. "We are afraid that Sauron will try to take her again while she is here."

"They cannot reach Caras Galadhon," Aragorn stated with conviction. "Not if all the warriors remain at the borders. Haldir has prepared his wardens well."

"Orcs will not reach the city," Gil-galad agreed. "But a Nazgul?"

"You believe that Sauron will send a Nazgul?" Legolas asked.

"More than likely," Glorfindel replied. "This would be the fastest and easiest way for Sauron to get her back. She knows the Nazguls well. She can identify them visually, even says they have different characters. She used to interact with them once in a while. She says they have always been deferential to her. She was going to be their queen," he spat with anger. He had already shared with his adoptive son and son-in-law that Valerie had been changed physically during her captivity, that she had forgotten her family, that she had been an entirely different person when they had found her.

They all shivered, realizing once again how far gone Valerie had been when her family had taken her from Sauron.

"We will protect her," Glorfindel continued. "And when you destroy his ring, you will destroy him. Hopefully, that little part of his soul inside Valerie will be gone too. Only then will she be free."

OoOoO

March 22nd, Year 3019 of the Third Age

Lothlorien had been attacked twice. The first time, an important number of orcs had arrived near the northern border, most of them carrying their unrefined weapons while a line in the back had been armed with bows and arrows. These arrows had been inflamed and the orchish archers had attempted to burn the trees of Lothlorien. The orcs had greatly underestimated the keen eyesight and agility of the elven archers. Few of the orchish archers had released their inflamed arrows before dying, even if they had been hiding in the back of the Dol Guldur army. Killing the orcs in the front had been child's play afterward, and the wardens of Lothlorien had been victorious rapidly and decisively.

The second attack had been organized more effectively by Khamûl, the Nazgul stationed at Dol Guldur. The orchish army had been at least three times larger than the first time. Catapults had been pulled all the way from Dol Guldur, and this time, flaming spheres of resin had been sent in the direction of the Golden Woods, surprising the elves with the nature of the attack and its effectiveness. Many wardens had been busy stopping the multiple fires from spreading, while the others had attempted to kill with arrows the orcs running in their direction. They had not been able the eliminate them all before they reached the border, and so, the fight had been brought out in the open. Vicious combats had taken place, at the end of which the elves had been victorious again, but unfortunately at a great cost. At least 20 wardens had lost their lives, and much more had been injured, some of them requiring to be brought to Caras Galadhon in order to be treated by the healers.

Each time, the Nazgul had been flying above both the battlefield and the forest, trying to supervise the attack while searching for something in the middle of the woods. Everyone knew what he was looking for, or rather, whom he was looking for.

The city of Caras Galadhon was quiet, with all the ellith and scholars attending to the injured with the healers while that morning started the third attack from Dol Guldur. This time, any ellon that had been trained to use a bow or sword had been stationed at the northern or eastern borders in preparation for the attack.

Although Glorfindel and his sons were not on the battlefield, they knew Lothlorien was under attack again at that very moment. Lady Galadriel was in her private garden, watching in her mirror her mate Celeborn and his father Galadhon fight against the orcs. Galadhon had wanted to protect Valerie by fighting alongside his son, while Gil-galad and Turgon had remained in the city to help their adar control their naneth.

Ever since the first attack 11 days before, Valerie had acted strangely. After weeks during which she had almost been back to her former self, her state had deteriorated each time the Nazgul was flying above the forest, as if the approach of Sauron's troops had activated something in her soul. To their relief, her eyes had remained normal. Whatever this enchantment was, its hold was purely on her soul, it was no longer physical.

Glorfindel had had to restrain her during both attacks to ensure she would not run to the highest flet of Caras Galadhon to call Khamûl, the Nazgul leading the attacks. He was the second-in-command of the Witch-King of Angmar. It had been a sad day indeed when they had had to attach her to her bed and gag her with a silken cloth.

Now, as the third attack was underway, they were looking for her everywhere in the city. She had escaped during the night, as if she had known the Nazgul was going to come back for her.

"Did you look on the highest flets?" Glorfindel asked his sons for the tenth time.

"Yes, we did!" Turgon replied impatiently. "And Gil-galad checked all the city at ground level."

"She has to be somewhere!" Glorfindel cried.

They cringed when they heard above the Mallorn trees the now familiar and horrifying screeches of the Nazgul, who had come back once again, without a doubt to get Valerie back to his master.

"She must be in the trees, not on a flet," Gil-galad assumed.

"She never climbed trees before!" Turgon stated.

"There are many things she was not doing before," Glorfindel sighed before running up the stairs to the highest flets again, followed by his sons. They hoped they would make it on time, before Valerie was out of their reach. When they arrived to the highest flet, they could see the Nazgul circling above the tree tops, in a specific area not too far from them.

"She must be there, she must be climbing and almost at the top of this tree!"

The three ellyn jumped on the nearest branches and moved in the Mallorn trees in the general direction of the Nazgul. Soon, through the leaves, they saw Valerie climbing with difficulty a branch close to the top. She had lost her shoes, her dress had been torn in multiple places and her hair was full of twigs. Her efforts would soon be rewarded unless they stopped her, as she was about to reach the Ringwraith. They moved silently and encircled her. She didn't even realize they were around her, she seemed to be in a trance, watching the top of the tree each time the Nazgul was screeching.

"Valerie," Glorfindel murmured, hoping not to be heard by the Nazgul. "Valerie, my love, what are you doing?"

She stopped climbing and watched him and their sons warily. "He is calling me. That screech… this is how they call my name in their language."

"This is no longer your name," Turgon reminded her. "Even if they call Daeris in their despicable Ringwraith tongue, in the black speech or in the common tongue, you are no longer this woman. You are the Lady of the Golden Flower, Glorfindel's mate and our naneth."

"If I go… they will leave Lothlorien. They will leave this realm, and all the wardens and citizens of Caras Galadhon will live. No one else has to die. Just me. Eventually..."

"They will not leave, Naneth," Gil-galad intervened. "I was there at Dagorlad. Back then, they were planning to destroy any form of life that was not created by Sauron. It is still the same now. The Nazgul will take you, bring you to either Dol Goldur or Minas Morgul, and this time, we will never see you again. And he will come back to destroy Lothlorien. Then, Greenwood. Imladris will be next, and the Grey Havens last."

She fidgeted nervously but suddenly, the Nazgul screeched again and the call became too difficult to resist for the elleth. She attempted to climb again, only to be stopped by Turgon who grabbed her leg and pulled her down to a lower branch. Valerie screamed and called Khamûl in the black speech. Seconds later, the head of the Nazgul's dragon was appearing through the leaves, looking for the elleth who was so important to Sauron.

"Get her out of here!" Glorfindel cried before starting to shoot arrows in the direction of the dragon's head. Gil-galad climbed even higher and tried to sever the dragon's head from its body with his sword, but the Nazgul protected his mount and sent the High King flying down the tree. They saw his body fall through the branches until they heard a loud thud many levels below.

"Gil-galad!" Valerie cried, completely forgetting her desire to sacrifice herself for the greater good of Lothlorien. She broke Turgon's hold around her waist and started climbing down the branches to reach her son, in whatever state he currently was. Realizing that Valerie was no longer planning to leave with the Nazgul, Turgon joined his father and started shooting the dragon, whose head was now full of arrows.

The beast was in pain and was no longer following the commands of its master. Far away in the plains, cries of victory were heard, expressed by elven warriors. The Nazgul left the tree with one last screech, sensing that his troops were in need of his help. However, when he flew over the battlefield, he realized that the time he had wasted trying to get the Master's future lady had cost him dearly. His orcs had been decimated and the survivors were currently being executed. He could not win this battle, not with his dragon injured by the Lord of the Golden Flower. Khamûl had recognized the ellon by the inner light of an elf blessed by the Valar and reborn in Valinor. He knew his master would be furious to know his future lady was back with her former mate.

Seeing no other option, the Nazgul directed his dragon in the direction of Dol Guldur, hoping his flying mount would survive the journey.

Glorfindel and Turgon climbed down the tree, praying that Gil-galad had not lost his life. They soon found the flet he had hit on the way down, Valerie already kneeling beside him. He was conscious although slightly confused. He had a bleeding wound on his forehead and his left forearm showed an unnatural angle.

"Do not try to move your arm!" Valerie cried when he attempted to move his broken limb. "I will immobilize it against your chest and we will bring you to a healing talan."

"I can walk," Gil-galad said while his naneth wiped the blood on his forehead.

"I know you can walk, you are a very lucky ellon! Do you realize that you could have fallen to the ground and died?"

"Next time, I will ask the Nazgul to be more gentle," he teased despite the pain.

"Well… it would not have happened if I had remained in the talan," she guiltily replied.

"Do not think about it," her son replied, taking her hand with his good arm.

"That is a nasty break," Glorfindel evaluated as he knelt beside his son. "I heard Haldir's sister-in-law is an expert with broken bones. We will go see her."

"Why were you trying to reach the Nazgul?" Turgon asked, unable to understand why she had insisted.

"The call was… irresistible. He was promising that every life would be spared if I went back home. I did not realize he was lying. The Eye… it was present in my fëa."

"Your home is in Imladris," Glorfindel reminded her. "We will bring you back there as soon as traveling is safer. Nimrodel and Allison are waiting for you. So are Arwen and Lord Elrond."

"Yes. I want to see them," she replied with a melancholic voice. "Please bring me back there," she pleaded. "Maybe Khamûl will not follow me there!"

"I will, very soon," her mate promised.

"I have a broken arm and my skull is probably cracked. Will anyone take care of me?" Gil-galad asked sarcastically through gritted teeth. He was in pain, that was obvious.

His adar and brother helped him to stand while Valerie ripped the fabric at the bottom of her dress in order to bandage his arm against his chest. Once it was done, the four elves went down the stairs encircling the immense tree trunk.

"Where is my sword?" Gil-galad asked.

"It must have fallen to the ground," Turgon guessed.

"Valar, I loved this sword. You better find it back," Gil-galad threatened his brother and fellow former High King of the Noldor. "Did you at least kill the dragon? What a sight it would be to see the Nazgul walk all the way back to Dol Guldur."

"We did not," Glorfindel admitted.

"Do I have to do everything myself?"

"Says the one who let said Nazgul thrown him like a ragdoll," Turgon teased.

The friendly banter continued until they reached the healing talan. It had helped Gil-galad cope with the pain.

OoOoO

Lothlorien

March 25th, Year 3019 of the Third Age

The three battles in Lothlorien had been hard-won by the Galadhrim, and Haldir had pointed out that an attack on Dol Guldur would undoubtedly stop the foreseeable fourth one. Lady Galadriel had agreed with him, and most of the wardens had left for Dol Goldur two days before along with their lord and lady.

Turgon, Gil-galad and Galadhon had joined Celeborn's army to attack Dol Guldur. Glorfindel was anxiously waiting for news of the attack, spending all his time near Valerie to ensure she would not escape once more. He could still feel some of her darkness, activated by Sauron's attacks all over Middle Earth.

During that afternoon, Valerie came out of her prostration and stared at him incredulously.

"What is wrong?" he asked, alarmed. Did she sense that something had happened to one of their children?

"He is gone..."

"Gone?"

"Gone... vanquished."

"Who? Sauron?!" he asked, wishing against all hope that Sauron had been destroyed by the Fellowship. They had left weeks ago, Mithrandir following them after having been saved by Lady Galadriel, who had sent the eagles to retrieve him after his fight with a Balrog in Moria. She had healed him and he had left Lothlorien as the new White Wizard. Could they have completed their mission after all?

"He ceased to exist!"

"Then you are free! You are fully mine again!"

"I am not certain."

"Why?"

"I still feel… something in me." She started to cry. "I told you I am a creature of darkness!"

"It cannot be!"

"Glorfindel! Listen to me! Even if Sauron was destroyed, it does not mean that all orcs, goblins, Nazguls and other dark creatures have disappeared from Middle Earth. They will have to be killed. One at a time. Do you understand what that means?"

"I will not let anyone touch even one of your hair!" he swore to her. "I will bring you to the Valar for help if necessary."

"I do not think I will be allowed to sail and bring this darkness to Valinor."

Five days later, Dol Guldur was destroyed by the combined forces of the Elvenking and Lord Celeborn. All had fought with valor, including Phoebe, Queen of Greenwood, and all the reborn warriors of the prophecy. However, Lady Galadriel had had a most important role in the battle. Using the waning power of her ring, she had destroyed the fortress while the warriors had killed the orcs that were trying to escape the wreckage.

OoOoO

They had arrived in Minas Tirith a few days earlier, to attend the wedding of Arwen and King Elessar, formerly known as Aragorn or Estel. Lord Elrond, Arwen, Nimrodel, Allison and her son Elrinor had arrived in Lothlorien almost at the same time than the Elvenking, his queen Phoebe, King Oropher and the Princesses Mithrellas and Aranel. It had been a strange reunion for Valerie and her reborn daughters and her sister, who had not seen her since her disappearance 8 years before. It had been obvious that Allison, Mithrellas and Nimrodel had been properly prepared for the encounter. They had remained very quiet around Valerie, had not rushed her into an emotional reunion. They had let her in peace, just watching her with expecting eyes. Were they waiting for Valerie to come out of her silence and prostration? When she would come out of it was anyone's guess.

Everyone had been appalled to learn that Valerie did not feel completely freed from the darkness inside her. They had debated if she should remain in Lothlorien while everyone traveled to Minas Tirith, but in the end, Glorfindel and their children had refused to see her being treated as if she had the plague. She had made the journey, sitting in front of Glorfindel on Asfaloth, surrounded by their children. Their arrival had been discreet. While Arwen and all elven lords and ladies were received very formally by the newly crowned king and his court, Glorfindel and Valerie had entered in the city by a small door and had reached their room before anyone else had even entered the main gate.

In the days following their arrival, Valerie had refused to see anyone outside of her immediate family. She had been told that rumors were running in the city that Sauron's former mate was with the elves. Fearing an attack, Valerie was now hiding until they would all leave after the wedding.

"Mother? Let me in," a familiar voice asked Valerie through the door. She had spent the morning reading quietly and had been hoping that no one would force her to attend Arwen's wedding in the evening. She simply did not think it would be a good idea.

She stood and slowly opened the door to let Phoebe in. She was not alone. The haughty Elvenking was with his mate. They walked in and went to sit on a couch, Phoebe gesturing to her mother to come sit with them. Valerie snorted. Phoebe and Thranduil were acting as if it was their room instead of hers. Oh, the self-confidence of royalty! She closed the door and went to sit with them.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the wedding?" she asked them.

"Shouldn't you be preparing too?"

"I am not attending."

"Yes, Adar told me," Phoebe replied lightly. "I could not believe it when I heard it."

"What is unbelievable in this?" Valerie asked sarcastically. "You think I feel like putting myself on display while the populace thinks I am a dark witch?"

"It will only be worse if you stay in your room," Thranduil coldly commented. "Your reputation grows every day. By now, these mortals think that you can kill them with just one look. If you keep hiding, they will soon believe that your hair is made of fire and that you can fly. It must be stopped."

"If you show up, looking like the normal lady that you are, they will realize that you are just a regular elleth and forget about you."

"I am not a regular elleth. My reputation will not disappear. I can see the fear when people look at me, even in the eyes of the elven people."

"And what if you scare them a little?" Phoebe asked. "You think you are the only one living with darkness inside her?"

"I know, everyone has shadows in their fëa, right?" Valerie laughed darkly. "Spare me your poor words of comfort and leave me alone. I wish you will have a pleasant night. Give my love to Estel and Arwen."

"No, not everyone has a shadow in their heart or in their soul," Phoebe continued as if Valerie did not want to end this conversation. "But we do."

"We?"

"Thranduil and I. Ever since our binding. The second one, after the birth of Aranel. This is what Thranduil and I have decided to talk to you about today."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do not tell me you never realized how I had changed after this second binding."

"Well… Yes, I had noticed a… lack of patience and of interest for certain people you are not close to."

"You forget to mention an increase in cruelty and a desire to hurt the people that I cannot stand."

"You exaggerate!"

"Believe me, I do not. Mother, some days, when people anger me… I can barely refrain from taking out my sword and hurt them. I picture it and take pleasure in their imaginary pain. Some days, the temptation is so strong… I have to leave the room immediately. Thranduil keeps my sword locked and I am only allowed to take it out when I am planning to train or when I travel."

Valerie stared disbelievingly at her daughter, who only smiled wickedly in return. She turned to Thranduil who simply nodded to confirm Phoebe's words.

"Why? How?"

"I am afraid it comes from me," Thranduil said, standing to pace in Valerie's room. "I assume you have heard the rumors."

"The old ones? Yes, I did. But Phoebe never talked about it. And so I assumed they were not true."

"Well, they are. To make a long and painful story short, a long time ago, I found myself fighting against a dragon. I was trying to distract it to give my warriors a chance to escape. I had no such luck."

Valerie turned to Phoebe, who was looking at her mate with love. Her eyes went back to her son-in-law, who still had his back to her.

"The dragon flames burned my left side, from head to waist. My skin melted and-"

"She gets it," Phoebe said, watching her mother who had turned green.

"I want her to understand," he replied with impatience.

"Stop the suspense, then!"

Thranduil slowly turned and Valerie was horrified to see the destroyed face of Phoebe's mate. The left half of his face had barely any skin left, and she could see the muscles and sinews while his left eye was white and probably blind. His neck was no better and she imagined that his chest was the same underneath his richly adorned tunic.

He simply stood there, watched her haughtily while she was recovering from the shock.

"Did you know?" Valerie asked Phoebe.

"Yes. I had seen his real appearance before we were married. He is my mate, Mother. Permanently injured or not."

When Valerie turned back to Thranduil, he had regained his normal appearance. "How do you hide it?"

"Saruman taught me the spell, when he was still on our side."

"Why did you show me... this?"

"Because I wanted you to know that a dragon burn cannot heal. Its darkness invades every part of you. Fëa, heart, mind… nothing is spared. The desire to force the strong into submission and to hurt the weak is overwhelming. This shadow has remained in me for many millennia. It can even be shared with your fëa-mate when you bind yourself..."

"Mother, I have been living with this darkness for almost 75 years, and see? No one knows what I am going through. And no ones knows the extent of Thranduil's fall into the shadows. These dark desires I feel, he feels them ten times more than I ever did."

"Did it stop once Sauron disappeared?"

"Valar, no! It would have been too easy. But the good news is… Adar still loves you despite this. You will learn to live with that part of you. The people will eventually stop talking about you. It will become rumors… and then legend..."

"At least," Thranduil added, "you bear no physical sign of it. You are luckier than I am."

"My eyes...they had changed. But they came back to normal."

"Let us hope they truly did. There is another possibility. Did you ever ask yourself if Lady Galadriel had not used a spell similar to Saruman's to hide your true pupils like he did for my scars?"

"I would have preferred not to hear your theory," Valerie cried, hiding her eyes.

"Glorfindel loves you no less than Phoebe loves me. He will learn to live with this. You will learn to live with this. You will, I assure you."

"In the meantime, you will get dressed and show up to Arwen's wedding," Phoebe commanded. "She is your friend and she will be very sad if you are not attending."

"I have no decent dresses."

"I will give you one. We are the same size after all. I will help you to get ready."

Seeing the hesitation in her mother's eyes, Phoebe added: "Imagine how Ada will be pleased. If you do not do it for Arwen, do it for him. He is so worried about you."

"Do you think he knows?"

"Of course, he does," Thranduil answered. "He was reborn in Valinor and carries the light of the Valar. He can feel darkness in another realm! And despite this, did he give you the impression that he despises you? That he is afraid of you?"

"No, never." Glorfindel had always been attentive and loving. Never had he been impatient or showed that this darkness in her was horrifying him. Not even when she had not been herself anymore.

"Then he accepted you. He will help. Do not try to hide anything from him. That would be a mistake."

A/N: Valerie still hasn't fully recovered, but at least, she now realizes that she is not the only one in her family carrying a darkness that changes her personality… In the next chapter, how will the people of Minas Tirith welcome her in their city?

Princessnera: Glorfindel will never let her down, not after all she did when he was struggling himself!

fihunt: unfortunately, the bond is still far from being reestablished…

Maggie: yes, there will be some Valinor scenes towards the end of the story. I like ending my stories well with a many people as possible in the Undying Lands…

Paperlanterns86: the memories are back, but Sauron's destruction didn't completely heal Valerie. It will require much more time and the intervention of much more powerful people.

Aralinn: Valerie is not at the end of her painful situation. In the next chapter, there is more grief to come…But Glorfindel will eventually succeed in helping her recover fully.

glassary: Glorfindel is too prudent to ignore a recommendation made that way. He understands perfectly what would happen if Valerie gets pregnant while she still has a bit of Sauron within her. And Valerie is nowhere near ready to resume their relationship as it used to be…