Ch 17 Catching Up

During the summer of 3007, Bain died at the age of 82 after 30 years of reign; Sigrid was 81 and Tilda 77. Lilian was left in a state of severe grief while their son, Brand, ascended the Throne at the age of 50 while his sister Elli was 46. The royal family of Dale had grown exponentially and Râlia could see Gavin in all of his descendants, both in features and attitudes. Sigrid was still living strong through her children, grandchildren, and now one great-grandchild and went into seclusion with Lilian to help her through her loss along with Tilda. The two kingdoms lived peacefully side by side, growing stronger through the years and no threats to their livelihood.

In the spring of 3008, Dale and Erebor were alit with celebration for the marriage of Dhiren and Bona. A grand event, one that Frodo, Maliah, Mirari, Elladan, and Elrohir traveled across the land to be there. No letter was sent in response to the invitations and therefore no one on that side of Middle Earth knew they were arriving. The same rangers escorted Frodo and Maliah to Rivendell and from there the five travel the rest of the way with no guards. They arrived a week before the wedding and a great dinner was created for the two returning princesses, complete with enough barrels of beer to drown a town. Maliah and Mirari were swept away by their sibling after their parents released them, dragged up and away to the royal halls they still inhabited. Frodo, Elladan, and Elrohir were left behind in the front hall looking amused and a touch worried, Frodo, about being left alone. Thankfully, members of the original company took the three under their wings and led the way to the great hall where they all could talk.

The first born son of Fili and crowned Prince of Erebor broke the tradition his parents and others of their generation had started and completed his courtship and wedding rituals according to tradition; something that would have made Balin proud had he been there. Hobbit and Elves watched on in fascination at the ceremony as it was so different from what their own culture. For the next two days, the three were introduced to the wonders of dwarf culture and traditions; which meant Frodo was found curled up in a ball passed out by a wall from all of the drink and the twin elves getting into fights with dwarves while supervised. All in all, it was a memorable experience for everyone.

None of the other royal dwarf children had found their One's yet among those living in Erebor, a fact Dis insisted was normal. Not all dwarves found their other halves and their family had been fortunate so far. Besides, Anira and Frerin were only half-dwarf even though each took after a different side of their heritage. It was possible that one or both could have an Elf One like their sister or father, but the only way to find out was to send them away as they had with Mirari. It was a conversation that neither wanted to speak of, for neither parent wanted to lose all of their children to a kingdom further away just yet. As it was, both children were aging as dwarves with Anira at 64 and Frerin at 52, meaning soon they could leave Erebor on their own. The same as her sister, Anira took after Tauriel more and had more Elf than dwarf features while Frerin, with his mother's coloring, looked almost exactly like his father.

The returned children soon left and returned to their new homes, leaving many members of Erebor saddened at their departure. Well wishes and threats were spread evenly in most of the dwarves good-byes, mostly directed at the Elf twins who had caused trouble by simply existing in Erebor; and from time to time causing it themselves. Râlia gave them one last warning before they left for she was the only one outside of their trio who had an idea of what was going on between them. Elladan and Elrohir were over 1,800 years older than her niece and therefor much more experienced in manipulating a situation. She bestowed a kiss to her own daughter and regarded Frodo carefully, knowing the ring had been left in his possession. However, this hobbit seemed to show no effects as his Uncle had when he carried it, although it was a different situation entirely. Immediate family had gathered at the front gate to waved goodbye and see off the group as they rode down the valley to the lake.

The next ten years went by almost in the blink of an eye. Mirari stayed in Rivendell, attending to her studies while the twins still went on Orc hunts. During those weeks they were gone, she found it hard to concentrate while worrying for their safety and often sought companionship in Arwen or Bilbo to reduce stress. Arwen knew better than Bilbo how she felt with Aragon being gone more often than not, but the rapidly aging hobbit could still take her mind mostly off the hypothetical situations she found herself imagining with her two halves. Maliah and Frodo returned to Bag End and went about their lives as Hobbits do, enjoying their time together as the fullest though and going on their own adventures close to home. The habitants of the Shire noticed that the couple didn't seem to age in the years of marriage and was whispered about often.

Times were peaceful but Ralia could feel a change in the air, something that bothered her greatly since she no longer knew what was going to happen. Even the book she had written containing the knowledge had mysteriously disappear. It didn't help no one had seen or heard from Gandalf in many years. While it was usual for the wizard to go missing at times, there was a sign from him and even Radagast didn't have information. During a trip to Mirkwood, a yearly meeting between the Elves, Men of Dale, and Dwarves of Erebor, Thranduil had informed her that a creature names Gollum had been captured and was resident in one of his dungeons to keep whatever information he had safe. Apparently, the former ring carrier had been there since 3009.

On the trip to Mirkwood with Râlia were Kili, Dwalin, Melli, Flori, and a handful of guards. Fili stayed behind, confident his wife and Queen could handle any situation presented and was fully protected along with his brother. What he hadn't considered was the trouble his healer and daughter could get into while at the Elf stronghold. Melli had gone along because there was rumor of a potion or salve known to the elves which could help her eye sight. Flori had joined because with Dwalin leading their group, Nori was left in charge; something the Battle dwarf was still wary about to this day. Much to the surprise and delight of Melli and Râlia, there was such a cure. The catch, however, was the time passed since the inflicted wounds. Their treatment was meant for more immediate injuries and the Elf healers told them that if it worked at all, the results would be more minimal. Instead of her eyesight returning almost entirely, it would be a much lower percentage; more able to see shapes and colors but not definitive lines.

Melli still insisted upon the treatment and while Râlia was in conference, she was in the healing wing on a bed accompanied by her daughter. Two days later, Melli was gone from the bed, room, and even wing; same as Flori. Râlia covered her face with a hand and looked to Kili who appeared more than amused at the empty room. She knew her friend and had confidence that whatever she was up to, Melli wouldn't get hurt or caught and would return later. Sure enough, that night Melli was back in the bed as though nothing had happened and wouldn't divulge where she had been. It wasn't until they were back home days later and Râlia was in the King's study with Fili did she find out what her friend had been up to that day. With her walking stick in one hand and a cloth wrapped bundle in the other, she strode through the room and extravagantly present whatever was in her hand to Fili. Very carefully, the King of Erebor unwrapped his oddly shaped gift gently and exploded with laughter at the sight of King Thranduil's branched crown sitting innocently on his desk. Râlia sat beside him with a floored expression going between the crown and Melli. According to the healer, she had snuck away soon after she could distinguish between shapes with Flori and had 'stumbled' upon the Elf King's room. So of course to teach the tree huggers since their security was lax, in her opinion, Melli took the crown as a token. Fili wiped the tears from his eyes from laughing so hard and walked over to the fire mantle with the crown, placing it precisely in the center after pushing other trinkets out of the way. Standing back to admire the piece, he once again fell into laughter while Râlia rolled her eyes.

It was spring of 3018 when Erebor and Dale received a letter from Lord Elrond that would change the course of action for more than a few dwarves.

In the next chapter begins the Fellowship with a few of my characters joining in. please leave reviews to let me know what you've thought so far.