At the exact moment in time as Emma lost her life, king Thranduil was riding quickly on his elk when a vision came over him. His powerful body slumped down to the ground as the Elvenking's eyes turned milky and stared into nothingness, his body completely still. Those who knew Thranduil knew what it meant; the great Elvenking had a vision, as his foresight was strong and had served him well over his long life.
Elrond stopped his horse quickly and waited in silence for Thranduil to return, his eyes filled with unease. It usually did not bode well when king Thranduil had visions; most of the time, they came as a warning to the elf that something was amiss with the kingdom or that someone he loved was in danger. The thoughts of Elrond automatically went to Emma, who had vanished with Glorfindel the evening before.
Thranduil's tall body was slumped on the ground for what felt like forever; his head bent down as he stared into nothingness. Then, a startled gasp signalled to Elrond that Thranduil's consciousness had returned, and the Elvin Lord stepped close to Thranduil, waiting to hear what he had seen.
"Elrond," Thranduil said with his eyes shut as his mind processed what he had seen in his mind's eye, certainty in his voice that his ancient friend would be there by his side as so often before.
"Yes, old friend?" Elrond asked in a soft voice, waiting to hear what the king of Mirkwood had seen in his mind's eye. But, instead, Thranduil's icy gaze came upon Elrond with such fire that the Elvin lord shivered in fear. Something terrible must have happened for Thranduil to look so upset.
"We are turning around and going to the Misty Mountains immediately," Thranduil said swiftly before standing up and towering over his friend. It was not merely the height of his body that made Thranduil so imposing. It was also the emotional torrent that shone from his eyes.
"What has happened?" Elrond said swiftly, his grey eyes filled with worry as he looked at the haggard face of his friend.
"Orcs attacked Morwen, and Glorfindel wasn't there to protect her," Thranduil snarled with fury at Elrond, who paled at his words. A human, no matter how trained Emma was, was still a human with little experience fighting without her magic.
"She fought them, but the vision ended when a giant Uruk-hai came running after her. My brave Morwen jumped off the high waterfall you can see as you ride up the path towards the High Pass. If she is injured or dead …" Thranduil clenched his fists as he tried to contain the emotional torrent that was welling out of him like lava.
"If something has happed to the one I love … I will kill Glorfindel. So don't try to defend him Elrond," Thranduil hissed when Elrond tried to calm down the furious Elvenking.
"You did not see what I saw. You did not see the fear on Morwen's face. My courageous love faced death with such bravery," Thranduil snarled, blinking tears away as grief and pain washed over him.
Elrond placed a hand on his friend's shoulder in comfort, but Thranduil brushed him off angrily.
"Perhaps one day I will need your comfort, old friend, but for now, I need to know Morwen's fate. Are you with me?" Thranduil said as he jumped on his elk.
"Naturally," Elrond replied and rushed to his horse. However, when he looked around, Thranduil had already ridden quickly away, and the Elven Lord knew his horse would never keep up with him. However, Elrond knew where to go, as Thranduil had mentioned a high waterfall.
Emma opened her eyes to a place she had never seen before and looked nothing like the Misty Mountains. Gone was the Uruk-hai that had terrified her; gone was the thundering river, the wild magic and even her dear friend Glorfindel. The terror that had raised havoc on her soul was also gone and in its place was soothing tranquillity.
The witch was standing in a large, empty hall. Unnatural dim light lit up the hall devoid of people, and Emma looked in amazement at the vastness. It was so enormous that she could only just see the end of it from where she was standing. White marble covered the hall from floor to ceiling; high pillars rose here and there to support the immense roof. The witch noticed it was comfortably warm in there, even if no fire was lit in the hall.
"Come forward, child," a booming voice echoed over the entire hall, and Emma peered her eyes until she saw a throne at the far back. A dark-cloaked figure seemed to be sitting on the throne, and Emma automatically walked towards the creature that beckoned, her feet silently stepping on the marble.
There was a great silence, and for the longest time, the only thing that Emma could hear was the rustling of her dress with every step she took. Her fingers stroked over the dry fabric of her dress as if she had never jumped into the river. It was as if her whole trip to the Misty Mountains with Glorfindel had simply been a nightmare that she had awoken from in a strange hall, but Emma knew better. The witch suspected from the many stories of Glorfindel where she was, and it saddened her greatly to realise that the journey down the hall was the end of the line for her.
Finally, she came close enough to the throne to see the creature sitting on the throne rising and taking a few steps toward her. The creature was a tall male, so enormous that Emma looked like a child compared to him. His long hair was pitch black and straight, a remarkable contrast to his skin that was deathly pale like paper. His face was breathtakingly beautiful and unearthly in its splendour.
However, that wasn't what surprised Emma the most as she gazed at him in wonder. It was his eyes, so astonishingly silvery, and filled with inquisitiveness, that the witch felt he could see into every corner of her soul while they silently stood studying each other.
"Do you know where you are?" the creature asked, his eyes holding her gaze as Emma was mesmerised by the power radiating from him. She had met many magical folks in her times, but the creature before her was utterly unearthly in his power. The witch felt as if she should bow to him; such was his crackling power in the air around her.
"I have heard of this place," Emma said, breaking eye contact and looking around again to reaffirm her theory, "the Halls of Mandos, where the souls of the dead are kept."
The creature nodded, affirming her theory and then said, "Elrond, the half-Elvin, taught you well for you, a stranger to this world, to know about this place."
"Glorfindel described me these halls from when he was here," Emma replied, and the man's gaze locked in on her again as if he was yet again reading her soul.
"So you also know who I am?"
"Mandos, the ruler of the dead," Emma said quietly as understanding washed over her. There would be none but one reason why she would be standing in front of him. Emma was dead and had passed over to the other side. How she wished that her demise had not been like that. Emma knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that both Thranduil and Glorfindel would never recover from the grief of losing her in such a manner.
"Finally, we meet Emma Winter. I have been waiting for our meeting for the longest time," Mandos said and placed his hand over his heart in a greeting that Emma automatically responded to in the same way.
"I hope you won't find me impolite, but I can't say I share the sentiment," Emma said honestly and could see Mandos stifle a smile, his eyes twinkling with mirth at her words.
"I appreciate the honesty, young one, even though death is often not the worst thing that can befall creatures of Eru Ilúvatar," Mandos said with such conviction that Emma raised her eyebrows and looked at him straight in the eyes as she said, "Perhaps not my lord, but I had grown to love the life I was living in Middle Earth."
"Despite your heartache over losing your family?" Mandos asked curiously if the possibility had never occurred to him that Emma Winter could have enjoyed her new life without the family she had lost so tragically.
"Even with the heavy blow their loss gave me, there was still a reason to continue living. I found that out in time as my pain dwindled, and I found reasons to continue on my path," Emma said with conviction that surprised Mandos. He hadn't realised that she had learned to love her new life in Middle Earth; the possibility had never occurred to him.
"Humans are strange creatures; their lives are so short, but they are far more resilient than elves and other creatures of creation. Your kind can get past the heartache that many others can't get past," Mandos said thoughtfully, his silvery eyes glancing at her with reverence as he chose his words meticulously.
"Consolation comes from the understanding that those we cherished wouldn't want us to pass from heartache but to continue on and ultimately be happy," Emma said after a moment, and Mandos looked at her again, curiosity sprinkled into his gaze.
"I appreciate your honesty, Emma Winter. You have given me much to think about," Mandos said in a gentler tone, his cold hand touching her shoulder in solace that he rarely offered to those that entered his halls.
"Walk with me witch. It's of great importance that my wife, Vairë, and I speak to you," Mandos said and pointed towards a slender female that walked towards them with a soft smile on her attractive face, her blonde hair shimmering in the unearthly light of the halls. At the same time, her blue eyes shone with warmth as she looked at Emma as if she was meeting an old friend.
"Emma Winter, at long last," Vairë said, her hands reaching for Emma's and squeezing tightly, warmth spreading into the witch. Emma stared at the woman with surprise at the familiarity of her touch. Mandos smiled softly at his wife before his gaze locked again on Emma.
"This is my wife, Vairë, the weaver of the story of Middle Earth," Mandos said proudly, and Vairë looked up at her husband with a soft smile.
"I have read about you from the books in Rivendell. Erestor was very adamant about me learning about all of you," Emma said politely, and the couple grinned at her in silence before the three of them continued to walk.
"We have wanted to talk to you for the longest time Emma Winter. Of course, you have been known to us for thousands of years," Vairë said, surprising the witch, who stared at her with a shocked expression.
"How is that possible?" Emma asked stunned, "I come from another time in another world. How could I be known to you for such a long time?"
"The ways of Eru Ilúvatar are not for us to understand. We merely knew that your fate was destined for Middle Earth," Vairë said patiently, as if Emma was her student who needed to be updated on certain things, even the whole reason she had been created in the first place.
"Please explain it to me," Emma murmured, her dark eyes staring intriguingly at Vairë, who took Emma's hand and led her as the three of them continued their slow walk of the halls.
"Your fate is, and always has been, tied to Thranduil, the son of Oropher. Surely you must have felt the ties that bind your souls together as one?" Vairë asked the witch, that looked stunned at the couple.
"I cannot deny that even from the very beginning, Thranduil has been like a shining bright star in my life even if we had a difficult start," Emma said after a moment of thought; it was the truth. The Elvenking had become the most important person in her life in Middle Earth and certainly her reason to go on after losing her family.
"No more than you have been for him, you have given Thranduil hope for the future, and unselfish love has grown in his heart for the first time," Vairë said with such emotion that Emma understood that the weaver had great love in her heart. Not only for Emma but also for Thranduil, which gave her great comfort that the difficult elf was also cherished.
"I tried hard to fight my feelings for him; I had read about Beren and Lúthien. I did not wish the same fate to befall the great elf who is so important to me," Emma confessed, and as she blushed, the couple grinned teasingly at her.
"There is no way to hide from fate, little one, no matter how rational one might try to be," Mandos said quietly, and his wife stroked her arm down his back in comfort as if he had done the same thing a long time ago.
"Kind as you are, and there is no doubt in our minds that you are Emma, why should both of you suffer? It was too late for Thranduil the moment you two touched in his halls, and he saw the vision of the possible future with you by his side," Vairë said thoughtfully as they continued their walks of the vast halls.
"What did Thranduil see? He never explained it to me. He merely said that a vision had shown him the possibility of happiness," Emma said, curiosity sprinkled in her voice as she thought of Thranduil's vision that he had hinted at but never told her the details of.
"We cannot tell you, little one. That's a story only Thranduil can tell," Mandos said patiently. Even if the gods were all-seeing, it did not mean that they would divulge such information. No matter how much they wanted to.
"I think it's too late for me now, as I'm standing in the Halls of Mandos," Emma said sarcastically. Mandos laughed loudly with mirth before replying warmly, "there is a fire within you, Emma Winter, that I enjoy enormously. However, you must remember that my halls are not meant as punishment for those that come here, at least not in your case."
"As I was saying, you were destined to come to Middle Earth," Vairë said before continuing, "You and Thranduil were predestined. Alas, fate didn't consider that you would fall in love and have a family before ever coming to Middle Earth."
"My family was not a mistake; Logan was not a mistake. I loved them both with all my being," Emma said stubbornly, and the couple grinned at her with great fondness. Naturally, Eru Ilúvatar would choose such a vibrant character to match Thranduil's fiery personality. Still, it endeared Mandos endlessly to Emma when he realised that she was everything his wife and him had hoped for her to be.
"Wilful witch, we now understand why your fate was tied to the Elvenking of Mirkwood," Vairë said with such fondness that Emma looked at her, surprised when she felt the genuine affection in the woman's words.
"Here comes the part that is difficult for us to admit, little one. Mistakes were made along the way, and we must ask your forgiveness for the mistakes that cost you your family," Mandos said, his tone solemn as he apologised to the witch for the wrongs done to Emma's family.
"What mistakes Mandos?" Emma asked right away, her dark eyes begging him to explain what had happened that had endangered her family back at the cottage in Canada so very long ago.
"Your family. It was never the intention of Eru Ilúvatar for your family ever to enter Middle Earth. It was a mere accident. The necklace was left for you to find, not your young daughter," Vairë said, her tone filled with grief for the family the witch had lost, all due to a divine mistake. But, after all, the gods were not always infallible in their might. Mistakes could and did happen along the way.
"What? Was everything simply a mistake? An accident that destroyed my life?" Emma asked, shocked, her eyes filling with tears at Vairë's words. All that heartache, all that pain and torment. All the heartbreak was simply because the gods had made a mistake. It had been an error that should never have happened.
"The necklace that your daughter found. It was never our intention for Victoria to find it. The necklace must have called out to the magic in her blood. She was drawn to it, and because she was so young, she touched it instead of staying away from it. That catapulted the lives of all your family, including yourself, in ways we could not have foreseen," Vairë said apologetically to the witch that looked devastated at their words as if all the weight of the world was sitting on her shoulders.
"Them coming here was an accident?" Emma asked with a raspy voice, tears falling down her cheeks at the realisation that her family should have never gone through everything they did, "it was all my fault. If not for me, this would never have happened."
"Nothing was your fault, little one. Do not blame yourself for falling in love with Logan, who was a good man. It was not written in the stars, but still, your daughter strengthened the line of Aragorn and will no doubt help him as he meets his perilous task," Vairë said, trying to comfort the witch that seemed to have started to blame herself for everything that had happened to her family.
"It's heartbreaking to hear this," Emma admitted sorrowfully to the couple that was looking at her with so much melancholy as if they pitied her immensely.
"Eru Ilúvatar, and us, wish to make amends for the wrongs done to you. Your family is long gone, but you will have a choice they did not have," Mandos said, his silvery eyes imploring the witch to hear them out before the pain of losing her family took over.
"What choice do I have?" Emma asked, frustrated, "I'm already here in the Halls of the Dead."
Mandos and his wife looked at each other before nodding and turning back to the witch, and Mandos said, "you can pass through the Halls of the Dead to the afterlife or return to Middle Earth as an immortal. A rare choice indeed."
"Why an immortal? How can that be? I was born human after all," Emma asked curiously, her dark eyes staring into the silvery ones of Mandos, who turned to Vairë as if she was supposed to explain that to the witch.
"We wish to erase the seeds of doubt in your heart so you can love Thranduil fully without a doubt that you two are meant to be as one. After all, you two share a soul; immortality was always your fate, as it is Thranduil's. You would not have come to these halls otherwise," Vairë said gently to the witch, drying tears from her eyes. For the longest moment, Emma was silent as if she was weighing her options before finally taking a pivotal decision that would change everything.
"I wish to return to Middle Earth, to Thranduil, to all those that I love there. I wish to live. It's too early for my demise," Emma said, giving Mandos and Vairë a shaky smile that told them just how easy that decision had been for her. The witch had not been ready to pass through the Halls Of the Dead, her life force was strong, and she wished to continue.
Vairë smiled happily at Emma and said, "we are relieved to hear that Emma Winter, a great burden is lifted off our shoulders to know that you wish to live, to be happy and put the past hurt behind you."
"I offer you comfort for the heartache you suffered at our hands; we are deeply regretful for the pain caused to your family," Mandos said, his voice not as tight as it had been a moment ago, as if he had been genuinely concerned that the witch would join the hordes of dead.
"What kind of comfort?" Emma asked so sceptically that the lord of the dead grinned at her teasingly. He genuinely enjoyed the company of the little witch that had stumbled into his halls.
"To forget your old life and start anew," Mandos replied and saw the stubborn glint in Emma's eyes as she replied steadfastly, "I don't wish to forget my family."
"You do not wish us to heal your wounds so you can move on?" Mandos asked shocked. Every single one he had offered that comfort to had taken the option for their soul to be able to move on. However, the lord of the dead had never offered immortality to someone who had been raised as a human. That seemed to make all the difference in the world.
"I think a part of life is to love with all your heart, even at the danger of losing them. So I have accepted my pain and have learned to live with it. So thank you for your offer, but I wish them to live on in my heart and my memory," Emma said quietly, and Mandos stared at her deep in thought before muttering aloud, "A strange request indeed; magical creatures always chose to let go of their heartache."
"I do not wish to let them go. They were the most important part of my life and should never be forgotten," Emma said with such conviction that it was clear that the memory of those she loved was crucial to her.
"Even now, as love has grown in your heart for another?" Vairë asked intriguingly. She had never really understood the complicated thinking of humans that burned so brightly and then disappeared from existence.
"Even so. My family will not be forgotten so easily, and I do not wish them to be disregarded. Another chapter is opening for me, and love accidentally blossomed again in my heart, but that doesn't mean that I wish to forget my family," the witch admitted and smiled shyly at the couple that grinned up at each other with affection. Emma Winter was a lucky woman. Twice in her lifetime, she had experienced love. As she had let go of the most burning grief, seeds of love had grown in her heart for the Elvenking, who was loyal and loving towards her.
"Not such an accident, little one. It is fate. Yours and Thranduil's story was weaved into fate long before either of you was born. You were created together and for each other," Vairë said with such affection that Emma felt tears prickle in her eyes.
"If that is the will of Eru Ilúvatar, it only strengthens what has already blossomed in my heart. I wish to return to the one I love and to stop being afraid of the love that has blossomed in our hearts," Emma said, giving Vairë and Mandos a tearful smile.
"Very well, we shall grant you your wish," Mandos said steadfastly, and Emma gave him her thanks in the Elvin greeting of placing her hand over her heart, the only way she knew how to show how much it meant to her that she was getting another chance at life.
"Thank you. You have been extremely generous to me," Emma said with emotion, and the couple grinned at her. There was no reason for the witch to thank them. They had wanted to make amends for their mistakes for the longest time.
"There is the second part of our apology for you, little one. You will be granted access to Valinor when the time comes, and you can bring whomever you wish along with you," Vairë said, shocked that Emma wrapped her arms around her and held on tightly in surprised joy over the news.
"I will be with the ones I love eternally. That gives me great happiness," Emma said, trying to fight her tears of joy and failing hopelessly at the task. Vairë gave her one last squeeze before letting her go, and their slow walk continued through the empty halls.
"We will notify Círdan, the Shipwright, of our decision. When the time comes, there will be a ship available for you and your family," Vairë said, and Emma nodded, feeling numb from all the information overload.
"And now it's time for you to return, little one," Mandos said gently to the witch that gave him a small smile.
"Enjoy the rest of eternity together with the one you love, and do come to visit us when you are in Valinor. We have wanted to speak to you for a long time, and you did not disappoint. You have endeared yourself to us," Vairë said, and Mandos nodded in agreement.
"I shall, I give you my word," Emma agreed quickly, for she had found kinship in the unlikeliest places.
"And please bring Glorfindel. We see you have become fast friends," Vairë said happily. The elf, who was a mediator between the Valar and the elves, was much liked by all who met him.
A thought crossed Emma's mind, and she had to ask, "how long have I been here?"
"Hours, days, weeks? Time is an abstract idea in these halls, but you will return to the living a few minutes after you left it," Mandos said, and Emma gazed at him in amazement. The time she had been in the halls of the dead had been mere moments in Middle Earth. The power of the Valar was indeed great to behold.
"Thank you for your generous gifts and the conversation. It cleared up many things for me," Emma said honestly, and the couple looked at her with great affection.
"You are welcome, Emma Winter. Now go and live life to the fullest as Morwen, the queen of Mirkwood," Vairë said, and Emma smiled softly, remembering that Thranduil had called her Morwen for years.
"Now, you must return. Glorfindel is beside himself with grief," Vairë said, seeing the golden elf holding his friend ever so tightly while his heart shattered with grief and guilt over what had occurred by the waterfall in the Misty Mountains.
"Come hold my hand. I will send you back to the land of the living," Mandos said, and Emma nodded in agreement and stepped closer to the lord of the dead.
"Don't waste a moment. Live and love with all your heart," Vairë said gently to the woman, who looked ecstatic to return to the life she had learned to love.
"I shall, thank you both," Emma said, bowing her head in thanks before placing her hand in the giant cold hand of Mandos. A moment later, her soul returned to her body in the Misty Mountains of Middle Earth.
"Do you feel that?" Galadriel murmured, her gaze staring towards the Misty Mountains and concern on her face. The ruler of Lórien was known for her inquisitiveness, especially regarding magic. Having lived so long, it was not often that she felt something new and strange in the air. However, she had felt the tingling magic in the air two times in five years. That magic did not feel like her Elvin one, or even Gandalf's. Curiosity nagged at her.
Celeborn walked up behind his wife, wrapped his arms tightly around her and asked with concern, "what is it that you feel?"
"Strong magic in the air as if it burst out of nowhere," Galadriel said, her voice airy but her grey eyes burning with concern as she gazed around as if she was trying to pinpoint the exact direction where the magic was flowing from.
"Should I be alarmed?" Celeborn asked. He was used to his wife feeling things that few others could; her magic was strong, and her wisdom was great.
"No, there is no threat that I can feel," Galadriel said and then was silent for a moment as if her mind was working to find possible explanations for what she had felt.
"Is the witch that Thranduil is enamoured with still in Rivendell?" Galadriel finally said, her gaze returning to the Misty Mountains. The burst of power had been up in the mountains, and there was only one likely source for it.
"As far as I know, yes, but her magic is dormant," Celeborn said dismissively. He had never been as intrigued with the human as Galadriel had been, as he had early on thought that Thranduil's affection for the human would only bring his downfall. Galadriel, on the other hand, had always been a romantic. It could be seen in how she supported Arwen and Aragorn, so it was not strange that the Elvin lady would also help Thranduil in his quest for love.
"No longer, I think. My intuition tells me that the magic I feel in my senses could only come from Emma Winter," Galadriel said, her thoughts lingering on the young witch and wondering what could have happened for her magic to come back in such a burst of energy.
"Do you wish to contact Elrond?" Celeborn asked when he realised his wife needed to know what had occurred to the human. They had never met Emma but had heard so much about the witch from Elrond's letters.
Galadriel shook her head quickly, "Nay. I will see in my mirror if something happened. If I see nothing there, I will spread the word to search for the source of the magic."
The two walked down the winding stairs of the city of Caras Galadhon towards a clearing where a silver water basin was located. Galadriel lifted a water pitcher and poured water to fill the basin. She then waited a moment as images started to appear in the water.
Celeborn looked at his wife with great interest, not wanting to interrupt her until she had gotten answers from the mirror. Then, finally, Galadriel's gaze landed on him, her face still as if she were still processing her vision.
"What did you see?" Celeborn finally pushed after waiting the longest time.
Galadriel's serious gaze met his, and she replied, "A dark-haired woman being attacked by an Uruk-hai. Her magic ran wild, and she perished…." Galadriel hesitated for a moment, wonder and surprise in her voice as she continued, "… but then I saw Mandos sending her back from his halls."
"Mandos sent her back?" Celeborn asked his wife in wonder, his eyes wide at the thought of a human being allowed a second chance at life, as the gods rarely got involved with the lives of humans.
"So it would appear," Galadriel replied with a small smile before her hand reached out for her husband, and the two walked from the mirror and further into the forest.
"That's odd. The gods usually don't meddle in the affairs of men," Celeborn said after they had walked a while. Could it be that the little human that intrigued the Elvenking had some purpose in Middle Earth after all?
Galadriel stared at the Misty Mountains deep in thought, "if they do, it's always for a good reason and how I wish I knew what that reason might be."
"Should we contact Thranduil?" Celeborn asked his wife, who shook her head in refusal before replying, "Thranduil has the gift of foresight. I do not doubt that he already knows what befell his beloved."
"When do you think we will meet the elusive witch that captured the Elvenking's heart?" Celeborn asked teasingly, and Galadriel laughed merrily, "Hopefully soon beloved. I have wanted to meet her since she arrived in Middle Earth."
"That should be an interesting meeting, the only two witches of Middle Earth in close proximity. Are you sure it will be safe for the rest of us?" Celeborn said playfully, and his wife laughed again. Galadriel knew her reputation and was challenging to get along with, especially with folks that were not Elvin. She had lived too long and seen too much to suffer fools easily, no matter who they might be.
"I have a feeling we will like each other. There is something extremely agreeable about Emma Winter," Galadriel said affectionately with a slight smile. Her husband looked down at his wife with great affection before kissing her softly on the lips.
