Author's Final Notes at bottom of page.
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"There is a destiny that makes us brothers, No one goes his way alone; All that we send into the lives of others, Comes back into our own."
Edwin Markham
Chapter 45
Epilogue
Many years before, the ancestors of the people who now stood, blinking in the sunlight of a new day in a little town called Osp, had begun a journey to start their own town and rebuild their lives free from the oppression of the one who sought to control them through the use of dark magic. These people had finally found what they had been desperately searching for, for so long - they had found true peace of spirit, peace of mind and peace of heart.
Everything happens for a reason and though the purpose for the riding of so many of the Imladris elves who knew Anayah had been one of love and support, there had been an underlying reason, one possibly known only by Ilúvatar himself. The town of Osp, restored to reality when the twins had once more been merged, now had all the help they needed to become whole and finish what they had begun so long ago, to rebuild their town and make new lives for themselves. Taking charge, the elves now helped their human brothers and sisters to begin again.
There were many willing hands to clean away the dust and grime that had accumulated in every nook and cranny of the little town during the years it had been lost to its inhabitants. There were carpenters to repair what had been broken, gardeners willing to till the soil and bring color and life back to the little town, smiths, laundresses, cooks and housekeepers as well. But best of all, laughter was once again filling the town, spilling out of doorways and windows, and what the sun had started, the light of good will had finished. Osp truly came to life that day - and it was a good thing.
Saruman had been seeking the ultimate weapon with which to further his own aims which were to defeat and take Sauron's place and to that end had, with some very dark and forbidden magic, split the duality of life and in particular, good and evil.
The idea of balance in all things, is a concept that seems to hold true in all cultures - black and white, day and night, man and woman, good and evil and life and death. The duality of all facets of life is truly a part of Ilúvatar's song and a concept that is beyond contestation by any life form. The physical damage that had been caused by the white wizard's spell had, for the most part, been undone although the psychological wounds would take longer to heal - but that too, would happen in time.
Then there was Erestor, smiling and laughing as he helped wherever he could whether it was cleaning a dusty house or serving a meal to the hungry workers. How could this possibly be the same dour elf from Imladris who rarely smiled and who many claimed had been born without a sense of humor?
Some things were not meant to be fully understood and this was, indeed, one of those things.
No matter how separated things become, there is still a thread and though it may be a small one, that thread still grounds the separated part to this world and makes that part recognizable to anyone who chooses to take a closer look. Thorn was the thread for Osp. The great-grandson of the town's original Mayor, Thorn had done what he could to keep his town together regardless of the chaos that had held them in its grasp for so long and with the understanding that one day, things would be made right. Now, as he stood in the middle of the Town Square, he looked around him at the workers, elves and humans alike, and knew with certainty that this was that day and things were indeed well once more.
Twenty-four hours after the final battle had taken place, Anayah was carried, in the strong arms of her Thurin Tirith Captain, from the tent where her father had tended the wounds she had received in her battle with the dark twin. Though still pale and weak, she couldn't help but smile at the change in the little town, now filled with the sounds of life.
Though most of the elves would stay behind for one more day to finish the work they had begun, Elrond, his sons, Anayah and her four Guards began the journey home. As his horse passed through an all too familiar glade, not too far from the outskirts of Osp, and through which ran the sparkling waters of a little stream, Aragorn caught the sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he saw a man standing beneath the boughs of a tree with his arm place protectively and lovingly around the shoulders of a little girl. He smiled and the little girl waved shyly, and just before he lost sight of them, this Ranger from the North, this future King of Men, touched his forehead with his hand as a token of his respect and in thanks for the second chance at life that he had been given because of their selfless acts. Then nudging his horse into a gallop, Aragorn rode ahead to catch up with the others.
Possession has been a story of the war between good and evil and along the path that started at the beginning and ended at the last dot on the last page, we have solved mysteries, encountered ghosts, had interesting adventures and have fought the minions of the Dark Lord, Sauron. In the end, we discovered that we were more than who we were at the beginning and realized that was a good thing. It was one heck of a ride but now the ride is over and it is time to move on to something different, the next chapter in an interesting life. It's been fun and I hope you were all entertained - at least a little.
Hannon-le a namárië.
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COMING NEXT: Old Bones: The Star of Elendil also known as the Elendilmir, was the beautiful white gem set in a filet of mithril that was the token of royalty worn by the Kings of Arnor and was Aragorn's by birthright. When a strange human is rescued from pursuing Uruk Hai by Mirkwood warriors, he immediately asks for a private audience with the Prince. He tells Legolas that he has information for Isildur's heir, information that he and his ancestors have been guarding for over 3,000 years. This information must be passed on for that which has been kept secret is in danger of being discovered, something that many lives have been sacrificed to keep from happening. The time has come for the responsibility of the Elendilmir and he who wore it last to be passed on to his kin.
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A/N1: The tentative posting schedule for the new story will be Tuesdays and Saturdays. The first chapter will be posted this coming Saturday.
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A/N2: If I don't have a final comment after your name either in the Favorites list or Author Alert list, it is only because we have not had the chance to say hello. However, I still consider it an honor that you have included me in your literary lives.
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A special thanks to all those fine authors and authoresses who have me on their 'Favorites' list.
SiniTuuli
hieiman23
pottergirl721
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Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story - you all are the best.
DesolateAznVamp
Soccer-Bitch
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A Sly Fan
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Another special thanks to those fine authors and authoresses who have me on their 'Author Alert' list. I just feel so privileged that all of you consider me worthy of this honor.
Soccer-Bitch - Go soccer! Thanks so much for reviewing my story. It really meant a lot to me.
Vampiress Adora
Anja (ania) Summers - I apologize if I misspelled your name. My eyes aren't what they used to be. LOL!
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Deana - Keep up the good work on your own writing. I really do love your stories and even if I don't get a chance to review, at least know that I review in spirit.
Eile igen Briain
DesolateAznVamp - Ain't life just sooooo great?! I've enjoyed having you along for the ride.
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So I Am
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Author's Final Notes: There have been some readers over the course of my stories who have questioned the relationship between Anayah and her Foster Father, Elrond and why she calls him "Ada" when she is only his foster daughter. My answer to all of you comes from personal experience. I have had many "unofficial" foster children over the years and they have all called me "Moms." (Yes the final 's' in the word is supposed to be there.) These young men and women have had no problem saying the word and it was considered a token of their love and respect for me that they did so.
Some readers have said they are confused by Anayah's magical abilities. These 'powers' if you want to call them that, come from her ancestress Melian, the Maia who married King Thingol of Doriath. Speaking from the standpoint of the genetics involved, it would be possible for the traits of a particular ancestor or ancestress to show up many generations later and without consideration of "blood quantum."
As far as Anayah's "balanced nature" as I call it - yes, she is extremely young in elf years but what she lacks in elvish experience is made up for by the Númenorian blood - one fills in what the other lacks and hence - balance. She has not had an easy life but has managed to rise above her early beginnings to become the competent, semi-self-assured young she-elf that she is.
The problem that some readers have with the female lead in my stories is understandable. The Lord of the Rings, as written by JRR Tolkien, is a male-driven story and while Tolkien did not rule out the existence of strong female characters, neither did he emphasize them. Professor Tolkien wrote these stories during a time in our history when women filled only a very limited number of rolls and strong and capable women were very few and far between. But, and I emphasize this qualifier, he did not say that they did not exist and did not have an impact on the history of Middle Earth. And so, the existence of such individuals was possible.
Was it possible for her to be a competent healer at her young age? Yes. Aragorn is an extremely good healer and only two years older, and while Anayah did not have the continuous tutoring of a healer such as Elrond while she was growing up, she did learn from those who were willing to share with her what they did know and that, combined with an instinctive gift for learning then retaining that knowledge as well as a desire to relieve suffering, has brought her to the point where she is quite good at what she does.
I hope that I have answered the questions that some of you have posed to me. If there are any further questions, send me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as I can - my email addy is in my profile. Just put the name of the story in the subject line as I make it a practice not to open emails from people I don't know because of the virus thingy! LOL!