I was very nervous when it came to my first lesson with Elrond. He sent a note to my room about where and when to meet him. However, as I had no idea where anything was in this place, I had to ask for help. Which came in the form of a very kind elf who had been tending to one of the gardens. They guided me through the maze of Rivendell and delivered me to where I needed to go.

The room was open on three sides. Bookshelves lined the back wall, and a round table sat in the centre. Elrond was sitting at the table, leafing through a book, when I walked in. He smiled when he saw me and indicated to the seat next to him.

"Before we begin, I feel there is something you would like clarifying."

I frowned "What's that?"

"It is about your age. You see, elves usually come of age once they reach 100 years," he said calmly as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell on me.

100! I was nowhere near that age, even if you added up the years I must have spent on Middle Earth before going to Earth. If Elrond was about to tell me that I was still a child, I may have to scream.

"However, as you spent a lot of your years as a human, your Fëa aged accordingly. So even though you may be younger than 100, you are, in fact, of age," he continued.

That's a breath of relief. Why did he have to play with my heart like that?

"As humans age faster, I imagine that is why you did not get the chance to develop the...stature normally fitting of an elf," said Elrond, an amused smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

He was basically calling me short, and he thought it was hilarious.

"So if I'm already of age does that mean that I'm gonna be short forever?" I groaned.

"Yes, it would appear so," he laughed. It lit up his whole face.

It was nice to see that even millenia-old elven lords still had a good sense of humour.

"So, how much do you know about these powers," said Elrond, getting back to the matter at hand.

I looked down at my hands "Absolutely nothing. They just sort of–" I made an explosion gesture with my hands "-Do their own thing. I've not really had any control over it."

Elrond was listening intently. "What experiences have you had with it so far?"

"Well, I brought someone back to life, so there's that," I said, "But I also blasted a troll in the face, and it turned to stone…and I think I burned someone." My eyebrows drew together "I thought these were supposed to be healing powers?"

Elrond didn't look surprised by my confession. "Yes, that is to be expected. In its raw form, the power you possess can be quite impressive. If the intention for healing is not there, then the magic can react differently. Causing harm rather than stopping it. That is one of the reasons I wanted to help you. You seem to possess a greater ability than most, so it is imperative you learn to control it. Lest you hurt someone you wish to heal."

"Yes, I would definitely like to avoid that," I murmured. The idea of accidentally hurting someone set me on edge.

We started off by simply trying to get my magic to start at will. So far I've only been able to do it when I was under a lot of stress. I needed to be able to use the magic and stop it when I wanted it to. Not to let it overwhelm me as I had done with Kili. I couldn't put too much power into the healing, or I would drain all my energy. Or hurt the person I was trying to help. So learning control was of the utmost importance.

"The power resides within you, always," Elrond explained "Usually, it lays dormant until you have need of it. You need to draw the power out and into your hands," Elrond showed me, his hands palm side up. After a few moments, a pale glow began to emanate from them. "People with smaller wells to draw from use a mixture of mantras and spells to draw the power out, but I believe you may be able to forgo this step."

I nodded, strangely giddy that he thought me powerful enough.

"Visualising it may help you bring out the magic. Close your eyes and place your hands on the table." Elrond motioned.

I did as he said, shifting slightly so that I was more in line with the table.

"Right now, I need you to visualise a magical energy that sits in your core."

Frowning, I tried my best. What was it supposed to look like? Was I supposed to just imagine? If that's the case, then I'm going to make it blue and sparkly.

It was a little difficult to concentrate at first because the connection between Kili and me was distracting me. In any case, I imagined there was a blue sparkly magic coiled inside my torso, moving around like a liquid. It felt a little silly at first. However, at one point, I swear I could feel a vague buzzing sensation.

"Good, now I want you to imagine that magic travelling away from your core and down your arms. You need to pool the magic into your hands."

Easier said than done. I tried to imagine the magic moving down my arms, I could see it in my mind, but I knew it wasn't actually happening in real life. The vibration of magic stayed resolutely in my stomach, refusing to move. It felt like there was a mental block of sorts. Maybe it was because I'd spent most of my life thinking that magic wasn't real. Some part of me was still sceptical, refusing to believe I could accomplish such a thing.

Scrunching my eyes up, I began putting more effort in. Trying to push the magic where I wanted it to go. A slight shifting sensation had the magic lifting upwards. However, my excitement caused it to stop as soon as it started. For Fuck sake.

Then my concentration was broken by something else entirely.

I was sitting on my bed. The sheets had been balled up so that I could sit in my own little nest. Only I was allowed in. In my nest sat a wooden horse and a cloth doll. They were my patients for the day. Nana had told me about her days as a healer, and I wanted to be just like her. I'd seen her heal a few times. Like when I'd fallen from a tree and cut my knee. Her hands had glowed, and then the cut was gone.

The wooden horse had a 'broken leg' that I needed to fix. I felt the magic swirling in my belly, and If I concentrated hard enough, I could make it move. The sensation made me giggle as it moved down my arms and into my hands. They glowed white, just like nana's had.

A triumphant grin spread across my face.

"Healer, Liriel, at your service."

I breathed in sharply through my nose as the memory washed over me. My mind was suddenly overcome with information that hadn't been there before. Just like with the horse riding, I suddenly knew exactly what I needed to do. The magic obeyed me readily and exploded into my hands. Light speared through my scrunched-up eyes, and I knew I had overshot it.

"Perhaps try a little less," I heard Elrond say and with gritted teeth, I tried to rein it in.

When it no longer threatened to blind me, I risked opening my eyes and looked down at my hands. They were glowing brightly and felt rather warm, tingling as the magic concentrated in one spot.

"Excellent work," said Elrond.

I beamed at his praise.

We spent the next half an hour making sure I could repeat the process again and again. Turning it off was easier than turning it back on again. Soon, I got the knack of it and was glowing with the best of them.

Over the course of two weeks, Elrond taught me the intricacies of healing a wound. My magic had to find the illness and reverse its effects. He gave me dying plants to test out my skills. On the first one, I put too much magic into it, and the poor plant burned. After a few more, I soon got the hang of it. My magic could feel where the plants were wilting and would give them the push they needed to spring back to full health. Sometimes the plant would bloom larger than it had before. Bigger plants required more energy from me, but I didn't pass out as I had with Kili.

When Elrond was more confident in my abilities, the mad elf took a dagger and cut a line across the back of his arm. A red line of blood oozed out from the wound, but he did not seem fazed by it in the slightest. Simply told me to heal the cut. I may have freaked out a little. It's not every day someone thrusts a bleeding wound in your face and tells you to heal it.

Gingerly, I took his arm into my hands and willed power into them. My magic sunk under his skin and it felt weirdly invasive. I could feel his tendons and bones, muscles and arteries as the light travelled up his arm towards the cut. It would get overwhelming if I didn't concentrate, so I directed the light towards the damaged skin. The wound glowed slightly, but it didn't have enough energy to reseal. Gritting my teeth, I gave it a little more. Then the blood stopped trickling out, and the skin knit back together.

I was a little breathless when I finished, using more energy than I had done before. But his arm was as good as new. Smiling, I looked up at Elrond, hoping he was proud of me. Thankfully he was and clapped me on the shoulder. It felt good to do something right.

We had to stay in Rivendell until the moonlight was exactly right for the map to be read. It took two weeks for that day to arrive. And the wait for nightfall made Thorin restless. He kept pacing with his arms crossed, grumbling under his breath and glaring at any elf he saw.

"Pacing won't make the time go any faster, Thorin," said Balin from the chair he was perched in. He had a monocle tucked under his eyebrow and was leafing through documents.

Thorin stopped moving and brought his arms down. "I'm not pacing. I'm walking," he said defensively.

"Walking usually means you end up in a different place than when you started," Balin said, raising his eyebrows.

"Thank you for the helpful definition, Balin," Thorin grumbled sarcastically.

Thorin then turned and walked further into the garden, away from where everyone else was sitting. He looked like he was about to resume his pacing when he was interrupted by a very excitable hobbit bounding into the garden. Bilbo nearly collided with Thorin but managed to stop himself in time. A red blush spread across his cheeks, but he was still smiling.

"Look what I found," said Bilbo, extending his hand so that Thorin could see.

He held a flower in a delicate grasp. Its petals were pointed and a deep orange colour.

"It's a fire lily!" Bilbo exclaimed, "They're exceptionally rare. I've never actually seen one. I remember Old Tom Brandybuck saying that he had one, but we all knew that he'd just painted over the petals of his regular lilies. It's a shame because they wilted nearly straight away."

"I–I see," said Thorin, momentarily taken aback. His eyes never left the flower outstretched towards him.

Bilbo continued on, too excited to notice Thorin's reaction. "I saw some elves tending the gardens and went over to ask for some tips. Then I saw these, and I was amazed. Before I even asked, they let me take one. Told me I could take the seeds for my own garden."

"That's very… nice of them." Thorin said before taking a step backwards "Excuse me, Master Burglar."

Thorin then turned and left the garden completely, leaving a very confused Bilbo in his wake. "Did I say something wrong?" said Bilbo self-consciously.

"No, Master Baggins, he's just a little tense with dealing with the elves. Probably went to clear his head," said Balin. Though there was a look in his eye that suggested he wasn't being entirely truthful.

Bilbo didn't see that though, and simply sighed with relief "Oh, that's alright then."

I could hear Kili trying to suppress a laugh next to me. His eyes were crinkled, and his lips were pursed to stop the sound escaping.

"What's so funny?" I asked quietly so that Bilbo wouldn't hear.

"Thorin getting flustered," he giggled. Fili, next to him, was also having a difficult time containing a smile.

"Flustered?" that's one word for it "But why would he be flustered?"

"Bilbo offered him a flower," said Fili. He said it in such a way as if I should immediately understand the significance.

At my blank look, Kili stepped in. "In dwarven customs, people sometimes offer flowers as a way to ask you to court them."

"I see."

So Thorin got all flustered because he thought Bilbo was asking him out? He must have known that it wasn't Bilbo's intention. Yet he was still aback by the presence of the flower.

With a start, I realised that this situation shared a lot of similarities with another. "Wait, I gave you an origami flower. Are you telling me that I accidentally asked you to court me?"

"Yes, you did, actually," Kili laughed "I was rather shocked when it happened."

My cheeks went red "I can't believe it," I muttered, "No wonder you started blushing."

Fili started laughing. "Was he like some blushing dam?"

"No. Shut up, Fili," Kili punched his brother in the arm, but it only made him laugh harder.

Night fell, and they finally left to go see Lord Elrond. I had Kili escort me back to my room. As much as I liked the dwarves' company, I was not giving up a bed for them. The only downside was that I wouldn't be able to be close to Kili at night. Sometimes he'd stay and talk to me for a little while. I could tell that he wanted to stay, but I knew that someone would tan his hide if he did. In this world, courting couples were supposed to have chaperones. So that nothing 'unbecoming' should occur between the two. The only reason I'd managed to be alone with Kili now was that Thorin and Balin had gone to the meeting. No one else was around to reprimand us.

The door to my room appeared around the corner. When we got to the door, Kili gave my hand a squeeze, and I turned towards him with a loving smile.

"Thank you for escorting me, good sir," I said.

"You are welcome, my lady," he grinned.

There was a brief silence as we both didn't want to separate. Kili raised my hand and kissed the back of it. "Goodnight, Leah."

I frowned. I deserved a better goodbye kiss than that. My eyes flicked down to Kili's lips, and a slow grin spread across his face. I didn't wait for him this time and leaned in first. It was only supposed to be a quick peck, but my body had other ideas. The kiss deepened, my back hit the door, and I gasped into Kili's mouth. I felt his lips pull into a grin beneath mine.

A sudden sound of footsteps arose from somewhere to our left, and I quickly separated from Kili. When he heard it too, he jumped back a little, smoothing out his shirt. The intruder turned out to be an elf woman making her way through the building. She gave us a quick smile before continuing on.

When she left, we both descended into giggles. It made me feel like a high schooler again, getting caught doing something you're not supposed to.

"I should probably say goodnight," I said, quietly

"Goodnight, Leah," his lips ghosted over mine once more. This time he leaned back before it could escalate.

Then he finally turned to leave. I stayed until he was completely out of sight before making my way inside, smiling brightly to myself.

The bed looked very inviting, and my muscles long for me to lie down. A night dress was laid out for me across my bed by some helpful maid, and I went to pull my dress off.

"Hello, my dear."

Sweet Jesus! I made a strange squeaking noise and quickly smoothed the dress back down. But when I searched for intruders, I came back empty. What the fuck was that?

"Do not be afraid. I simply wish to talk."

It took me a second to realise that the voice was coming from my own head. That's not creepy at all. The only person I knew with those powers was Lady Galadriel.

"That would be correct," her voice seemed amused.

I was not amused. She'd interrupted me getting dressed.

"There is a garden. I would be grateful if you met me there."

Suddenly the path to a garden rose up in my mind. Even though I'd never been there, I now knew how to get to it. It was like she had airdropped me a map straight into my head. The feeling was rather disconcerting.

Even though Lady Galadriel framed it like I had a choice in the matter, I knew that there was no way that I would refuse her summons. Hurriedly, I left my room and made my way through the twisting hallways towards the mystery garden. Whenever I would veer off course, my internal GPS would ping and point me in the right direction.

I came to a small garden tucked next to a trickling waterfall. The water pooled in a bevelled basin hewn into the rockface before overflowing and disappearing into the depths below. A person stood next to it, peering into the watery surface. Their very being seemed to glow from the inside out, and I stumbled to a stop. This was Lady Galadriel. It had to be. Her beauty was ethereal. She smiled kindly when she saw me, and It took my breath away for a second.

"Hello," I said meekly.

"Mae govannen, my dear," she said, her voice like a song "Mithrandir has been telling me all about you. I thought it best to meet you for myself."

She looked at me as if she could see straight through to my soul. Then again, she probably could. "You are quite the mystery, it seems. Secreted away into another world only to return once more."

"It's a little hard to get my head around, really," I laughed nervously.

"I can imagine."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" I had no idea why she even wanted to see me in the first place.

"That remains to be seen," she said, "Though there may be something I can help you with."

Galadriel lifted up a silver jug from the side of the basin. "Mithrandir tells me that you are struggling to recall your first life here."

"Yes, I've only had little snippets," I said.

She poured water out of the jug and into the basin below. The water glistened under the starlight. "This may help provide you with some answers. Though it is never exact, it may illuminate parts of your past."

The ripples on the water began to dissipate, and the surface became smoother. I stepped closer and leaned over the edge until I could see myself reflected on the surface. Nothing happened to begin with, and then my face began to vanish, replaced by another thing entirely.

It was a place, everything crumbling and in ruins. Darkness encapsulated the whole area, suffocating everything below. A small being appeared around a corner. His hair was so matted and tangled you could hardly see his face. He was a dwarf, I realised. A half-crazed, very scared dwarf. They wandered through the ruins, always looking behind them. A hand braced against the wall, and I could see that they were missing a finger.

Shock ran through me, and I gripped the rough stone. That wasn't my past. That was Thrain. Thorin's father.

I looked up to Galadriel, and I knew why it had shown me Thrain. Galadriel was one of the few people who could actually help him. She would go to Dol Guldur to save Gandalf. Maybe she could save Thrain too.

She raised a delicate eyebrow at me. "Thrain is alive," I blurted out.

Her face became intrigued. "He is?"

"He was taken prisoner and kept in Dol Guldur," I said. "There's going to be a time when you could help him. If you can, please would you try? He doesn't deserve to be kept there."

"What reason would I have to go to such a place?" she said.

"I don't think I can say. I don't want to accidentally change something for the worse."

Her face was impassive as she looked at me. I couldn't tell what she was truly feeling. "Usually, it is I who provides cryptic clues about the future. It is rather a strange feeling to be on the receiving end of it," she smiled at me.

"It was good to meet you, my dear," she said, taking a step backwards "You should continue to look into the basin. It may still provide you with more answers."

Then she turned and left. It was more like gliding than walking. The garden also seemed to darken with her presence gone. The increase in shadows made my anxiety spike. But I steeled my nerves and made myself look back into the water. It took a second before I could clearly see the scene unfolding before me.

It was my mum. Her hair was tied back into a simple yet practical braid that fell down her back. She wore a simple dress, light grey in colour, though specks of blood seemed to be covering the surface.

"Put him over there," She said, her voice commanding and in control.

An elf was carried over to her on a stretcher of some sort. They were placed on a table in front of Mum, and the occupant made a pained noise at being moved. I felt my throat tighten; I recognised the injured person too. It was dad. Injured but alive. There were bruises across his body, and his leg was bent at the wrong angle. He must have been in some kind of fight.

Despite his injuries, he still had a smile on his face. "I don't see what the problem is. I'm perfectly Fi-AGH" his voice was cut off as my mum touched his injured leg.

"Oh yes, perfectly fine. Other than the fact that your leg is broken in two places," Mum chastised him.

"I need to get back out there. Adar needs me," Dad implored, trying to get back up.

Mum wasn't having any of it and pushed him back. Not lightly either. Dad hit the table with a pained gasp. "You are not going anywhere."

"Do you know who I am?" Dad grinned at Mum. Obviously not deterred by her commanding aura.

"Of course," she said, looking him directly in the eye "You're my patient."

My dad laughed again. It was cut off when she prodded his leg once more.

The scene shifted. My dad was no longer lying injured on a hospital bed. He was decked out in regal attire. The fabric was silver, like the stars he was under. He was looking down at someone with such love in his eyes.

"Elinneth," he breathed.

My mum's face appeared, looking up at dad. "Yes, Meleth nin?"

He brought his hands to her face. "Marry me."

"Is that a statement or a question?" Mum quirked an eyebrow.

"Depends on your answer," Dad's eyes never left Mum's face. He acted nonchalant, but you could tell he was waiting with bated breath.

Mum smiled up at my dad. It was the happiest I'd ever seen her. "Of course, I'll marry you."

It changed again. Mum was dressed in a long, lacey, white gown. She even seemed to glow. A crown of flowers was balanced delicately on her head, and Dad had a crown of his own. His outfit was equally as extravagant, with silver embellishments down the middle and along the sleeves of his robe. They held each other's hands. A beautiful silver ring rested on the index finger of their left hand.

A shift. Dad's hand rested on my mum's stomach. His face depicted pure adoration.

"I'm going to be an Adar."

Another change. Mum was resting on a large, ornate, four-poster bed. She was propped up by many pillows. Her face was pale, and a light sheen of sweat coated her forehead. Her eyes were struggling to stay open. She was clearly exhausted. However, she seemed to be fighting it. Her gaze was drawn to a cot beside her. Inside lay two bundles. Babies swaddled in blankets. Me and Lachlan, I realised. Or whatever Lachlan was called in this world.

We were lying next to one another. One was blissfully sleeping while the other was wriggling and looking around. Mum was singing softly to us. A lullaby.

A pair of hands reached into the cot and brought out the baby, that was awake. "Hello, tithien ven. Do you like your naneth's singing?" said my dad.

Mum looked up at him and blinked tiredly. Yet she still smiled and continued singing. The bundle in his arms continued to wriggle. "I think this one will love all things musical. Perhaps we should give her a name to match," he mused.

"Liriel," my mum whispered.

"Yes, it's perfect," Dad reached out a finger, and little me grasped it in a tiny fist. "Liriel."

Scenes blew past, and I only caught glimpses of them. Most of them were of Lachlan and I as we were growing up. Seeing him again, so happy, made my eyes sting. I didn't realise I was crying until droplets disturbed the surface of the water. Quickly, I wiped the tears away, scared that the memories would disappear if the water moved.

The scene settled once more. Lachlan and I were nearly identical despite being a boy and a girl. It took a second for me to realise that it was me in the scene. I was kneeling down in a patch of dirt, looking very sadly at a dying plant. The leaves had shrivelled and gone brown. Little me reached out and placed her hands on the ground. For a second, I simply stared intently at the plant, but then my hands began to glow, light seeping into the surrounding soil. The plant burst back to life, bright and green.

Little me smiled ecstatically. "Nana, look what I did!"

Mum was behind me, surveying other parts of the garden. She turned when she heard me call. "Wow, that's amazing, darling. How did you do that?" her astonishment was genuine as she looked down at me.

The water rippled, and suddenly, there was an entire garden teeming with life. It was an explosion of colour as flowers of all shades bloomed. There was no order to it. No neat little rows for the plants to fit in. Instead, plants just sprung up from wherever. Like a child who had thrown plants together.

Little me stared proudly at the towering plants before her. Dad came up behind me and lifted me up, making me giggle. He held me on his hip.

"You see this garden," he said

I nodded.

"Your magic flows through it now. So that means that it will bloom for as long as you live," he looked so proud of me.

"It's going to live forever!" I exclaimed, happy as can be.

With each consecutive memory, I grew more on edge. Things were going to go bad. It whispered at the back of my mind, harsh and sharp, getting louder and louder. These memories would sour, and I didn't know if I had the strength to watch. But it felt like my limbs were frozen, my eyes held open. I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.

"We are going to visit Imladris. Are you excited?" Mum looked down on my brother and me.

We were both jumping up and down, looking like we were ready to burst "Yes!"

Mum helped us to get onto our horses. A whole caravan of elves was coming with us. Some pulled carts ladened with supplies. Others were armoured and armed. We trotted along through a thick forest, staying close to where Mum and Dad were riding.

But I was too excited, it seemed. My horse kept inching further and further away. "Liriel, we told you to stay close," my dad's voice sounded very irritated. It was obviously not the first time he had said it.

"I want to ride at the front," I moaned "Please, Ada."

"I said no, you are to stay with us."

My lower lip stuck out in a pout.

"I'll go with her. That way, I can keep an eye on her," said Mum.

"Thank you, nana!" I yelled before pushing my horse into a gallop.

"Liriel!" Dad bellowed.

Mum simply sighed and chased after me.

I felt sick. The worst was coming.

The water shifted and settled once more. It looked like the same night. Mum had caught up to me on her horse and was chastising me, lecturing me about safety. Little me at least had the decency to look sorry about it.

There were fewer riders near the front so mum and I were pretty much on our own. Everything seemed peaceful until Mum's eyes widened, and her head snapped to the trees. Before she could even react, a black arrow appeared out of nowhere and buried itself deep into my horse's neck. It reared up with a choked whinny and threw me from the saddle.

"Liriel!"

My childlike scream cut through the night as I fell. Mum's own horse reared up as she pulled harshly on the reins. In one smooth motion, she flipped backwards off the horse and landed on the ground. Without its rider, her horse bolted into the night.

More arrows were shot at us. It was so dark. It was like they were nothing more than writhing shadows. Then I saw them. Grotesque creatures with sharp teeth and talons. Orcs. Mum rushed towards me, taking a dagger out of her boot. It was only small, but it was still deadly. She stabbed one in the head before it could get close to me.

But there were more coming from all sides. Mum tried to fight them all, but she was soon overwhelmed. She drew her blade across the throat of one only to get sideswiped by another, appearing from her blind spot. Mum staggered backwards, a dagger buried in her side.

I covered my mouth, and I felt a cry bubble up. I couldn't watch this.

Mum barely had time to gasp, cry out, or even acknowledge the mortal wound dripping down her left side before talons wrapped around her hair and pulled her backwards.

"Run, Liriel!" she cried, still fighting them off.

The scene cut, and I was running, clawing my way through the dark undergrowth of the forest, scraping my palms against the wood. My ever-repeating nightmare began to unfold before my eyes.

A stray orc found me, grabbing me by my hair and hauling me backwards. I let out a shrill scream and hit out at it with everything I had. My hands and feet glanced uselessly off its armour, but I eventually caught it in the eye. It dropped me with an angry roar and rubbed at it with dirty fingers.

"You'll pay for that!"

Before little me could gather herself up and run away, a knife flashed out and buried itself deep within my stomach. I could almost feel the lacerating pain of it through the memory, a lingering reminiscence of a trauma long buried. I dug my nails into my stomach, begging the phantom agony to dissipate.

The orc laughed at my pain. The same laugh that haunted my dreams.

I fell backwards onto the forest floor. Even bleeding out, I tried to crawl away.

"Ada!" I tried to scream, but it came out as more of a whimper.

The orc grinned and crept alongside me, letting me believe that I was getting away. In reality, it was playing with its prey. When it looked like I could crawl no more, the orc stepped out, triumphant.

"Found you," it mocked.

Little me curled inwards on herself with a weak cry. The orc lapped up the sound like it was music to its ears. With dagger-like teeth stretched into a twisted facsimile of a smile, it raised its dripping blade for another blow.

But it never got the chance.

Its dark eyes blasted wide as three feet of elven steel exploded out of his chest. It looked down at the weapon coated in its black blood and couldn't find the air to scream. An armoured boot kicked at the orc's back and sent the monster crashing to the ground. The sword was removed with sickening suction noise, and my Dad's face appeared from the gloom. His blue eyes widened in horror when he finally saw me.

"Ada?" little me whispered.

Dad all but collapsed onto the ground next to me, like a puppet with its strings cut. "Ada's here, Liriel. Stay with Ada," he tucked his arms under my broken body and cradled me to his chest, rocking me. "Stay with Ada."

Little me tried to speak but couldn't. Instead, I only coughed up blood. The dimming of my eyes was all too familiar after watching Kili's do the same. I was frozen against the basin and had to watch as life left me.

"No," Dad said, it was barely above a whisper, "No, no, no. Liriel, please," his voice broke on the last word, and tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

"M-my lord, it's your wife. She's mortally wounded," came a voice from behind him.

Great panic seized him like a full-body flinch, and he was on his feet, cradling me to his chest. He ordered the elf to show him the way and took off running.

Mum was surrounded by elves, every one of them attempting to heal her, but it was too late. The poison must have spread throughout her bloodstream as her wounds refused to close. Dad arrived just in time to see her last breath, and she, too, ceased to be.

My dad sank to the ground with an unholy scream. It sounded as if he was being torn apart strand by strand. He dropped little me in the process, but Dad hardly noticed. One of his hands clutched the front of his shirt, nails digging in so deep he drew blood. He braced himself against the ground as if he could barely keep himself upright.

The scream of my father melted away, and the water replaced it with the desolate stare of a broken elf collapsed onto the floor of a tent.

"She's gone. Where has she gone?"

"My Lord," said a dark-haired elf, "She now resides in the halls of Mandos."

"You. Are. Not. Listening!" my dad yelled through gritted teeth "She is not there. She is gone. I cannot feel her."

The people around him all shared concerned looks with one another. Through the flap of a tent door, I could see a small blonde head.

"Ada?" he said, so scared and uncertain.

"Come, my boy," said a ginger elf. "You should not see this."

"He speaks truth," whispered an unknown elf. "His Fea is in tatters."

"But why? What does this mean?" said another.

None of them gave an answer. Then the scene changed one final time, showing Dad standing in my old garden. Only now, it reeked of decay. All the plants had shrivelled and died. Rotted from the inside out, leaving the garden as a desolate wasteland.

Where once happiness had spread across his face, now only coldness and anger lay.

I stumbled back from the basin with a keening sound in my throat. I sank to my knees, struggling to breathe through the tears. The images of mum and I being murdered played out behind my closed eyelids, and no matter what, I could not shake the horror of them away. They morphed from what I'd seen in the basin into real memories. Suddenly, I could recall every second that had happened on that dreaded night. Every scream, every fear, every pain.

Bile burned a trail up my throat, and I vomited onto the grass. The acrid taste of acid only made me feel worse. I wrapped my arms around my middle and tried to quell the shake in my body.

A deep insistent tugging pulled at the most vulnerable part of me. The touch was a burst of light against a press of dark, but in my panic, I could make little sense of it. In my desperation, I pulled back, not quite aware of what I was doing.

It was only when the sound of pounding feet got closer to me and the sound of my name filled the air that I realised what it was.

The bond. I had inadvertently called Kili to help, and he came without hesitation.

"Hey, hey, hey, what happened? What's wrong?" Kili questioned, bringing me into an embrace.

I struggled to find the words. A sob rose up instead.

"Did the elves hurt you?" came the voice of Fili somewhere behind us.

"N-no," I shook my head and pointed to the basin. "It showed me my past. I saw myself die. I saw Mum die."

Shocked, Kili squeezed me harder "That's awful. I'm so sorry, Leah."

With Kili's comforting presence there, I felt reason return to me, and I could finally unfurl myself from the ground. He and Fili took one of my arms each and led me back to the dwarves' pavilion.

Kili made me sit against some cushions on the ground and followed along after. He ferried the dwarves' questions for me when it felt like my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth.

"She saw herself die," Kili said, not entirely helpful. The other dwarves were quite rightly disturbed by the notion and pushed for more answers. Gandalf tried to calm them with a gesture, and they mostly did.

"You met with Lady Galadriel, didn't you?" Gandalf said. He sat across from me on a wooden chair, pipe in hand.

I nodded. "She helped me to see some of my past, but the ending was not exactly happy."

"No, I imagine not, my dear. That must have been rather distressing. Young master Kili here felt your discomfort and went out in search of you," Gandalf said

That fact made me feel warmer, and I gave Kili a wobbly smile. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. You know I will always come for you when you need me," he said.

This boy. He always knew exactly how to make me flustered.

I took several deep breaths and tried to reorient my thoughts. The images of my death were obviously terrible, but fear and panic were far from the only feeling I felt when I watched scenes of my past play out. I got to see my parents falling in love, to see them happy and whole and together, just as they always should be. I got to see my brother, watched as we wreaked havoc around our home, smiling and unburdened as all children should.

Those thoughts I would hold onto with a fierce grip and never let go of.

And then there was the other realisation, catching up to me at breakneck speed and crashing into the forefront of my mind.

My Dad and my brother were not harmed. My Dad and my brother were alive.

My chest tightened, and I felt like I was going to start crying for a whole new reason. They were out there somewhere. I could see them again. An unrestrained hope pushed along the edges of my sadness, a spark in the dark.

But there was still something disquieting about the way my dad looked at the end, the way he cried out as if he was being torn in two.

Then I recalled what Elrond had said about married elves, the way their souls bind together. But if one dies, they don't get ripped apart because their souls are a part of Arda. Always there.

"Gandalf?" I said

"Yes, my dear?"

"The water showed me that my dad is alive."

A smile spread across his face "Well, that's wonderful news, Leah."

"But I think something bad happened to him."

Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You and Elrond told me elves' souls bind together when they marry. That when one dies, their souls remain intact because they don't leave Arda. Only my mum did leave. She went to another world with me."

Gandalf froze. When he spoke, he sounded weary. "I had not thought of that. It's never happened before, but yes, as your mother left this world, she would have taken half of their shared soul with her. I imagine your father felt like he was being torn apart. I can't imagine what that must be like. Not just the pain but the fact that he has lived this long with only half a soul. He could have been driven half mad."

Why couldn't anything be simple?

I was woken up by someone shaking my shoulder. The sun had barely risen, sending weak light across the valley. It took me a second to realise where I was. I was not in my bedroom, that's for sure. Instead, I was wrapped almost completely around a very amused Kili. A blush rose to my cheeks, and I apologised, quickly untangling myself from him.

"We leave within the hour. So gather all your things," said Thorin from above me.

With alarm, I realised that all of my things were still in my room and rushed to stand. Thorin told me to be quick and sent Fili and Kili along with me. Though, if he wanted subterfuge, those two were not the best fits for the job. As much as I loved them, the pair were anything but sneaky.

In any case, the three of us quickly made our way to my room. Thankfully the sun had still not crested the hill, so most people were still in bed. We made it to my room without being spotted and slipped straight in, closing the door softly closed behind us.

Just as I was about to clap us on the back for not being caught, I heard a pointed cough from behind us. I spun around and came face-to-face with a smiling Rehtinde.

"Hi," I waved, cringing internally at my awkwardness.

What was she doing here? She had been coming around often to ensure I was okay, but it was barely morning.

"Hello, young one," she said, "I was growing concerned when you were not in your room."

"Oh, I was hanging out with the dwarves and must have fallen asleep down there," I said quickly.

Rehtinde looked between the three of us, amusement in her eyes "I see."

Then she reached behind her and brought out my bag. "I was informed that you would be needing this."

The bag was full and neatly closed. I had an idea about who would have told her we were leaving. It rhymes with faladriel. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised she wasn't going to reprimand us for leaving.

"Thank you," I breathed, going over and taking the bag. It seemed slightly heavier than before.

Rey pointed towards the bed "There are some clothes here that might be more suited to travel," Then she cast a glance over to where Fili and Kili were standing "Though I suggest that the males in the room either vacate or turn around."

I followed her gaze and saw Fili and Kili with faces of varying degrees of shock. Either at the presence of Rehtinde or about me changing clothes. I saw a faint redness in their cheeks as they quickly spun around.

I looked at the clothes Rehtinde had picked out for me. A pair of thick form-fitting leggings with leaf patterns sewn down the seams, a long green tunic with a belt to tie around the middle and a pair of sturdy knee-high boots made of soft brown leather.

The clothes fit perfectly. I had a suspicious feeling that they had been made for me. But I have no idea where they got my measurements from. Maybe they were just really good at guessing.

"Thank you for helping me," I said.

She smiled kindly down at me. "You are most welcome. Now promise me you will try to stay safe."

That would probably be difficult knowing where I was going "I'll try."

She bid me good luck as we left the room.

When we made it back to the others, everyone was already packed up and ready to go. With a solemn nod from Thorin, he began leading the way to the hidden path Gandalf had told us about. When we got to the top of the valley, I looked back on the valley in all its glory. Sunlight glittered across the surface of the river and cast an orange glow onto the buildings. It was beautiful. One day I hoped I would be able to see it again.

But first, I had to deal with a dragon and a war.

Melethin nin-My love

Tithien ven-little one