Chapter 15

Once Gandalf and Elrond overcame their surprise, their pure joy of seeing Ember so healthy overflowed. Gandalf swept her up into a hug, as Elrond immediately declared that a feast would take place that evening. "But first," Gandalf interrupted, releasing Ember, "we have a story to tell." She nodded silently. She had remembered everything that had happened along their journey and she was ashamed at how she had spoken to Gandalf. It was as if a great fog had lifted from her when she had kissed Kili, as if all the pieces of her puzzle had fallen into place. Her company deserved to know the truth.

"I would like to freshen up a bit first, Istarnin," she said, placing a hand on his arm. He patted it fondly, turning to leave.

"I would like to speak to Prince Kili a moment," demanded Elrond. His joy at her health had been replaced with fatherly concern over the passion he had witnessed between them. Gandalf chuckled as he left the room. Kili looked at her anxiously, while she resisted the urge to laugh.

"May we have a moment first, herunin?" she asked shyly. The elf pondered the dwarf prince intently before scowling and leaving the room. As the door closed behind him, Ember turned her gaze into Kili's woodland eyes, her own blue eyes icy fresh and crystal clear. He wrapped his arms about her tiny waist, pulling her close. "Kili," she murmured softly, as he gently touched his forehead to hers, "thank you for last night…you saved me." He smiled, lifting her chin to meet his lips. The kiss was soft, deep and pure. He cupped her face, trailing his thumb over her lips as he gazed at her beauty. She opened her eyes to see him smile.

"Vol kaon, I am not sure what exactly happened last night. But I do know that you wouldn't have been lying in that bed if I hadn't-" Ember stopped him with a kiss.

"Kili, you have been here for me since this adventure started. Let's not look back at what we did wrong, because good or bad, it has brought us here. Together." He grinned his cheeky, loveable grin at her, stroking her soft hair. They stood quietly together, foreheads touching, drinking in the beauty of each other. A rough knock on the door startled them from their reverie. "I don't think Lord Elrond will wait much longer," she giggled, guiding him to the door. He stopped her gently, pulling her back to his body.

"That elf…the one who attacked me," he frowned, "what is he to you?" Ember sighed, she had hoped he wouldn't mention Lindir.

"I will explain tonight, miz kurdu," she said in Khuzdul, which made him growl in pleasure, the sound of his language like music on her tongue. "But know this; Lindir is only a friend…however much he may have wished for more." She kissed him again, before shoving him out the door, where Lord Elrond stood. "Have fun!" Ember said sweetly, before heading to her own chambers. Elrond looked sternly at Kili, who fidgeted nervously.

"Well," the young dwarf thought, "this will be interesting. If he doesn't kill me, Uncle Thorin just might."

Ember sank into the warm waters of her spring bath, sighing contentedly. It was good to be back among her familiar surroundings. Her wounds were healed, but the general aches of her body had not been removed by her power. She could feel it inside her, pulsing gently, something pure and strong. She was unsure why she had never felt it before; now that she had, she felt that it had been there always. She knew that without Kili, this power would never have been possible, and she hoped that she would be able to use her power to protect her dwarves. A sudden knock at her chamber door startled her. "One moment," she called. She rose, dried herself, throwing on a pair of trousers and a tunic from her drawers. Another knock came, more insistent. "Come in," she said. She burst into laughter as a pile of dwarves landed on the floor. "Now I know how Bilbo felt," she laughed. Having been informed by Gandalf that Ember was healed and ready for visitors, the dwarves had wasted no time in heading to her chamber. Dwalin was the first to rise from the tangled pile of arms and legs, and he strode over, lifting her into a bear-like hug, twirling her around. She giggled as he set her down, a little surprised at his outright display of affection.

"Lassie," he said, "Tis good to hear you laughing." He then strode to her sitting chair, putting his feet on the ottoman as Bifur, Bofur, Bilbo and the rest of the Company hugged her warmly. Fili touched his forehead to hers in brotherly affection, while Bofur tugged fondly on her damp hair. Only Kili was missing…she figured her vakha was giving him the third degree. Silence fell as Thorin walked into the room. He looked at her, her blue eyes so bright, the color of her cheeks so rosy.

"Ember, I am pleased to see you well," he said gruffly, unsure of how to approach her. She smiled her thanks, hesitating only a second before hugging him gently. He was surprised at first, but then returned the hug quickly. "Thank you for saving Kili," he whispered. He couldn't believe how he had not noticed her dwarven lineage before. Her small stature, her golden hair so thick, her inner strength and loyalty; so like a dwarf and those eyes…he gasped in recognition. "Leibz kaon," he murmured. "You have your father's eyes." She gazed at him steadily, her power in control, no manipulation or calming needed. Balin moved stand beside Thorin, focusing on Ember's eyes. "Firestone," Thorin muttered, and Balin gave a slight gasp in agreement and recognition.

"Quite right, Master Oakenshield," Gandalf spoke up as he entered the room. "Her father was Daren Firestone."

Lord Elrond gazed at the young prince, who stood proudly before him. His eyes betrayed no emotion, but inside he was in turmoil. He had known that Ember would one day choose a companion, as all fathers did. Truth be known, he had hoped that it would be an Elf that would catch her eye, as she had been raised among them. But he could not deny the happiness he had seen in her as she had looked at this young dwarf, who appeared to feel the same way for his a'mael harma. "I am merely Ember's guardian, but as she has no living family, you can assume you are talking to her father," he spoke sternly, but gently. "I saw you hold her and comfort her last night, I thank you for that, though this morning's…activities were a little unsettling. I will trust that you did not use the situation to your advantage." Kili was appalled at the insinuation, but the elf quieted him with a look. "I know a dwarf can have many lovers…but only one true hrun." Kili blushed, embarrassed to be having such a frank conversation…with an elf…but he appreciated Lord Elrond's use of the dwarven language. "As her guardian, and her adopted father, I must ask you, Prince Kili, what are your intentions with Ember?" Lord Elrond fixed his dark eyes on the hazel-green ones that met his nervously, but with absolute conviction.

"The first time I saw her, it seemed like time had stood still. I cannot explain what I felt in that moment, but my whole world shifted. I would do anything, be anything for her. Yes, my Lord, she is my hrun." Kili smiled up at the stern elf, who seemed about to smile himself. Indeed, though thousands of years had passed for him, he too remembered the first time he saw his own love, the mother of his children, Celebrian. Finally, the elf seemed to reach a decision.

"Come, Prince Kili," he said quietly, "the others are waiting on our arrival." He turned heading down the long hallway. "I give you my blessing," he called over his shoulder. Kili stood surprised, then with a relieved look on his face, caught up to the elf. He couldn't wait to talk to Ember, to tell her the true depths of his feelings.

"So…shall I call you Father?" Kili joked. Elrond glanced sidelong at the young dwarf and chuckled under his breath. He hoped Ember knew what she was getting.

Kili knocked lightly on the open door, smiling as he embraced Ember. He held her tightly, breathing in her scent. Thorin growled as the young couple broke apart, unable to hide their smiles. Gandalf grinned at them and motioned for everyone to be quiet. Ember sat on the edge of her bed, while Kili sat at her feet. Bifur, Bofur and Fili sat in various positions beside her on the bed, while the others were sprawled about her room, and settled as Lord Elrond closed the door. It was time for the tale to be told.

"Daren Firestone was a descendant of one of the Seven Dwarven Kings, the House of Firestone, much as Thorin, Fili and Kili are of the House of Durin. The Firestone clan was unique, as one descendant throughout each generation had the ability to control, manipulate and even wield fire. The individual in each generation was only identified by their unique eyes…always icy-blue and rimmed in navy. It was a closely guarded secret, and as the line began to disappear from war, and lack of women, the ability seemed to be lost." Thorin spoke up.

"Master Gandalf," he interrupted, "I knew Daren Firestone more than 100 years ago. He was the last living descendant of the Firestone clan, and he had no such power. He died when his caravan was attacked by Orcs." Thorin shifted his eyes to Ember, who sat quietly with her head bowed, her fingers intertwined with Kili's. He noticed Bifur take her feet into his lap, massaging them gently, while Fili curled up behind her, rubbing her shoulders. He couldn't deny that she had captured all of them. They felt she was family.

"You are correct, Master Oakenshield. Daren did not know of his power, it has taken me years of study to discover the truth. What no one knew was that the caravan had also consisted of a young human woman. Her name was Kanari. She was a descendant of Anarion, brother to Isildur. This line had a unique gift as well. The power to calm, to convince, or even to manipulate if needed. The woman lay upon the bloody ground, with a basket inches from her outstretched hands. It was fortunate that a man heard the pitiful cries and decided to investigate. What he found was a child, a baby girl, with a silver bracelet on her wrist…and a letter in the basket." Gandalf's eyes met Ember's, and she smiled softly. "The baby was brought to the one person the man could think of who would be able to protect this child, until she was old enough to defend herself. So...I decided to bring Ember here, to Rivendell." The dwarves looked at the Wizard in surprise.

"You found her?" Bofur whispered. The old Wizard nodded.

"Indeed I did, Master Bofur. When I picked up that child, I could feel a great power, stronger than anything I have ever felt before sleeping inside her. I knew she would need protection and care, and eventually training."

"Why did you not bring her to her kin?" Dwalin growled. "She should have been raised as the princess she is, as the dwarf she is!" There were murmurs of agreement, and Ember grinned at her warrior dwarf.

"I could not risk anyone discovering her, Master Dwalin. Besides, who was I to choose? She was also half human, and the line of Elendil runs through her veins as much as the line of Firestone. She would need to decide that for herself, when she was ready." The dwarf growled unhappily, as Gandalf continued. "Lord Elrond agreed to care and raise the child, keeping her secret and safe, until the right time, the right moment."

"How can we be sure of her lineage," Balin spoke up. "Beyond the eyes, which I will admit are similar to Daren's…what proof do we have that she is truly of that royal line?" Gandalf looked at Ember, who nodded and stood up.

"As Gandalf said, when I was brought here to Rivendell, a small silver bracelet was around my wrist. It was made of silver…and mithril. Other the years, as I grew up, I had it reshaped into a ring." She slowly circled the room, allowing each dwarf to read the runes on the ring, to see the mithril shine. The runes, as everyone now knew, read Daughter of Daren and Kanari. She then went to a small desk, pulling out a faded yellow parchment. She handed it silently to Thorin, who watched her carefully. He read the letter quickly. He nodded silently.

"She is the child of Daren…and the human." She winced at his refusal to say her mother's name, but decided not to push the issue at this moment. Thorin turned to Ember sternly. "Why then, did you not use your POWER to aid us?" Lord Elrond spoke up.

"Master Oakenshield, as Ember grew up, she was told of her dwarven heritage, and her human heritage. We strove to teach her to love all races, Elvish, Dwarvish and Human alike. But whenever we tried to discuss her power, it seemed like a block had been put in place. She would not remember our discussions within moments of being told of her power, and any attempt to access her power left her bedridden for days. We can only assume that her parents had ensured that she would not be able to know of, or use her power until she was old enough to do so. She was unaware of her power, until she began on this quest."

"I have always known that people seem to feel calm if I focused on them, but I did not think that it was power, just an uncanny ability. It wasn't until we started on this quest, until I met all of you, that I began to feel strange." Ember said, suppressing a yawn.

"Your skin was always warm, or even hot to touch," Kili murmured. "And the nightmares…" She nodded silently, having returned to her position on the bed. "I saw you put out the fire with the Trolls," he added.

"All I know is that when I heard my dwarves cry out from the burns, I felt a pulling, a tugging for the fire. I…I can't explain it, and I can't control it. I could feel something struggling to be released when the Warg was chasing Kili, but it wouldn't break free," she softly admitted.

"That was my fault, Yuula," Gandalf spoke up. "After I had tried to discuss the power with you, I placed a containment spell around the power core, to protect you. Unfortunately…I didn't remove it," he finished grimly.

"Then how did she heal herself?" Thorin asked skeptically. She smothered a smile while looking at Kili.

"I kissed her," Kili said with a grin. Thorin rolled his eyes at the cat-calls and cheers from the Company rang out. Lord Elrond glared, Gandalf chuckled and Ember blushed.

"When I returned to the healing chamber last night, she was in the grips of a nightmare. I had comforted her through several before, so I did the same thing last night. When we awoke this morning, I kissed her." Kili said honestly, his eyes shining.

"All of a sudden, I could feel a burning throughout my side, and when it subsided…"

"Her wounds were healed." Kili confirmed proudly. "Mahal, I'm good." The other dwarves laughed uproariously. Lord Elrond rose suddenly.

"The hour has grown late, and while we may have more questions than answers, I must insist that we allow Ember to rest. There will be a great feast this evening. While you are all here, Gandalf and I will work on helping Ember to control her powers." The dwarves seemed disappointed that they had to leave, but when Ember yawned deeply again, they quickly exited. They all briefly touched their foreheads to Ember's, except Thorin, who dipped his head in acknowledgement before striding from the room. Only Balin seemed to be troubled, though he said nothing. The last to leave was Kili, who covered her in a soft blanket.

"Rest well, vol kaon," he said, brushing his lips lightly across hers. He stroked her hair as her eyes dropped in sleep. He stepped lightly from the room, turning to see Thorin, with Fili behind him.

"We need to talk," Thorin rumbled. Kili sighed, and followed his uncle. It was turning out to be a long day.

herunin - my lord

miz kurdu -my heart

vakha -guardian

Leibz kaon -your eyes

a'mael harma - beloved treasure

Istari - my Wizard