The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes the next morning was Kili's face. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his skin was drawn and pale. His eyes were hollow and blank, but they focused on me instantly. His lips curled up in a slight smile, and he moved to sit on the edge of my bed. At some point during the night, someone had moved me and covered me with blankets, nearly smothering me. Kili took my hand carefully, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. His fingers stroked the back of my hand. "How are you?" he asked. His voice was raspy, and it was not hard to see that he had not slept.

The memories from the night before rushed back, and I closed my eyes against the mental onslaught. One memory in particular haunted me: the image of Kili standing with a wife and a child. If I was his One, then… then how was that possible? Did he not love me as I did him? "I'll manage," I whispered. My throat hurt horribly, throbbing whenever I tried to swallow, but it hurt less than my heart did. I felt sticky and weak, and I wanted nothing more than to hide under the covers and go back to sleep.

He chuckled lightly, then bent down and kissed my forehead gently. "I'm glad you are awake," he said softly. "You worried me last night." He paused for a moment, eyeing me hesitantly. "What happened?"

I closed my eyes. He had pushed me too far the night before, and he did not have the right to do so again. "Kili—"

"I need to know," he told me, squeezing my hand.

"No, you don't," I replied firmly, pushing myself up and sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Because at this moment I myself do not know what happened, and it would be unwise for me to try and explain before I have the answers." I needed to find someone with the gift of sight like I had, someone who could explain what I had seen.

He nodded, still uncertain, but I was saved by the arrival of Tauriel and Legolas, who entered the ward just as Kili opened his mouth to speak. "Aeyera, it is nearly time."

"Time for—?" I stopped short as the memories came back: Thorin's burial, Fili's coronation. "Oh."

"Tauriel is going to help you," Legolas continued softly, nodding his confirmation at what I had said.

Kili touched my hand, dark eyes pleading and apologetic. "May I escort you once you are ready?"

I nodded. "Of course, Kili."

He nodded, looking slightly happier. The dwarf prince then rose, though he looked very annoyed to have to do so, and strode to the door, glancing back at me as he left. Legolas followed, and the instant the doors shut I groaned and fell back against the bed. My head ached, and I pressed my hands to my temples. I needed Kili's interrogations to end before I lost my mind. I winced, recognizing the truth behind the thought. I had briefly lost my mind the night before, an experience I was not keen on repeating.

I let Tauriel help me into a separate chamber and undressed. As a child, she had often helped me get ready, and so her being there did not bother me so long as her back was turned as I got into and out of the water. As it was now, I needed her help in getting into the basin, since my leg would shake and burn violently whenever I placed my weight upon it. With Tauriel's help I stepped into the stone tub in the floor, pleasantly surprised at the feel. It was already filled with warm water, and I sunk into it, lost in my thoughts. My thigh and calf burned, but I soaked the leg anyway. I had suffered through more pain than this in my lifetime; a little sting didn't do much. At least, that is what I told myself as I squeezed my thigh with both hands and ground my teeth together, waiting for the pain to lessen.

Tauriel poured a bucket of cold water on my head, effectively startling me from my thoughts. "You are not alright," she said instantly, speaking over my sputtering protests. "I heard you screaming last night." I flinched away from her, sinking deeper into the water and wrapping my arms around my chest. "Please tell me," she whispered. "Let me help you."

I took a deep breath. "I had a vision," I told her, staring straight ahead. "A vision of what would have come to pass in Thranduil's palace had I been forced to choose between betraying the dwarves or not."

"What happened?" She sounded both confused and alarmed, and I couldn't blame her. If it were she telling me that she was seeing visions of an alternate present, I would be alarmed as well.

"That's just it," I said miserably, lifting my hands helplessly and then dropping them back into the bathwater. "It… they both were so horrible. When I refused to betray them, Thranduil had them slaughtered in front of me. When I agreed… everything spiraled out of control. Kili hated me. I died in battle, but none of the company did, and none of the Rivendell elves came to help, so none of them died. I was the only casualty, and everything turned out alright, but… but Kili go married. He had a child. I don't—" I spread out my hands as tears filled me eyes. "I thought I was his One," I whispered, looking down.

"Aeyera, look at me." I craned my neck to meet her gaze over my shoulder, sniffing. My nose was running, and I wiped it, annoyed. "What you saw… I know it was hard on you. Your behavior last night proved that. But it isn't real, it never was, and it never will be."

"How can you be certain?" I asked brokenly.

"I—" she seemed at a loss for words. "Because Thranduil is dead. He cannot hurt you anymore. Is that not proof enough?"

"But what of Kili? I saw him, he was married with a child, he—"

"Do you know it was his wife and child?" she countered. "How could you have known?"

"I—" I paused, thinking. "I don't know, but there is no other explanation."

"Aeyera—"

"Tauriel, I need to leave."

She stopped trying to talk over me and stared at me instead, her mouth open. After a few moments, she spoke, gasping. "What?"

I turned back and scrubbed the dirt from my skin, speaking to the bathwater. "I have to leave Erebor. I cannot stay here."

"But what about Kili?"

I scrubbed soap into my hair, working around my courtship braid and scratching away at the dried blood on my scalp. "I am not leaving forever, Tauriel, but I need answers. I… if I am to marry Kili, I need to know that I am his One, that this woman from my vision is not real."

"Don't you trust him?" she poured another bucket of cold water on my head, ignoring my growling and muttering as she did so. I washed the soap from my face, rubbing it from my eyes.

"I do," I said slowly, glancing down in disgust at the rusty water I now sat in. "I trust him with my life, and he trusts me with his. Therefore I must know the truth about my visions; if I do not learn it, we both will be hurt. Besides," I tried to jest. "It wouldn't do for a princess to lose her mind, would it?" I tried to make it sound like a joke, but my voice cracked.

Tauriel sighed and helped me into a towel and out of the tub. She handed me a set of clean underclothes and turned her back as I dried myself and dressed, then came back and helped me into the corset and black dress. I left my hair the way it was, the only decoration being the betrothal braid. I didn't feel the need to dress up for this, as if I were celebrating something. I was mourning the loss of a friend, and I would not spend hours primping myself beforehand. As I turned to go, Tauriel stopped me and placed my crown upon my head, ignoring my protests.

"You are the princess. Show it." She helped me back to the infirmary, letting me lean against her when I needed to. Kili and Fili were waiting for me, both dressed in chainmail with black tunics pulled over it. Kili wore silver armor, while Fili wore gold, the symbol of the king. Each had a thin circlet upon his head, the crown made of the same metal as the armor, and both wore their betrothal braids proudly. I wondered when Kída would arrive; Fili seemed to miss her very much. Speaking of Fili—he leaned heavily upon his cane, but to my confusion, he held another in his other hand.

"For you," he explained softly, handing the carved wooden rod to me.

I took it gingerly and tried it, relieved when the pressure disappeared from my leg, transferred into the staff. "Thank you," I whispered. I moved to my cot and pulled my bad from beside it. I reached down into the recesses of it and pulled out a carved wooden shield I had carried since before the Carrock but had forgotten until then.

"Thorin's oaken shield," Fili breathed.

I nodded silently and cradled the branch in my arms like a mother would her child. "I saved it from the fire," I murmured. "But I forgot about it until now." I looked up at the crown prince. "I was to give it back to him."

He nodded, too overcome to speak. Kili offered me his arm, a miniscule smile on his face. He was proud of me, I realized, proud of my actions. I slid the shield onto my forearm, unable to carry it, use my staff, and hold Kili's arm all at once. I hoped no one would find it disrespectful. "It's time."

I nodded and grasped his arm with a shaking hand, letting him lead me from the room and through endless stone corridors. We headed deeper and deeper into the mountain, and my trepidation grew with each step until my knees began to shake and my palms began to sweat.

I can't do this.

"Kili—"

We stopped before an enormous set of wooden doors. Fili stood perfectly still in front of us, his grip tightening on his cane. I froze, my breath catching. My entire body, including my face and eyes, felt numb, as if asleep. My tongue felt like lead.

My betrothed took a deep breath. "It's time," he repeated, this time in a whisper as the doors creaked open, revealing a cavernous room lit by hundreds of torches. Hundreds of dwarves and men already filled the room, although the races were blatantly segregated, each glaring at each other distrustfully. The tension between the two did not last long, however, for the instant the doors opened, all eyes turned to focus on us. Whispers filled the room as hundreds of pairs of eyes focused on the shield upon my arm. Kili tensed and took a deep breath, then followed his brother into the center of the room where Dwalin, Balin, and Dain already stood behind a slab of stone, upon which Thorin's body lay. The brothers nodded when they saw me but did not smile, while Dain eyed me suspiciously, glaring down at the shield. The rest of the company, Bilbo included, stood a few yards to the left with Bard and his children. My brothers and Tauriel joined them.

To my dismay, we came to a stop directly beside the bier. I averted my eyes from Thorin's body; I couldn't bear to look at him. The grief in the room was palpable, and I felt the anger of hundreds of dwarves aimed at me.

Thorin died for me. It's my fault.

Balin began to speak, sharing the testimony of Thorin's life to all in the room. I kept my eyes trained on the ground as they filled with tears, thinking back to a night many months ago spent by a campfire overlooking the Shire. Balin continued speaking of Thorin's great deeds, and one line echoed up through the past and into the present. "There is one whom I could follow. There is one I could call king."

"And I did," Balin continued, his sorrow evident in his choked voice. "For too short of a time, I did."

Dwalin spoke for a long time of Thorin's heroic deeds in battle and how much of a father he was to his people, especially to Fili and Kili. As Balin began to speak of the time spent with the company, I finally looked up. I couldn't bear it any longer. Thorin looked the same as he always has; he appeared to be sleeping. His eyes were closed. His dark, silver-streaked hair had been carefully brushed back. For the first time I noticed the braid in his hair, and I recognized it as the symbol of his marriage to Nadaí. I remembered our conversation a lifetime ago in Beorn's garden about his wife and unborn child, but I had never thought back on it. Not until now. A small shred of peace settled upon me. He was with them now.

He was dressed in a royal blue tunic over gold armor, his sword by his side. The Arkenstone was nowhere to be seen, and I wondered if Bard still had possession of it. I was relieved to see that Thorin was not adorned with a cape or a great crown like he had worn in his final days, but instead looked the part of the honorable prince I had so willingly served for so long. Balin's speech began drawing to a close, but this time I paid attention. He was talking about me.

"Thorin Oakenshield was many things. A leader, a king, a friend—" his voice broke, and the dwarves around the room murmured their agreement. "And although he was temped by the darkness, he was able to find his way back into the light, in the end." He paused for a moment before continuing, pulling himself together. "In the confusion before the battle, he made a grave mistake. He sent away the princess Aeyera, banishing her from the mountain. Her response was to muster a defense for the mountain against the Elvenking, now passed, and the pale orc, who was slain in battle by Thorin Oakenshield. Aeyera fought for Thorin, inadvertently risking her life as well as those of her kin." Horrible, overwhelming guilt bubbled up in my chest. I couldn't breathe. My grip on Kili's arm tightened, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kili look at me in concern. "During the time spent with the company, she saved the lives of the king and his nephews countless times, and to repay his debt, he saved her in return." Balin turned to me, his eyes misty and red. "The company, I included, were not present during most of the battle. None of the company was present when Thorin fell except for his nephews and the Princess, and only she heard his final words." I froze, eyes wide, understanding suddenly what was about to happen. "Princess Aeyera," he said, his voice echoing around the room. "Would you tell us what happened the day of the battle?"

I didn't move but instead stared out at the assembly. A strange ringing filled my ears. I can't do this. And in that moment, I realized why. It would make it real. I wondered if I could run away and get away with it; I doubted it. Kili leaned over so that his lips brushed my ear, his breath warming my skin. "It's going to be alright," he whispered. "I'm right here."

I gave a small nod and stood up straighter, taking a deep breath. Kili wrapped his right hand around mine, securing it against his arm. My other hand gripped the staff with nearly enough force to snap it in two. "The day of the battle—" my voice came out as a squeak, and I started again, struggling to keep from looking down at Thorin's body. "The day of the battle—" my voice broke. The assembly's whispers grew louder, and Kili squeezed my hand. Fili glanced back at me, frowning in concern. "The battle was a blur," I blurted, my voice hoarse. "I only remember bits and pieces of it. Fighting alongside my brothers. Being knocked off my horse. What I remember most clearly were the actions of the company at the gate, both before and during the battle." I paused for breath. My whole body was shaking, and I wondered if my trembling was visible from where the others stood. "Before the battle, Thorin was consumed by darkness. His mind had been taken over, and his actions were that of another dwarf, one whom I had not known." The dwarvish portion of the assembly muttered angrily, eyeing me with distrust. I caught a few snatches of hissed comments: they thought I was trying to dirty Thorin's memory. I continued on as if I had not heard them, although my grip on my staff tightened. "However, something happened between his first and last appearance at the gate. The first, he was corrupted. The Thorin I had known and sworn to serve and protect was gone. I myself know what it is like to be overcome by darkness, and I know how hard it is to return from it. Somehow, by the time the company joined the battle, Thorin had been freed from it."

The room grew silent, the dwarves watching me curiously now. "By the time the company joined the battle, it was going poorly. The arrival of thirteen warriors turned the tide, thanks to Thorin." I paused. This was going to be the most difficult to say. "I joined Prince Kili and fought with him. Somehow we reached the edge of the enemy lines, and it was there that the pale orc attacked. It… he didn't attack Thorin," I stammered, heat rising up my neck and warming my face. "Not at first. Many of you know me as the exile, the elf princess who tried to attack the dragon Smaug on the day he attacked Erebor."

Astonished murmurs filled the room for a split second before I continued speaking again. "What you do not know is what happened afterwards. My brother took me from the hillside before I could help, and brought me nearly to the edge of the Greenwood. I left him there, intent on never returning. Less than a fortnight later, I was captured by the Pale Orc. I was held prisoner in Dol Guldur for twenty years, and not a day went by that I did not pray for death. I was tortured both physically and mentally, and only recently was the madness that was planted there driven from my mind." Astonished and horrified gasps and murmurs filled the room, and it was a few minutes before I could reign in control once more. Today was not about me. It was about Thorin. "The skin changer Beorn found me and rescued me one day; I later discovered that the orc had gone to prepare for the battle of Azanulbizar. It was furious that I escaped, and it spent a very long time tracking me down. It hunted the company both for revenge on Thorin and to kill me. It found me, nearly alone, during the battle. By the grace of Eru he did not know that Kili was Thorin's blood, and he only knocked him aside to get to me. In my surprise, I did not see the goblin behind me until it had stabbed me in the calf. I cut it down but was unable to stand, and I was unable to fight the pale orc off. He swung his sword at me and threw me into the rocks. I do not know how I survived."

I frowned, glancing down at my hip. Fili and Kili exchanged significant looks, and I decided to confront them about it later on. For now, I had to continue. I had to finish, for him—for Thorin. "Azog lifted his sword to run me through, when Fili and Kili dragged me out of the way. At the same time, Thorin attacked the orc from behind, impaling him with his blade." I swallowed. "Thorin started towards me, but the orc was not yet dead. It turned and stabbed him in the chest—" my voice turned into a squeak as my grip on Kili's hand and arm grew painfully tight. "And then fell over, dead. Fili and Kili ran to drive off the orcs and goblins that had begun to swarm us, and I dragged myself to Thorin's side. He was still alive, but barely. He apologized to me, to the company, and then…" I gulped, fighting back tears. "Then his spirit left him." I lifted my voice, looking to the company. "He did not die as Thorin, son of Thrain, King Under the Mountain. He fell as Thorin Oakenshield."

Balin leaned against his younger brother, grief contorting his features as tears rolled down his face. I released my hold on Kili and stared down at Thorin's oaken shield. All the eyes in the assembly rested upon it as well. "I found this after Azog first attacked us many months ago," I said softly. Somehow my words still echoed around the room, which had gone dead silent. "I forgot about it until today." I moved to stand directly beside my fallen king as tears finally began to fall down my cheeks. "And I return it to you now," I told Thorin, my voice a whisper. "I would have followed you to the end, my friend."

With quivering fingers I strapped the shield to his arm, and pressed my first two fingers to my lips and then moved them to rest against his forehead. His skin was cold, and I was struck by the terrible reality that he was gone. He wasn't coming back. Kili reached out and took my hand when I joined him once more. "He fell a hero."

Fili and Kili both spoke, but I couldn't listen anymore. After an eternity, the funeral ended, and most of the dwarves and men departed. Those that remained were the company and I, and Dain. Dain came over to speak to me, downcast. "I want to thank ye for speaking," he told me gruffly. "I've heard a wee bit about your story from others, but never as much as ye shared today. My cousin must have cared a good deal for ye if he was willing to die for ye, lass. I thank ye for protecting he and his nephews like ye did. And I wish to say that I approve of your choice, lad," he added to Kili, nodding to our braids. I nodded and bowed to him as he left. The group moved to leave, ready for the coronation. I noticed that Bilbo stayed behind, clutching something in his fist.

"Would you give me a moment?" I asked Kili softly. "I want to say goodbye."

He nodded and kissed my forehead, then followed his brother out. It would be a few minutes before the coronation began, and it would take place only a few levels beside the old throne room. Because of the damage done to the original, a new one had been constructed across from the old, and I had not seen it yet, although it was one of the few places in the mountain I knew how to reach. I reentered the room and closed the door quietly behind me.

Bilbo stood beside Thorin, his voice strained. "I wish I had had more time, Thorin," he whispered. "You shouldn't have had to die, and… and I wish I had gotten the chance to speak to you before you passed." He swallowed. I felt as though I were intruding. "I—I want you to know that I'm glad to have shared in your perils, Thorin. Each and every one of them. It is far more than any Baggins deserves. You were one of the best friends I ever had." He swiped at his eyes impatiently, taking a deep breath. "Why did you have to go?" he whispered brokenly. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, it was to see a slight bulge in the fabric above Thorin's heart and Bilbo pressing an acorn into one of Thorin's hands. The hobbit wrapped Thorin's fingers around it and then stepped away, taking quick, sharp breaths.

I moved closer, leaning heavily upon my staff. "I'm sorry," I told the halfling, my throat aching from suppressing my sobs. "I'm sorry."

Bilbo looked up at me. If he was surprised to see me, he didn't show it. "It wasn't your fault." He gave me a sad half-smile, then his face fell again. He turned back to the bier. "It doesn't seem real, does it?" he asked me softly.

"No, it doesn't," I agreed softly, placing my right hand on his shoulder. "I don't think it ever will. Did you know that he had a wife?" I asked softly.

Bilbo looked up at me in astonishment. "He did?"

"Aye. She passed many years ago, and she—she was with child." I looked down at the king, feeling my grief weighing heavily upon my shoulders. "But he is with them now," I murmured, squeezing his shoulder.

"Aye," Bilbo agreed. "Then he is where he belongs." He hesitated, then looked up at me. "Bard returned the Arkenstone to me, and I… I gave it back." He pointed to Thorin's chest. "It should be buried with him." I nodded, unable to speak, and Bilbo took my hand and led me from the room. Later today we would return so that Thorin's body would be sealed within the mountain, but for now we went down to the coronation.

We entered through the back minutes before it began. The room was large and bright, with windows to allow the sunlight inside and pale stone to reflect it. A mahogany throne sat on a slightly raised platform at the center of the end of the room, and all the dwarves stood in rows on either side, leaving an aisle down the middle of the hall. A few others, including my brothers and Bard and his children, stood in the back, still able to see over the dwarves' heads. Kili and Dain stood at the front of the room, and I was ushered there to stand beside Kili, who held a red pillow with a golden crown resting upon it. Finally it began, and Fili strode up the aisle between the dwarves, his head held high. Sorrow darkened his eyes, but his face was calm. He knelt down on the steps below the throne. To my surprise, it was Balin who was to crown him king. There were many traditional lines that were to be said, and most were in the dwarvish language, which I did not know. Finally Balin took the golden circlet from Fili's head and rested it gently on a red, velvet pillow and lifted a golden crown from the pillow Kili held.

He faced Fili, this time speaking in Westron so that all might hear and understand.

"Do you swear to defend this kingdom?"

Fili stared straight ahead, his blue eyes shining gold in the sunlight. "I swear."

"Do you swear to protect the lives of your people, even at the expense of your own?"

He took a breath, the movement sending golden light through his hair. "I swear."

"Do you swear to strive to be true, just, honorable, and worthy of this title for as long as your reign may last, even unto the ending of the earth?"

"I swear."

"Then on this day I, Balin, son of Fundin, proclaim you, Fili, son of Dís, King of Erebor." He placed the crown upon Fili's head as the young king closed his eyes briefly. Fili then rose and ascended the throne before turning and facing his people, a solemn look upon his face. He stood tall, and the sunlight illuminated his regal figure. It was impossible to find fault in this young king. Each and every person in the room took up the chant, "Long live the king!" And as it was repeated it resounded louder and louder until it seemed that the mountain itself trembled from the force of it. I still was uneasy. I had a decision to make, and I knew that it would affect everything. But for now, I pushed it away. Today was not for me.